Material “Stuff” In 1976, they asked 12000 freshmen what material items would make them happy, and then followed up with them 20 years later. What they found was that freshmen who had a materialistic mindset were less happier than those who didn’t. They also had more mental disorders.
The moral is that the more you seek material goods, the less likely you’ll be happy.
Marriage Another survey of 25000 people who were followed for 15 years showed that marriage does not lead to increased happiness - after the second year the happiness level is the same as unmarried people’s happiness.
Weight Loss What about weight loss?
They surveyed 1979 obese people and followed them for 4 years after a diet program. Then they looked at 3 groups - those who lost weight, those who were about the same, and those who had gained. Below are the findings on how their happiness was before vs after:
All categories showed increased depression! And those who lost weight showed the most by a large margin.
Cosmetic Surgery
Adolescents who get cosmetic surgery feel they are less beautiful than before, have more suicidal thoughts, use more alcohol and have more behavioral problems than prior to surgery.
Grades
Students were asked how they’d feel on a happiness scale if they get a grade below/above/about same as what they expected. In reality, it had almost no impact on their happiness - even right after they find out their grades.
