Don't Always Be Interested in the Next New Thing

[University of Chicago economist Luis Rayo] began our conversation on a philosophical note. "What is happiness, exactly? Much of what we call 'happiness' is relative and based on comparison," he said. "We are always comparing what we have to something else. But, we're not anticipating that no matter what we have we will always be comparing it to something else. In fact, we're not even aware that we are doing this."

...

This unending cycle of serial interests and constant impulse to compare what we have now with what we might have in the future is wired into our brains, and there's an evolutionary reason for it, Rayo explained. Fifty thousand years ago, when we were hunter-gatherers, it served us well. To elude predators, our eyes developed the ability to judge moving objects and colors by comparing them with the background landscape. To ensure there would be enough food and water for everyone, our brains developed the ability to continually look ahead and press on to find new food sources.

In today's world, this strategy does not always serve us well, Rayo pointed out.

More important, he went on to say, the psychology literature and surveys clearly show that not all happiness is ephemeral and geared to endlessly moving targets. With nonmaterial things, the target does not move.

"Exercise will absolutely make you feel better. Your social network, family and friends can bring permanent happiness. Longtime relationships can bring long-term satisfaction."

One reason for this, Rayo said, is that our relationships with friends and families do not have a lot of "status differentiation." Though you may think that this sounds ridiculous, Rayo said that brain scans and hormone fluctuations in our bloodstream show that our brains are designed to know where we fit into the pecking order, and we're uncomfortable when we're not among equals. Our brains are also very sensitive to material success and who has more or less than we do.

...

What is the scientific proof that a modest lifestyle is the path to happiness? Rayo said one example is Buddhist monks. They eat the same food and wear the same clothes every day. With years of meditation they lose interest in the "next new thing and the moving target," he said. "And their brain scans show that they are happier than most people in a scientifically measurable way."

Yeah, I think too much emphasis on economic inequality can miss the point.

On the other hand, I'm not sure sure about the pecking order. I've known some people who are climbers, making "friends" with higher status people. Are they actually unhappy?