Introduction
“According to a popular idea about the science of happiness, 10% of the variance in happiness in a given population is due to life circumstances (age, nationality, sex, race/ethnicity, and income); 50% is due to genetics; and 40% remains under our direct control. These numbers have been repeated in countless journal articles and books, and discussed as fact in college courses around the world.”
“Be skeptical.”
“These perfectly round numbers raise more questions than answers, and as of today, I still don’t trust them.”
Skeptical is probably the word I’d pick if you only gave me one to describe myself. It might have at one point been nihilistic or cynical or jaded, but I’ve since come to appreciate that substantive solutions to problems are real. They’re just hidden under a pile of marketing for get-X-quick schemes: get-rich-quick, get-happy-quick, get-laid-quick. These exploit the common human desire for shortcuts in a consumerist society driven by the mantras “time is money” and “greed is good.” But, it is possible to find some pretty solid answers if you remain radically skeptical. Trust no one, not me, and not yourself.