Bad news. You are like some kind of degenerate junkie. You will do pretty much anything to get the next hit of the drug you crave, thereby staving off the withdrawal symptoms just a little longer. You might be willing to lie, cheat, debase yourself, betray your principles, turn a blind eye to suffering and even trample others underfoot. That drug is, of course, happiness. Or, more precisely, it’s the cocktail of feel-good chemicals that your brain rewards you with when you en

In the last post I claimed that maximising happiness was the essential dynamic of life. This dynamic is driven by a physiological mechanism, something in your body, a biochemical exchange in your brain. When you have certain experiences, your brain secretes little hits of chemicals that make you feel good. You like to feel good, right? Sure you do. So you do whatever it was you did before to bring about that experience so you can feel good again. Thereby, the brain reinforces

People have romantic ideas about happiness. They see it as some kind of starry-eyed, almost magical, state; all sunshine and lollipops and big white-tooth smiles. Happiness is effortless beauty and effervescent health. It’s winning the lottery. It’s sipping champagne in a hot tub. It’s a barefoot walk on a perfect white beach holding hands with the love of your life. It’s cradling your squirming newborn child. It’s seeing your name on the Forbes Rich List. It’s your Oscar acc