According to the 2024 World Happiness Survey, we’re pretty unhappy as a country this year. And although there are plenty of external reasons for us to be unhappy — sky-high costs at the grocery store, mortgage rates hovering around 7%, and credit card debt soaring – we’re all about controlling what we can control and that includes prioritizing our well-being over all else (no summertime sadness here). 

Stephanie Harrison, author of: “New Happy: Getting Happiness Right In a World That’s Got It Wrong,” feels that way too, so much so that she spent 10 years diving into the world of happiness research. Listen in to hear why the “Old Happy” is making us all miserable and why she believes the “New Happy” should be the framework we’re building our lives around instead. 

Chapters:

00:00:00: Introduction

00:02:58: The Concept of "New Happy" vs. "Old Happy"

00:07:11: The Role of Money in Happiness

00:12:08: Social Media's Impact on Happiness

00:19:39: Tactical Solutions for Creating a Happier Life

00:23:11: Finding a Job that Aligns with Your Gifts

00:25:44: Daily Shifts to Increase Happiness

00:27:30: Mailbag Segment 

Takeaways: 

• The Old Happy tells us we need to achieve more, be perfect, and be hyper-independent. These expectations are unrealistic and make us miserable.
• The New Happy involves discovering who you are and using your gifts to help others. This leads to personal growth, fulfillment, and creating happiness for others.
• Money is necessary to fulfill our needs and create experiences of well-being, but the pursuit of more and more money does not lead to proportionate increases in happiness.
• To find intrinsic goals that make you happier, consider safety, community, relationships, passions and interests, and personal growth.
• Daily shifts to make yourself and others happier include looking for opportunities to help, recognizing the support you receive, and paying attention to people who are doing good in the world.

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