What is happiness?

I read an article in the current Scientific American about the application of science and scientific methods to decipher the meaning of happiness. The article painted a bleak picture. In essence, it seems that the current thinking is that we inherit our happiness quotient from our gene pool. Scientists currently believe that we all have a level of happiness which is engrained in us and that outside influences such as environment and life events have little to do with the happiness we feel. Both catastrophic and euphoric inducing events only change our happiness for a finite amount of time, and then we revert back to our engrained happiness level.

This is a depressing thought. Even in our own constitution, it is mandated that we are free to pursue happiness. But, alas, a certain level of happiness may be unattainable by some of us.

If this hypothesis is true, then we might as well sit down and die right now. There has to be a way to pursue and obtain a higher level of happiness. If not, what’s a heaven for?

But, I’ll go along with these guys and attempt to recall some of my life experiences and attempt to determine if their hypotheses indeed are correct.

It is true that, in my own mind, I have always been at a certain level of happiness. It is also true that even though I have had many tremendous highs and horrendous lows, I have always eventually sauntered back to a level of happiness with which I am comfortable.

For example, I remember the time I had a hole in one at the local golf course. I had dreamed all of my adult life that if I could make a hole in one, it would be the epitome of my golfing life; a moment to savor and cherish for a lifetime. I remember that I had been playing at my normal level for eleven holes that day. My golfing greatness was framed by bogeys and double bogeys with an occasional par thrown in to keep me trying. The twelfth hole was a 131 yard par 3 with a large gulley separating the tee box from the green. I picked a nine iron and lazily swung at the ball with a nonchalance befitting my temperament at that moment. I saw the ball hit the fringe of the green and take a hop toward the hole but then couldn’t determine where it stopped. My golf partner said that he thought that it might have gone into the hole. I laughed off his remark but was somewhat enamored with the thought that I may have done something special. As my partner maneuvered the golf cart up to the green area, I couldn’t contain myself. I jumped out of the cart while it was still moving and ran toward the cup. Man, I felt a flash of happiness when I looked down into the cup and saw my Ultra #2 resting there. What a rush!!!

Now, one would think that I would then let out a shout of joy to anyone within earshot and then celebrate my achievement when we got back to the clubhouse by buying everyone a drink.

But, I’m not wired that way. My happiness quotient was being exceeded exponentially. After only a few seconds of euphoria, I told my golf partner “Don’t say anything to anybody at the clubhouse about this. I don’t want to buy those goofs any drinks.”

My partner readily agreed. He then said, “I know what you are going to do on your next shot.” I knew immediately what he meant. He and I both reasoned that I would follow my hole in one swing with a horrendous shot. I was just flummoxed that he would actually verbalize that idea to me immediately after I had hit the best shot of my life.

As we proceeded to the next tee, I was torn between being ecstatic about my good fortune or irritated by my partner’s brutal, but truthful statement. I tried to clear my mind as quickly as I could and attempted to put a smooth swing on the tee shot. Predictably, I swung too fast and pulled the ball into the woods about twenty yards off of the tee. We both had a good laugh as I teed up another ball and hit a gentle slice to the right rough about 240 out. I then finished the round at the skill level of the first eleven holes I played that day.

So, in this particular instance, the scientists were right. For a tiny unit of time, I had exceeded my happiness quotient. My partner and I successfully lowered that quotient to the proper level in a matter of seconds after the best shot of my life.

Maybe they have something there. I’ll have to think about it.