Harvard professor’s three keys to happiness: Money, marriage, and kids

On Wednesday, Daniel Gilbert presented a remarkable collection of research from economics, psychology, and neuroscience to evaluate his mother's "recipe for happiness." Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology and best-selling author of "Stumbling on Happiness," found that his mother was somewhat correct in suggesting marriage, money, and children for a lifetime of joy.

"If your mom was like my mom, she gave you more advice than you probably wanted on how to be happy," Gilbert told the audience of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, "and mom was partially right."

So how does marriage lead to happiness? Gilbert explained: "[Married people] are healthier, live longer, have more sex, and do better on nearly every indicator of happiness." He went on to point out how the quality of a marriage is very connected to one's level of happiness.

The second component, money, is often denied as a key for happiness, but Gilbert finds that the link is undeniable. "Of course money buys happiness," he said. "A little money can buy you a lot of happiness, though a lot of money buys you only a little more happiness." According to Gilbert, a per capita income around $50,000 to $75,000 was where the dollar buys the most happiness.

Gilbert then explained the impact of having children, as he showed a bar graph explaining that childless adults are much happier than parents. However, he explained, "Once people have kids, there's a downturn in happiness, which isn't reversed until the kids move out."

So why do people speak so highly about their children? According to the Harvard Gazette, Gilbert likened having kids to watching a Red Sox-Yankees game – one of those games where no run is scored until Sox slugger David Ortiz hits a game-winning homer in the ninth. "One will always remember that magical, momentary ending," but forget the uneventful innings before, Gilbert explained. "That's just like spending a day with a 5-year old, when an 'I wub you' from the child may validate all the difficult hours."

Gilbert ended his discussion with a final cheerful reference back to his mother, "Maybe your mother doesn't know everything about happiness, but call her anyway."

For the full story visit News.harvard.edu.