Sometimes it is worth looking into the science to get some hints and ideas on: how happiness works.

I found this TED talk from Dan Gilbert with some suprising insights. It seems that happiness is not that rare and random thing most people are hunting for:

In his TED Talk “The Surprising Science of Happiness,” Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert explores how our perceptions of happiness often lead us astray. He introduces the concept of the “psychological immune system,” which enables individuals to synthesize happiness even when situations don’t unfold as planned. ​

Gilbert distinguishes between two types of happiness:​

Gilbert distinguishes between two types of happiness:

• Natural Happiness: What we typically think of as happiness—winning the lottery, achieving our goals, or simply enjoying a delicious scoop of ice cream.
• Synthetic Happiness: A system in our brain that allows us to experience happiness even in crappy situations.

And it turns out that this second happiness mechanism is just as valuable and useful for the brain as natural happiness. Used wisely, it gives us a tool to break free from the hamster wheel of constantly chasing happiness. Because hey—happiness can actually be created (synthesized), making it independent of external circumstances, exhausting goal-chasing, or the size of our bank account.

Through various studies, Gilbert demonstrates that our ability to synthesize happiness allows us to adapt to adverse circumstances, maintaining our well-being regardless of external outcomes. He emphasizes that understanding this mechanism can lead to a more stable and resilient sense of happiness.

The original TED talk went viral, and this interview was about 10 years later, with more insights on the topic: