In her book SUPERNORMAL STIMULI (W. W. Norton and Co., 2003), Harvard psychologist Deirdra Barrett says:
“Scientific studies show that people experience similar levels of happiness over the long-term regardless of external events. Winning millions in a lottery, or getting paralyzed in an accident makes a significant difference for six months or less. People living in poverty register only a few percentage points less happy than the most affluent, and there is no difference between the middle class and the rich. In fact, the only thing that makes a difference is chronic pain or consistent health crises . . . . ”
These findings point to the fact that being happy is more a function of your attitude than it is about your actual circumstances; in other words, happiness is a choice. A famous quote (often attributed to Abraham Lincoln)
puts it this way: ‘Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be’. An interesting observation, don’t you think?