Happiness Equation

It is difficult to bring abstract ideas and have them be explained by rational equations and explanations. How much sadness do you feel on a daily basis? How much happiness? If you were asked these questions how could you quantify them? How could your answers accurately describe your feelings in a way that someone else would grasp in the same way you do? The reality is there is no perfect answer, there is no perfect solution. These sorts of questions are extremely ambiguous and dependent on personal choices. Happiness and sadness are not standardized equations to be solved. When solving for X in the equation, X + 5 = 7, the basic answer is X = 2. That is an accepted answer. When answering the questions about happiness, sadness, and other emotions, these answers are based on personal opinions and how you describe these opinions. Instead of any universally accepted answer, your answer is a personal theory of your emotions vocalized. But there is a better way to define your happiness, not so you can more accurately place it on a 1 to 10 scale, but so you can more effectively pursue a life where you are happier.

The Happiness equation states that Happiness (H) = Reality (R) — Expectations (E). This equation states that your happiness is dictated by your current reality minus the expectations you had about this reality. If you bought a house without looking at the neighborhood and you expected green grass, parks, and a neighborhood watch but you show up to see dead grass, trash on the street, and barbed wire fences, your reality is going to be dramatically subtracted by your expectations leading to less happiness. This equation is by no means a perfect equation but it does serve the purpose of providing a tangible base for how you can find happiness in your life.

People could skew this equation and lower their expectations on purpose in order to maintain a positive level of happiness. This idea is not the point of the equation. The point is to still be ambitious and to still have grand visions for what can be accomplished. Lowering your expectations will actually have a more negative effect on your happiness in the long run because you will be less fulfilled and less full of drive to achieve. What you should focus on is making sure your expectations are aligned with the reality of what your life can be if commit and focus. The Happiness Equation is specifically set up to work this way. This is not high school math, this is math for the rest of your life.