John Stuart Mill’s crisis: when a brilliant mind asked "would I be happy?"
By 20, John Stuart Mill had read more than most professors. Then a simple question floored him: if I achieved everything I want, would I be happy? The answer was "no".
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Hedonic adaptation: why the joy of a new purchase fades so quickly
A new car, a higher salary, a bigger house. At first they make us happy, then they become an ordinary part of life. Psychologists call this adaptation. But it does not work the same way for everything.
Experiences or things? What studies say about money and happiness
With the same money you could buy an expensive jacket or a weekend in the mountains with friends. Which choice is more likely to make you happier a few months later?
Buying time: why money that saves hours can make us happier
We spend money on things, and often time to save money. A group of researchers asked the opposite question: are we more satisfied when we spend money to gain time?
Small acts of kindness: what they do for those who do them
Helping someone, giving them something or simply saying a kind word does not only please them. Studies suggest it also raises a little the well-being of the person who does it.
Epicurus: the philosopher of pleasure who lived on bread and water
Today “epicurean” means someone who likes expensive food and luxury. Epicurus himself taught something quite different: that happiness comes from few things and from the absence of fear.
The wandering mind: half the day somewhere else
For about 47% of our waking time we are thinking about something other than what we are doing. And in those moments we are usually less happy.