[isaaclyman]

1. I'm very suspicious of studies whose main metric is self-reported happiness. Do people know how happy they are? Is that measure consistent enough over the course of a day to be meaningful? 2. If you ask someone if they have a maid or eat takeout, then ask them how happy they are, of course they'll be happier if they aren't thinking, "I need to figure out what to cook tonight" or "ugh, I need to clean the house." I assume the study was designed better than that, but secondary sources tend to gloss over this stuff. 3. Is it heresy for me to suggest that day-to-day happiness isn't the only thing worth having? There's a complex interplay between various factors in one's internal life. But I think my work ethic would degrade if someone else did my cooking, cleaning, gardening, and so forth. And my work ethic is important to me, and not necessarily because it makes me happy. And what about my financial future? If I can trade a little temporary happiness for financial security in the future, I will often choose that. I think there's something to be said for not trying to max out your happiness all the time. But I might be the only one who feels that way... crickets

[lotsofcows]

How would you suggest measuring happiness other than by self-reporting?