[jlizzle30]

> there's a natural "limit" on the happiness I can enjoy at any given moment

This is roughly my experience, although, you can choose between peaks & valleys vs emotional stability. Highs are generally followed by lows and vice versa. The classic rockstar chooses to swing wildly between drugs/sex/crowds/etc. and addiction/depression/death while the buddhist munk reaches nirvana by maintaining an even keel.

Keep in mind there are other life considerations besides 'happiness' of course:

  1. retrospective life satisfaction
  2. responsibility
  3. morality
  4. procreation
  5. etc.

I don't generally trust psych research, but Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis is a good read on the subject. He highlights things that do/don't marginally increase baseline happiness.