Farewell to the happiness set point

Fascinating interview yesterday on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show with Wall Street Journal science reporter Sharon Begley, about her new book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves. As the title suggests, the thrust of the book is that the brain is far more elastic in both childhood and adulthood than previously understood, and we have the capability to change, improve and repair ourselves in any number of ways. One of the points that Begley made forcefully in the radio interview is that recent science has demolished geneticist David Lykken's notion of a happiness "set point" -- the suggestion that we are born with, and cannot change, our overall level of cheerfulness. According to Begley, the evidence is in that we can substantially alter our general disposition.

Comments

[Ray Cheng]

"Demolished" seems too strong a word, as Lykken himself has written that you can overcome your genetic predispositions in the contentedness department, and considers it a worthwhile effort. But the set point concept is valid in a meaningful way to about 80% of the population. Interventions than can make much more dramatic difference (e.g., possibly certain types of meditation, dousing the brain with neurotransmitters) all come at a cost. For example, a recent article in my local paper featured "the happiest man in the world," someone who mastered meditative techniques to suppress his worldly desires, and thus banished his suffering. Seems to me he has already paid too high a price.

[Ray Cheng]

As for Ms. Begley, have a look at

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2005/05/is-sharon-begley-as-dim-as-she-sounds.html

Her book can be dismantled, page by page, in a similar fashion.

[David Shenk]

You're right -- "demolished" is probably way too strong. Can you point me to where Lykken talked about overcoming predispositions?

I'm also happy to look at critiques of Begley and the studies she cites. Please let me know what you come across.

[Ray Cheng]

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. Will get back to you on this...

[A. B. Curtiss]

I spent many years being depressed. I'm one of those who became a therapist to help myself and when I did succeed in learning how to get out of depression when it attacked me, I became a less afraid person and my happiness set point raised remarkably. I think people sell themselves too short as far as happiness is concerned.

[CJ]

I was very taken with the above book, and have also researched other findings on our happiness set-point. I have summed these up in the following article:
http://spiritualinquiry.com/articles/can-our-happiness-set-point-be-raised/