Happiness is
becoming a huge area in psychological research and even in government policy,
with the UK government exploring a "happiness index". It's tough, though, to
define exactly what happiness is, and what makes us happy.
There are two broad ways of looking at happiness: short-term happiness (a great
cookie, a boodle of wine) and long-term happiness (financial security, achieving
your goals). Both types of happiness are valid, and important. The problem is,
they're often in competition. Let's say you've got a goal of
losing 50 pounds this year. You know you'd be happier and healthier if you
weren't carrying that extra weight. To achieve long-term happiness, you need to
go on a diet. In the short-term, though, it's not that easy. A chocolate cake,
or a large glass of wine, might seem like just the thing to cheer you up at the
end of a long day—or to celebrate with friends. It's the same with lots of other
goals. If you've got a tendency to {{U}}prioritize{{/U}} long-term
happiness at the expense of day-to-day pleasures, you should start looking for
some small ways to bring a little joy back into your life. I'm not suggesting
that you go our and get drunk every night, or that you stuff with cake. There
are plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself. Don't pin all your hopes of
happiness on some far-off future, though. There's no point working a 60-hour
week and making yourself thoroughly miserable in the belief that things will be
prefect as soon as you're making a six-figure salary.