The “What makes me unhappy is everything but myself” fairy tale
“Happiness runs latently in the human’s blood. If it does not come into action, it will not be different from the virtuous person who has fallen asleep.” Aristotle
It is certain that the idea “I cannot help being unhappy” has a role that makes people feel responsible. On the other hand, this idea is quite for slackers, and it is of no use to people who want to be happy.
Following a study examining happiness factors, researchers determined that three fundamental factors shape our happiness.*
- 10 percent, living conditions
- 40 percent, purposeful behaviors
- 50 percent, genetics
The genetic factor has also been called the equilibrium point because they thought that 50 percent of the difference between people’s happiness levels is due to our innate traits (such as temperament). So, at the utmost, genetics’ role is %50 in the difference between unhappy and the happiest. This means that genes bring 30 points to some, 20 to some, 45 to another, and 5 to another, out of 100 points of happiness contribution total scores. What is left behind from those that play a role in affecting happiness consists of living conditions (which are the smallest 10 percent) and attitudes and behaviors with a 40 percent share in the…
