The Pursuit of Happiness: Can It Make You Happy?

The pursuit of happiness has preoccupied philosophers, psychologists, and economists, amongst others. Recently, it has been investigated empirically, with results appearing to support the perspective that explicitly focusing on happiness is counterproductive. However, these investigations have been correlational or involved participants being asked to maximize or monitor their momentary happiness while engaged in assigned tasks. The current research examines whether focusing on one’s happiness can increase happiness levels over a longer time horizon, and in a natural context, where individuals can choose their own activities. We find mixed results regarding whether individuals’ happiness improves (relative to control) when people focus on their current state of happiness, but find consistent support for the proposition that individuals’ happiness improves when they focus on maximizing their happiness. The effect appears to arise because focusing on maximizing one’s happiness leads to happiness-consistent behavioral change. We relate our findings to research regarding why individuals often fail to make happiness-maximizing choices.