Engineering Happiness

January 23, 2012
Sarin and Baucells—a management professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and business and economics professor at Barcelona’s Universitat Pompeu Fabra, respectively—provide an insightful and systematic approach to achieving happiness. They rely on a fundamental, seemingly simple equation that they tweak throughout the book: HAPPINESS equals REALITY minus EXPECTATIONS. “It is possible to define happiness in mathematical terms,” they write, measuring happiness in a unit they define as “happydons.” The authors discuss the role of relative comparison, cumulative comparison, expectations, sensitivity, and their effects on happiness. In the final chapter, “Building a Happier Life,” Sarin and Baucells offer concrete tips on how to achieve happiness, ranging from enjoying one’s meals, to improving the quality of one’s commute to work, to practicing frugality as way to tame expectations. This unique and refreshing look at happiness will appeal to anyone searching for a more fulfilling life.