The study came up with four metrics that matter most: 1. HAPPINESS: having feelings of pleasure or contentment in and about your life 2. ACHIEVEMENT: achieving accomplishments that compare favorably against similar goals others have strived for 3. SIGNIFICANCE: having a positive impact on people you care about 4. LEGACY: establishing your values or

Positive emotion: Peace, gratitude, satisfaction, pleasure, inspiration, hope, curiosity, and love fall into this category. Engagement: Losing ourselves in a task or project provides us with a sense of “disappeared time” because we are so highly engaged. Relationships: People who have meaningful, positive relationships with others are happier than

In the end, we identified three key ingredients of a well-balanced life. Let’s call them the ABCs of meaning. The A is agency—autonomy, freedom, creativity, mastery; the belief that you can impact the world around you. The B is belonging—relationships, community, friends, family; the people that surround and nurture you. The C is cause—a calling, a

The first is the preference satisfaction view, according to which your life goes well to the degree to which your carefully considered preferences about your life are fulfilled. In this view, your life going well is about getting what you want, even if that does not impact your conscious experiences in any way. For example, you might have a prefere

There is ample scientific evidence to show us that the most fulfilling lives are the ones that maximize feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.