Find Happiness Where You Are

Playing a round of golf with friends or family makes you happy. But what can you do to be happier – for life?

- Bhali Gill

There is no doubt that every single one of us wants to be happy. Whether you are a stay-at-home mum, successful businesswoman, entrepreneur or even a full-time professional or amateur golfer, we all want to live a happy life. But what is it that makes us happy? Is it the money we make, the experiences we have, or the support we have from friends and family? What exactly is the formula for finding happiness where we are?

Nobel Prize winners, Angus Deaton and Daniel Kahneman, may have the answers for us. In 2010, Angus and Daniel published a study looking at whether income would have an impact on our evaluation of life and emotional well-being. What they found out was that whilst happiness does increase with income, it plateaus at the US$75,000 mark. This means that our experience of day-to-day happiness does not increase much after that amount. So it seems that the more we earn, doesn’t necessarily provide for a life of happiness. Then what will provide for a happy life?