3 Mathematical Formulas to Calculate Whether You Are Happy or Not

What is to be happy? This seems to be a somewhat ethereal and far from objective question. Thus, each one has a type of answer. Poets, philosophers, scientists… each one responds in a different way. But a group of scientists, neurobiologists and psychologists decided to look for a little more concrete answers. And they arrived at three formulas, which we will present below.

Professor Todd Kashdan, from George Mason University, in the United States, has developed a formula that intends to be universal and that, according to him, can make anyone happy. Here is she:

Happiness = 16M + C + 2T + 5A + 2B + 33S, being:

M — enjoy the moment; Ç — show curiosity and explore the world; T — have a satisfactory job; THE — supporting others; B — be a support base in relationships and dedicate time to loved ones; s — take care of the body and health.

To understand how this formula works, let’s take a time frame of one week. A happy week will be one where there is at least:

16 pleasant moments; 1 experience of something new and unknown; 2 moments when you did an inspiring job; 5 times you supported another person(s); 2 moments when you made a loved one happy; 33 moments when you took care of your body or your health.

The most curious thing is that in the formula there is no place for either love or finances. And that’s what makes a lot of people suspicious of her. But Todd is sure that she is the most effective in the pursuit of happiness.

Happiness = P + (5E) + (3A), where:

P — characteristics of your personality: your concepts about life, your character and your hobbies; AND — existence: health, financial stability, people and friends; THE — high standards: self-esteem, ambitions and sense of humor.

To create the formula, psychologists interviewed more than a thousand people, always presenting 4 questions. The answer to each question should be rated on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ‘definitely no’ and 10 is ‘definitely yes’.

1. How open are you to the world and changes?

2. Are you able to look at the world positively, are you able to recover quickly from failures, and do you feel that life is under control?

3. Are you satisfied with your health and financial situation? Do you feel support from dear people?

4. Do you do what gives you joy and moves you towards your goals?

The sum of the answers to the first two questions is the P indicator. The answer to question 3 is the E indicator, and the answer to question 4 is the A indicator.

All people receive a rating that cannot exceed 100. The higher the rating, the happier the person is.

According to researchers, people think happiness is having a lot of money, a nice car or a big house. But those who have all this are not necessarily happier than those who simply enjoy life.

Researchers believe that people often focus on negative things and therefore feel unhappy. Instead of thinking about failures, it’s better to enjoy the victories and be grateful for everything we have.

The weakness of these formulas is that their creators see happiness as a sum of certain factors that are the same for everyone. But the concept of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is different for everyone, and the same situation can be normal for one and critical for another. Therefore, taking the concept of happiness to a concrete mathematical formula is a very difficult task.

Russian scientist VI Neviadomsky is considered the author of a formula that can calculate the level of happiness for a certain period of a person’s life.

Happiness = sum of EP / sum of EN, being:

EP – positive emotions over a period of time; EN – negative emotions in the same period of time.

If the sum of positive emotions is greater than the sum of negative emotions, a person is happy; if it’s the other way around, no.

This formula is interesting because it doesn’t define happiness as a certain end result. It simply shows that we have to have more happy moments than sad ones. Sometimes, to be happy, it’s enough that more good things happen than bad things in our lives.

Happiness is not a utopian destination where peace and tranquility await us. She continues to be the path, almost always confusing and full of obstacles. And no matter how cliché the phrase ‘Live in the here and now’ sounds like a cliché, it never fails to be true. There are many formulas that try to calculate happiness, but each of us must have our own formula based on our priorities, goals, desires and aspirations.

Share with us what your recipe for achieving happiness is. Do you have any secrets to being happy?