Can Our Happiness Set Point Be Changed?

“If you are not happy here and now you never will be.” Taisen Deshimaru

Are There Different Ways to Be Happy?

“Happiness” really is a messy concept at least academically.

In fact, not only do psychologist define and measure aspects of well-being differently, there is some new evidence that having the right kind of happiness might actually be more important for long-term health (1).

Subjective Well-Being vs. Psychological Well-Being

It seems the term “happiness” is generally recognized by most people as an indicator of well-being and indeed it is. However, psychologists and researchers prefer to split the concept of well-being into two major types: 1) Subjective (hedonic) well-being and 2) Psychological (eudaimonic) well-being. Subjective well-being generally refers to either the ratio of positive to negative emotions (commonly what is described as “happiness“) and life satisfaction (a longer-term sense of overall engagement and fulfillment). Both of these reflect the “emotional component” and “cognitive component” of well-being, respectively.

Psychological well-being is often associated with the concept of flourishing and typically contains the elements of meaningfulness/purpose in life and ongoing pursuit of self-development.

Of these two broad types, it appears that people with high levels of hedonic well-being don’t feel any worse than those with high levels of eudaimonic well-being.

But, research by Barbara Frederickson and her colleagues (2014) have found some convincing evidence at the gene expression level that people experiencing higher life purpose had significantly low levels of inflammatory gene expression and strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes compared to those who just reported being emotionally “happy” on a daily basis. In their study, the researchers drew blood samples from 80 healthy adults who were assessed for subjective well-being and psychological well-being. The research team used the CTRA gene-expression profile to map the potentially distinct biological effects of these two types of “happiness.”

Is Happier Always Better?

One study has tried to answer this question by analyzing data from 118,519 respondents of the World Values Study, an intense data collection project with college students entering 25 mostly elite Universities, and four longitudinal data sets exploring the link between self-reported happiness and various outcomes such as educational degrees obtained, income levels, relationship satisfaction and duration (2). These studies revealed a consistent pattern of results:

• The optimal level of happiness in the domains of interpersonal relationships is the highest possible level of happiness
• In contrast, the optimal level of happiness for achievement of outcomes (e.g., salary, income, education) is a moderate (but still high) level of happiness

The authors in this study stress that it is not bad to be very happy nor is it desirable to be unhappy.

They are suggesting that for those individuals whose primary values in work and life focus on achievement, only moderate levels of happiness may be possible. For those whose values prioritize close relationships, it is the highest level of happiness possible given one’s genetic set point, situation and daily activities that are desirable. The benefit of happy moods are also likely influenced by one’s personality and work/life values and likely to differ across cultures.

Our own research with our stress and resilience tool called StressScan has revealed some interesting results when we analyze the items composing our own Well-Being/Happiness scale with a random sample of 1,350 working professionals in diverse industries:

Percent Answering “Often” or “Always”

• 70.7% — Genuinely enjoying the things you are involved in
• 66.3% — Feeling that your future looks hopeful and promising
• 68.5% — Pleased with life overall

Can Our Happiness Set-Point Be Changed?

To what extent is our happiness genetically set by our life situation, events, thoughts and behaviors? Can our happiness “set-point” be modified by specific actions and exercises?

Our own research suggests a “profile” of employees who were very likely to describe themselves as least happy with work and life. These individuals reported low levels of work and life satisfaction (psychological well-being), poor eating habits (eating/nutrition) and were very self-critical (negative appraisal). We wondered if happiness and life meaning could actually be modified given that research questioning whether one’s overall happiness level follows a model (subsequently popularized under the name of the “happiness pie”) in which approximately 50% of individual differences in happiness are due to genetic factors and 10% to life circumstances, leaving 40% available to be changed via volitional activities (4). In fact, a current evaluation of this popular happiness "pie" model might not be justified by the available evidence (e.g., heritability of overall (i.e., including momentary) happiness at 32–41%, but for the stable component of happiness, heritability is reported in the 70–80% range).

Until recently, scientific research supported the idea that what we do each day didn’t have much impact on our unchangeable and biological “set point” for happiness. This older view suggested that happiness was predetermined genetically and perhaps influenced by our upbringing but always returning to a “set point” and varying only slightly. It also explained why those who are diagnosed with a chronic illness return to about the same level of happiness they enjoyed before they became ill.

Maximizing our Happiness Set-Point (and Overall Health)

There is no one key to life satisfaction and overall health but rather a recipe that includes at least 12 ingredients that you can practice and employ each day.

1. Sleep (Quality and Quantity): Get adequate rest/sleep as lack of it has been shown to influence fatigue, moods and performance.
2. Daily Exercise: Make time for physical activity (aerobic or endurance, strength, flexibility and balance) as those who frequently exercise report lower depression and higher psychological well-being.
3. Practice Forgiveness: Forgive others who have hurt you in the past.
4. Emotional Expression: The goal is to feel good as opposed to just “feeling good” all the time.
5. Deploy Expressive Writing: Expressing one’s emotions, particularly through writing, can have strong immune protective effects.
6. Social Support: Engage with others and avoid those who are “toxic” in your life to enhance both well-being and longevity.
7. Practice Daily Affirmations: Reflecting on your blessings each day seems to be associated with increased well-being and happiness.
8. Identifying Our Strengths: Identifying and using your Signature Strengths.
9. Deploying Our Passions: Identifying and leveraging what you do well and how to maximize the application of your unique “strengths” will allow you to be more engaged and satisfied.
10. Avoiding Negative Self-Talk and Use Reappraisal: Monitor your own self-talk and work to dispute those things you say that are irrational, absolute, self-critical and/or overly perfectionist. Reappraise things that are not easy to control and shift your labeling of stressors to cope more effectively.
11. Practice your Favorite Forms of Relaxation (imagery, mindfulness meditation, yoga) as all have significant and growing evidence-based associations with physical health and psychological well-being.
12. Utilize Heart Healthy Eating/dietary Practices to help build resilience, foster immunity and enhance overall well-being.

You can also adopt the words of Jack Buck who said, "Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out"…. Be well…

1. Fredrickson, B. et al., (2014). A functional perspective on human well-being. PNAS, doi=10.1073.
2. Oishi, S. et al., (2007). The optimum level of well-being: Can people be too happy? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2 (4) 346-360.
3. Nowack, K. (2006). Optimising Employee Resilience: Coaching to Help Individuals Modify Lifestyle. Stress News, International Journal of Stress Management, Volume 18, 9-12.
4. Brown, N. & Rohrer, J. (2019). Easy as (Happiness) Pie? A Critical Evaluation of a Popular Model of the Determinants of Well-Being. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00128-4