The Happiness Scale

Baselines and Standard Deviations

Have you ever wondered why some people always seem happy? This led me to realize that each of us has our own baseline level of happiness. On a scale of 1 to 10 in which 1 is "there is no reason to live" depressed and 10 is the most ecstatic you have ever been, I'd say the average of my days would be something like a 5.5, with a standard deviation of 2 (meaning most of my days are between 3.5 and 7.5). Two standard deviations would result in a low of 1.5 and a high of 9.5, which are much rarer. A 3.5 might be a terrible day at work and a 7.5 might be a relaxing day on the water. The two variables, baseline and standard deviation, are different for everyone and both can increase or decrease over time. While nature and family history may anchor your baseline, nurture and upbringing can influence it above or below this innate level. The subsequent component of average variation in perceived happiness can also be influenced. To my understanding, antidepressant medications can reduce the standard deviation of happiness. This means you may experience fewer bad days but conversely may not fully experience the most positive days. On the other hand, meditation, yoga, and religious practices can increase the standard deviation. These experiences make you more self-aware through broadening possible emotions. If these practices do not lead to higher highs and lower lows, they at least tend to make you more at peace with your baseline happiness. Dogs are fascinating to consider in this context, as they tend to be happy almost all the time. A dog's happiness may be on a scale shifted to the right a few points compared to humans, such as 3 to 12. Their average baseline happiness may be as high as 7 compared to humans. They experience a 3 when left at the pound or kennel for the weekend, thinking their owner is gone forever. Conversely, they may experience a 12 every day when you get home from work. Sometimes they get so excited they even pee on the floor; have you ever done that? Neither have I, and perhaps that's because we've never experienced what a 12 is like.