The Science of Happiness

For most of its history, psychology concentrated on what goes wrong with the human mind: anxiety, depression and disorder. Since the late 1990s, however, a growing movement known as positive psychology has turned its attention to a different question — what makes life go well?

Research on twins suggests that our genetic make-up accounts for a considerable portion of the differences in happiness between people. Some of us, it seems, are simply born with a sunnier disposition. Life circumstances — income, health, where we live — also matter, though often less than we might expect.

This is partly explained by a phenomenon called hedonic adaptation. After a positive change, such as a pay rise or a new car, we quickly grow accustomed to our new situation, and our happiness tends to drift back towards its previous level.

The answer appears to be: up to a point, and in particular ways. Escaping poverty dramatically improves wellbeing, and recent studies suggest that satisfaction continues to rise with income for many people. But how we spend money matters too. Spending on experiences, such as travel, tends to bring more lasting satisfaction than spending on possessions, and spending on others often brings more joy than spending on ourselves.

If there is one finding that stands out above all others, it is the importance of close relationships. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed participants for more than eighty years, concluded that the quality of our relationships is one of the strongest predictors of both happiness and physical health in later life. Loneliness, by contrast, has been linked to health risks comparable to smoking.

Encouragingly, research suggests that certain deliberate practices can make a modest but meaningful difference. Regularly writing down things we are grateful for, performing acts of kindness, exercising and spending time in nature have all been associated with improved wellbeing. None of these is a miracle cure — but together they suggest that happiness is, at least in part, a skill that can be cultivated.