Equation for happiness

Today is a gorgeous day. Although a bit cold, the absence of clouds forecasts great weather. Sitting on my deck, I can see the birds eating their favorite seeds, the now-grown-up squirrel scavenging the yard, and I am savoring the relaxing scent of wet grass. So for some time, I forget about work, emails, patients and experiments, and I get lost in my thoughts.

If it is a blue sky Sunday and you are more than disconnected from your usual stuff, like me as of this writing, it is likely that you are thinking why you have to go work tomorrow.

The easy answer is that you work so you can earn money to do things that makes you happy. For many, this means working a lot and scrambling to make ends meet. You then do the things that bring you happiness, namely doing nothing, or having fun with friends or family, or going to a concert, or paying off the Ferrari, etc.

Most people — me included — still have to wake up early in the morning and come back late in the day to go through life and save money for retirement. So a good step toward staying happy would be enjoying all you can at work, including having fun with colleagues, medical students, friends and even better, patients. Patients can be a source of loooots of fun if you are in the right mood.

If you are into research, have fun there too. Many bad days are followed by great ones so finding the perfect balance is key.

An equation for happiness

Given that remuneration (R$) brings the possibility of obtaining total happiness (JR$ ∝k x J (1))

Where k is a constant representing the enjoying factor (some people need more R$ than others for the same J).

And that total happiness (J) is equal to the sum of different sources of happiness:

J = (^∞∑_i=1 J_j + J_wkd + J_ah + J_fy to J∝) – L(2)

Where:

J_j= happiness from your job/s

J_wkd= happiness from your weekends and holidays

J_ah= happiness from after hours

J_fy= happiness from your family and friends

J∞= anything that makes you happy!

L = not-everything-is-fun

My bottom line: tomorrow, Monday, I’ll go to work with a big smile, ready for the fun.