There are many different ways of looking at happiness. Psychologists tend to use the term to mean contentment, well-being or satisfaction with life.
Some philosophers define happiness as a kind of value, such as eudaimonia or virtue. Others focus on the experiences of happiness, such as pleasure and enjoyment.
Some of the things that you might expect to make people happier do not seem to play a big role. For example, income seems to increase happiness only modestly.
Keeping Your Car Fueled Up
When it comes to your car, most of us have a general rule of thumb that it’s better to keep your tank full rather than running it nearly empty. While procrastinating on filling up can lead to some frustrating situations like a sudden detour to the gas station or getting stranded in the middle of the road, making it a habit to regularly refill your tank can actually provide some significant benefits for you and your vehicle.
Keeping your fuel tank full can also improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency since less air in the tank means that your engine has to work harder to get that fuel from it. Plus, if you ever decide to sell your car, keeping your tank full can help boost its resale value because potential buyers will see that it’s been well maintained and maintained often. Here are some other reasons to make it a habit to always keep your tank full:
Staying Safe on the Road
One of the major support pillars for happiness is feeling safe. This includes not only being physically safe but also feeling safe and secure with people in our lives. Being safe reduces the chronic stress that is harder to identify but leads to unhappiness and ill health over time.
Everyone’s unique balance of pleasure and purpose differs, but in general blending the two in your own proportions will make you happy. That’s why safety professionals need to shift the focus of their work to focusing on happiness.
For example, 8-year old Tapani from Finland says that the key to his happiness is “not too many dangerous snakes.” This is just one of the natural dangers that Finns don’t have to worry about such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes and man-eating tigers.
Saving Money
The relationship between money and happiness is complex. But a rough summary suggests that income and wealth do correlate with reported happiness, especially when compared to relative poverty levels. Happiness is also correlated with other factors, such as health, positive relationships and self-efficacy (confidence that you can achieve your goals).
Nevertheless, it’s important to save money in order to have more options for happiness and well-being down the road. It’s even more important to focus on the things you can control, such as practicing gratitude, calming your mind, developing confidence and finding enjoyment in your daily routine.
Some object that these kinds of claims about the importance of happiness as life evaluation fail to acknowledge the fact that other things, like achievement and knowledge, matter for human well-being. But those objections are based on an underlying assumption that happiness is the only thing that matters for human well-being, which is false. Studies of happiness outliers like the Maasai herders and Inughuit hunter-gatherers show that it’s possible for people to experience high levels of happiness despite modest material holdings.