Suspect Happiness in Pursuit: An Anti-Interview with Unstory
On the 50/10/40 split of happiness research, the Declaration of Independence's 'pursuit of happiness,' and an exchange with anonymous blogger Unstory about free will, determinism, and whether we can choose joy. A diptych of opposing worldviews: humanist optimism vs. anti-humanist determinism, and the strange beauty of two people staring at the same abyss.
he United States has marked 250 years since the Declaration of Independence this year, [a nation in decline](https://phenomenalworld.org/issue/issue-1-american-power/), which includes the infamous line of the unalienable rights given to all people:
["Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript) [^1]
[^1]: Originally, it was merely going to be "life, liberty, and property" as per [John Locke](https://archive.org/details/twotreatisesofgo00john/page/)... and maybe we'd be a lot closer to universal housing as a right if that were the case.
But what does it actually mean to pursue happiness? It means to chase, to run after. You are free to try to reach, but you are not promised the destination of happiness itself.
And, sure, I could explain that the idea of the [founding fathers was to have citizens living a life of civic virtue](https://usconstitution.net/founding-fathers-on-civic-duty/), moral self-improvement, and personal freedom to work (or own property) without unfair government blocks, rather than just seeking short-term personal pleasure.
But I think you'd agree with me—that sounds more like a noble contentment rather than happiness, doesn't it? Hm.
## The 50/10/40 Split
All I want now is happiness for you and me > What I used to be will pass away and then you’ll see. > —Elliott Smith, ["Happiness"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBZtFKUCBgw)
As you may already be aware, our capacity for happiness is already regarded as known. The most widely cited framework for happiness is from psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky (UC Riverside) and colleagues Kennon Sheldon and David Schkade, who proposed a ["sustainable happiness model" in a 2005 paper](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111), later popularized in her [2008 book The How of Happiness](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/298918/the-how-of-happiness-by-sonja-lyubomirsky/9780143114956).
The review of evidence by Lyubomirsky et al. (including [a 1996 study by Lykken and Tellegen](https://attentionalleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Happiness-is-a-Stochastic-Phenomenon.-by-David-Lykken-and-Auke-Tellegen.-APS.-May-1996.pdf) which compared the well-being levels of identical and non-identical twins raised together or apart) led to what's known as the 50/10/40 split.
To start, there's a 50% set point. Essentially half of a person's long-term happiness level is genetically determined. Identical twins' well-being levels correlated around 50%, versus only 2-8% for non-identical twins, suggesting a strong heritable component to baseline happiness.
And how much is due to circumstance? Things like income, health, marital status, where you live—in other words, the things external to you that you can't
Did you enjoy this article?
Recommend it — Standard Reader surfaces well-loved writing to more readers across the network.