Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University did a survey of one hundred university lecturers both before and after they found out if they had received tenure in their positions. They all expected to be quite happy if they got tenure and rather unhappy if they didn’t. But Gilbert’s research showed something quite different. Those who got what they wanted were happy for a while, but not as happy as they thought they would be. While those who failed were not as unhappy as they expected to be. So he came to the conclusion that happiness, or the lack of it, has very little to do with the things we think.
It sounds a bit like the ancient wisdom of the Bible that says: ‘there is nothing better for a man to do than to enjoy his food and drink, and his job…for God gives those who please him wisdom, knowledge, and joy…’