The 85% Rule for Happiness - Amaca
I found that this rule works well as a gauge to calibrate expectations. I suspect that, maybe as a side effect of consumerism and advertisement, or maybe just because apes are very good at comparing themselves to peers, humans are very good at imagining how things could be better. My house is too old, my car makes rattling noises on the highway, my partner is a bit too grumpy, my cat is too chubby etc.
I learned that all these intrusive thoughts are completely irrelevant to the ultimate goals of joy, peace and fulfilment. If anything, these kind of complaints point totally in the wrong direction. Life is actually amazing, and as soon as you cover “the basics”, every incremental addition has diminishing returns in terms of joy and requires exponentially more time and effort.
So, if you find yourself a bit unsatisfied with something in life, think about the 85% rule, and you’ll gradually retrain yourself into loving what you have and just be happy about it. Enjoy the basics.
