Comments on: What Makes People Happy? http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/ Macro Perspective on the Capital Markets, Economy, Geopolitics, Technology, and Digital Media Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:38:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: bergsten http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178997 bergsten Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:39:25 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178997 I cannot speak for the actual study, but the video is the most content-free six minutes I've ever viewed. Is this what a Harvard lecture is like? Generally, if I see a blog entry that I feel would be of interest or benefit (or amusement) to others, I bring up my email program and continue to read/watch, thinking all the time of who I ought to send a link to. This time, I just closed the program and walked away. I cannot speak for the actual study, but the video is the most content-free six minutes I’ve ever viewed. Is this what a Harvard lecture is like?

Generally, if I see a blog entry that I feel would be of interest or benefit (or amusement) to others, I bring up my email program and continue to read/watch, thinking all the time of who I ought to send a link to.

This time, I just closed the program and walked away.

]]> By: drollere http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178948 drollere Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:24:22 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178948 the harvard study is a longitudinal sample of college age men, including by chance the young john f. kennedy, tracked to the end of life. it is really more a study of adaptation, maturation and character than of happiness. the study director, george vailliant, has written about the study results from a psychoanalytic point of view. what makes people happy? the answer is pretty basic: exceeding your expectations. (the same formula predicts customer satisfaction in business: meeting or exceeding product or service performance makes a happy customer.) if your entire net worth is two potatoes, but you expected at the time to only have one turnip, then you are happy. if you have two mcmansions, but expected by this time to have four, then you are unhappy. this is why wealth does not predict happiness very well, within or across cultures. the harvard study is a longitudinal sample of college age men, including by chance the young john f. kennedy, tracked to the end of life. it is really more a study of adaptation, maturation and character than of happiness. the study director, george vailliant, has written about the study results from a psychoanalytic point of view.

what makes people happy? the answer is pretty basic: exceeding your expectations. (the same formula predicts customer satisfaction in business: meeting or exceeding product or service performance makes a happy customer.) if your entire net worth is two potatoes, but you expected at the time to only have one turnip, then you are happy. if you have two mcmansions, but expected by this time to have four, then you are unhappy. this is why wealth does not predict happiness very well, within or across cultures.

]]> By: super_trooper http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178286 super_trooper Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:37:16 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178286 "Virtually all of the men ammounted to something at age 45-50". Not quite applicable to the rest of the population. They are all Harvard boys, the elite school of the world. How about performing the same study at average college USA. “Virtually all of the men ammounted to something at age 45-50″. Not quite applicable to the rest of the population. They are all Harvard boys, the elite school of the world. How about performing the same study at average college USA.

]]> By: dsawy http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178116 dsawy Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:23:46 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178116 This is as simple as it is timeless: Happiness is achieved by crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you while listening to the lamentations of their women. These goddamn academics over-think everything. This is as simple as it is timeless:

Happiness is achieved by crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you while listening to the lamentations of their women.

These goddamn academics over-think everything.

]]> By: cewing http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178104 cewing Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:15 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178104 One small typo, Barry: You have Vanity Fair listed as the source, not the Atlantic. One small typo, Barry: You have Vanity Fair listed as the source, not the Atlantic.

]]> By: Boofus http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/05/what-makes-people-happy/comment-page-1/#comment-178099 Boofus Sun, 31 May 2009 23:37:37 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=26797#comment-178099 This is great, as well as the "Sorry, I am late" post. Keep it up Barry, this is the type of stuff that will keep you on top of your game. This is great, as well as the “Sorry, I am late” post. Keep it up Barry, this is the type of stuff that will keep you on top of your game.

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