How to Make Better Happiness Decisions

Who doesn’t want to be happier? We know we do. 

Happiness might feel elusive to you. If you are overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed, you aren’t alone. 

You might think that happiness is a goal you can strive for and achieve in a lasting way. But the reality is that our evolution built our brains to use the same dopamine-powered reward circuits to serve diverse behaviors and learning. 

We have to seek out new information about the world. We seek novelty, we are naturally curious, and we favor exploration. We are restless by nature.

Satisfaction can’t be stored because of the very nature by which it is generated.   

It turns out that many of our intuitions about happiness are wrong. But by making better decisions—some that run against your intuitions—you can become a happier person.

So we’ve assembled our favorite nudges from our book Make Better Decisions and put them together with scientific insights about happiness so you can nudge yourself towards making a happier life.

‍Happiness Insight #1: Your Intuitions Are Wrong

• Nudge: Delay Intuition
• Nudge: Explore vs. Exploit

Happiness Insight #2: Time Famine vs Time Affluence

• Nudge: Consider the Frame
• Nudge: Seeds of Regret

Happiness Insight #3: Happiness is Made

• Nudge: Forecasting Emotions
• Nudge: Rewild Your Attention

Happiness Insight #3: Joy of Flow

• Nudge: Embrace Your Flow State

Practice these nudges and we promise you’ll make better happiness decisions.