What makes you happy? Maybe its not what you think ...
Do you know what makes you happy or do you just think you know? At first, these two
questions look the same. If you think something makes you happy, then it makes you happy. You
know yourself, don’t you?
Write a list of all the things that make you happy. How many of them are fun? Most of them? So,
if you spend your time doing all these fun things, you’ll be really happy, won’t you?
Well, maybe not. For most people, fun isn’t enough for real happiness. Paul Dolan wrote a book
called Happiness by Design. He thinks happiness comes from both pleasure and purpose. If most
of the things on your list are about pleasure, that is what you think makes you happy. But you
also need activities with purpose.
We usually know if something is fun, but we don’t know what brings meaning. For example,
most people think air pilots have jobs with clear purpose. They fly hundreds of people all over
the world. But they spend a lot of time in boring hotels and airports and they do the same things
hundreds of times. Those activities might not bring meaning – and they’re probably not fun. So
pilots also need to find pleasure and purpose in their work and life.
There are different ways we can find purpose in things. Some activities might be motivating
because they work for the good of people and the world around us. Or what you do might help a
team you’re working in.
If you’re a student, your ‘job’ is studying and passing exams. It’s easy to do well in subjects you
like, but subjects you don’t like are less motivating. They’re not fun for you, but you have to
study them so you need to find purpose. An A in a subject you hate won’t help the world. But
can you be part of a study team with friends? Each person can study one part until they
understand it and then teach it to the rest of the group. The purpose becomes helping the team.
Go back to your list of things that make you happy. How many of them are activities that bring
purpose? Can you add any? Remember, some activities might bring both pleasure and purpose.
Now you need to design a happy life. Paul Dolan believes people should ‘decide, design, do’.
First decide what brings you pleasure and/or purpose – that means your two lists. Then, don’t
just think about these activities, fill your life with them. For example, you might love riding a
bike but never have time to do it. So, ride to school or the library or the shops. If you live too far
away, take your bike on the bus or train. Get off early and ride the rest of the way. If you go in
the car, put it in the back, stop a few kilometres away and ride the rest. Or move somewhere you
can ride more. Some parts of our lives are good or bad luck, but we can still design the rest to
make more happiness.

Happiness
Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the exercises to check your
understanding.
Preparation
Match the words in CAPITALS with the correct definition and write a–f next to the numbers 1–6.
1…….. He has written a book about HAPPINESS. a. make you want to do them
2…….. What do you get PLEASURE from? b. make
3…….. Your life has PURPOSE. c. fun or good feelings
4…….. You can DESIGN a happy life. d. something important to our lives
5…….. We don’t know what brings MEANING. e. is important
6…….. Some activities might be MOTIVATING. f. the feeling of being happy

1. Check your understanding: true or false
Circle True or False for these sentences.
1. Everyone knows what makes them happy. True False
2. You’ll be happy if you’re always having fun. True False
3. Pilots have the best job in the world. True False
4. Being in a team gives us purpose. True False
5. School is the same, in some ways, as having a job. True False
6. Only lucky people are happy. True False
2. Check your understanding: gap fill
Complete the sentences with a word from the box.
pleasure purpose luck fun motivating design
1. People think if they spend all their time doing things, they will be happy.
2. But to be happy we need things that bring , not just fun.
3. Helping other people can be .
4. Spending time with friends brings .
5. You your life to bring as much happiness as you can.
6. Some parts of our lives are good or bad , but we can still design the rest to
make more happiness.