Is happiness the answer?
Table of Contents
Success and Happiness
It does seem that most people care about happiness the most. But what about the rest of us? Even among the biggest proponents of happiness, it would be naive to think that happiness is everything.
So what are the other options? Well, to me, and I’m sure to many of us, the prospect of success speaks stronger than that of happiness.
We all want to be successful. There’s just one tiny, minor, and annoying inconvenience: we have no idea what it even means to be successful, let alone how to be.
If you are interested in how to be successful, you are not alone; it’s precisely this question that I spent my years in graduate school researching. It is also, uncoincidentally, the origin and inspiration of our website here at The Whys of the World.
Here’s a brief summary of what we’ve learned so far:
What Success Isn’t
Guess what? Lamborghinis, a fancy penthouse, and stacks of money aren’t success. But I’m guessing you may already know that.
What may surprise you is that success isn’t having a loving family or even one’s impact on society.
When polled, my research participants overwhelmingly respond that success is all about goal-oriented behaviors, specifically goal achievement —knocking off the goals you set for yourself.
Success and Evolutionary Fitness
To begin to understand why this is, and the true nature of success, it is crucial that we familiarize ourselves with the concept of evolutionary fitness. In Animal Behavior, we refer to “fitness” as the quantity and quality of offspring an animal is capable of having — in short (and only semi-jokingly), how many grandchildren they have. Often, the stronger and smarter parents survive and thrive. The weaker and less adaptable individuals are often those that a) don’t survive themselves or b) don’t make the best parents.
Controversially, the same applies to us humans. The cleverer and stronger generally are better off. (No worries, if you are reading this I strongly suspect that you belong to this group.) This elevated “fitness” often results in monetary gain, more polished looks, and happier lives. These are what we call fitness correlates. These, also, are what many confuse with success.
Success and Expected Fitness
Fitness, though, is not set and stone. It is fluid and highly situational. In any given situation, one may be an expert or a novice. As the saying goes, never judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree.
When we confront a situation, we have a certain degree of expected fitness (EF). EF denotes how successful we are expected to be in that particular situation. We may measure success by our deviations from our EF.
For instance, take two individuals. Individual A inherits two million dollars from the passing of their grandparent. They sit on the beach sipping margaritas and reveling in their new found riches. Individual B on the other hand grew up broke, but worked their behind off in order to become a millionaire.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who thinks that Individual A is more successful than Individual B, even if A’s monetary value is greater. This is because A remains at the same or lower EF, while B far exceeds their original EF.
Success and Continual Progress
EF (factor 1 to success) does, indeed, reset. That’s why continual progress (factor 2) is additionally important. If Individual B made his million dollars and just sat on it, it would not take long for them to no longer be considered successful (assuming their EF remains stagnant). Of course, there are many ways to raise your fitness that are not money related. For example, personal development will grow you into a far greater parent than money ever could.
As my participants were keen to pick up on, the number one way to ensure continual growth is through setting and achieving goals.
Taken together, this all means that the definition of success is as follows: Success is the sustained growth of the gap between your Expected Fitness and your actual performance.
Are you overperforming?
If you are interested in learning more, I would kindly urge you to sign up for my newsletter to have a chance to win a free copy of my book on cross-cultural perceptions of success (coming shortly).
In an increasingly globalizing world, it will be more important than ever before to become well-acquainted with how to be successful. This will ensure that we will not be left behind and, instead, position ourselves for success in a future vastly different from our present (thanks AI).
With gratitude and sincerely,
Sebastian Josef
- 5 Danish Lessons and Using Janteloven as a Tool to Save our Future from AI
- Hygge and AI. A Look to a Better Future through 5 Danish Values.
- 8 Tips for a Better Work-Life Balance: Lessons from Danish Values
- Adaptable Risk-Taking: Learn From 4 Mongolian Values
- Live Free. 4 Mongolian Values and Lessons from a Nomadic Lifestyle.
