Happines

Some of you will know that the British Prime Minister is spending money to find out what makes us happy, presumably not including drugs, sex & rock and roll.

My simple view was the following recipe:-

(A) Knowing what you want to do

(B) Being able to do it

There should be a third

(C) Minimizing the amount of time doing things you don't like

However my daughter replied

"you may be looking at the happiness thing all wrong - which seems likely given that it is David Cameron's idea. I think 'happiness' is momentary, or situational at least. I think the question is 'content' which I think the PM can't use because we align contentment with lack of drive and/or ambition ' content with your lot' is considered a bad thing, where as being happy is considered good.

But I think it is a more relevant question, I can be very unhappy at this moment, something sad may have happened, but I am overall content. And I agree, knowing what you want and being able to go for it is a key thing in making one content, but knowing you need food and knowing you need to go and queue at a homeless shelter to get it?

We need to think of Maslov's hierarchy of needs (unfortunately), I think there s a point at which poverty and ill health do impact on happiness, although I accept 'money doesn't buy you happiness'."

This moves the original simplistic observation onto a new level.