Money and happiness: Lessons from 'Build the Life You Want' by Arthur Brooks, Oprah Winfrey

If you believe that money and fame will make you happy such that the more you have of them, the happier you are, think again. Studies show that too much of them can make us miserable. But the difference between these two is that while you can achieve happiness without fame, there is a certain level of wealth that you need in order to be happy. It is because money is like oxygen. We can manage not to think too much and stress about it if we have an adequate supply of it. However, once the supply is cut, we won’t be able to breathe, live, much less think about happiness. This is the reason why at IFE, we always start with our values-based goals and dreams in our financial architecture. (To know more about it, click IFE free exploratory consult.) We believe that the true purpose of money is to fulfill our core values.

For today’s article, I wish to share with you some important lessons I gathered from the freshly published book of Harvard professor on happiness, Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey titled "Build the Life You Want (The Art and Science of Getting Happier)."

The three macronutrients of a happier life

Just like a well-balanced diet that needs carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, we also need three macronutrients that have to be in balance to have a happier life. These are:

1. Enjoyment

Enjoyment should be differentiated from pleasure. Enjoyment is something that you create from your own effort while pleasure happens to you. Pleasure is lightheadedness you get from alcohol while enjoyment is the satisfaction of a good wine properly understood, preferably shared with others. Pleasure is addictive and animalistic while enjoyment is elective and human. Seek enjoyment instead of pleasure.

2. Satisfaction

There is a