A One-Minute Microshift to Become Instantly Happier
When you can’t change your reality, change your expectations
People spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to become happier, but so much of our happiness boils down to a simple formula:
Happiness = Reality / Expectations
Let’s review some third grade math. In a fraction, when the denominator is greater than the numerator, the result falls below one. Therefore, if we say contentment equals one, and your expectations exceed your reality, you will be less than content.
In their book Engineering Happiness, the economists Rakesh Sarin and Manel Baucells call this equation “the fundamental question” of well-being. Consider how it plays out in our everyday lives: Say you come home and a friend has left a gift for you on your doorstep. You had no expectations for this, and your reality skyrockets. Your happiness, therefore, goes through the roof.
Now imagine that as you sit down to work, you spill your coffee all over your desk. Suddenly, your numerator decreases. Reality threw a curveball. You didn’t expect to begin your day with stains all over your notebook, and so your happiness drops.
While you can’t control our reality, you can lower your expectations. Yep, that’s the whole “trick.”
