Time for Happiness

A.V.  Whillans

Article | Harvard Business Review (website)

Time for Happiness: Why the Pursuit of Money Isn't Bringing You Joy—and What Will

Abstract

Adam (real story, fake name) was a good employee who was given a plum project he believed could get him a promotion and a raise. Taking it seemed like the proverbial no-brainer: Work hard, nail the assignment, get more pay. He knew he’d have to put in long days and some hours on weekends, which meant he’d be sacrificing time with his young family. He knew the deadlines would be stressful, as would managing the people and the expectations involved. But he also knew that at the end, he’d be rewarded, and he could make up for the lost time.

Keywords: time; privilege; guilt; Money; Happiness;

Format: Electronic

Citation:

Whillans, A.V. "Time for Happiness: Why the Pursuit of Money Isn't Bringing You Joy—and What Will." Special Issue on HBR Big Idea: Time Poor and Unhappy. Harvard Business Review (website) (January 29, 2019).

As Covid turns even the most benign of social activities into risky propositions, many of us find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of rejecting our friends’ and family’s invitations to non-socially-distant activities. It can be particularly challenging to explain our Covid-related concerns when saying no to these events, as we may worry about coming across judgmental or condescending. But new research shows that voicing these concerns can actually improve your relationship with the person inviting you. In addition, by focusing on welfare concerns (health and safety), as opposed to social concerns (fear of offending a friend), we can feel more comfortable turning down invitations — and explaining the reasons why.

Who benefits most from helping others? Previous research suggests that common polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predict whether people behave generously and experience increases in positive mood in response to socially-focused experiences in daily life. Building on these findings, we conducted an experiment with a large, ethnically homogenous sample (N=437) to examine whether individual differences in three frequently studied single nucleotide polymorphisms of OXTR (rs53576, rs2268498, rs2254298) also predict differences in the positive mood benefits of financial generosity. Consistent with past research, participants who were randomly assigned to purchase items for others (vs. themselves) reported greater positive affect. Contrary to predictions, using Bayesian statistics, we found conclusive evidence that the benefits of generosity were not moderated by individual differences in OXTR SNPs. The current work highlights the importance of publishing null results to build cumulative knowledge linking neurobiological factors to positive emotional experiences.

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Time for Happiness: Why the Pursuit of Money Isn't Bringing You Joy—and What Will

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