How Happy Are You?

For decades, psychologists have tried to boil down human happiness to a simple number by adding, dividing and multiplying a range of emotions. H=F/D is the simplest of the formulae, where F stands for Fulfilment and D for Desires. The greater the denominator, the lower the chances of happiness.

In his book Authentic Happiness, Penn U psychologist Martin Seligman, offers the slightly nuanced equation H=S+C+ V. H stands for Happiness, S for one's Set Range (a fixed level of happiness to which a person returns after a good or bad event has passed), C for life Circumstances and V for factors under one's Voluntary control.

The ‘S’ in Seligman’s formula depends 50 per cent on genetic inheritance, 50 per cent on environmental factors. Ergo: our temperament and circumstances can limit our happiness to an extent but there are also actions that can make us happier.

The breakthrough equation in recent times has been psychologists Carol Rothwell and Pete Cohen’s H = P + (5xE) + (3xH). Here, P stands for Personal characteristics, including outlook on life, adaptability and resilience; E stands for Existence and relates to health, financial stability and friendships; and H is for Higher Order needs and covers self-esteem, ambitions, expectations and humour.

To find out your current state of happiness, answer these questions:

• Are you outgoing, energetic, flexible and open to change?
• Do you have a positive outlook, bounce back quickly from setbacks and feel that you are in charge of your life?
• Are your basic life needs such as health, finance, safety, freedom of choice and sense of community, met?
• Can you call on the support of people close to you, immerse yourself in what you are doing, meet your expectations and engage in activities that give you a sense of purpose?

Rate your answers on a scale of 1-10, where 1 denotes "not at all" and 10 denotes "to a large extent". Add the scores for questions 1 and 2 to find your P value. The score for question 3 is the value of E, and question 4 for H. Each person who answers the questions and adds up his score ends up with a rating out of 100. The higher the score, the happier you are.