70. The path to happiness

I was scrolling through the internet just now, as I try not to do... One thing I found ludicrous:

I mean, seriously, ha ha and HA, using AI to "save time by reading a summary"? Of a poem??? Sure, sure, it's a long poem. But... a summary??? And mostly, mostly, mostly—AI is upon us. How will we maintain our humanity?

But then I came across this bit of fluff, in the Washington Post:

And I of course did take the quiz, the questions being something along the lines of "Are you happy?" "Are you leading a meaningful life"—on a scale from 1 to 10. 

How the heck am I supposed to know? You're supposed to tell me!

Here's question #13, with my answer (given only three choices to define one's ideal life):

And here's the upshot, from this 13-point questionnaire:

You are part of a small — but substantial — group of people who preferred the psychologically rich life, including 13.2 percent of Americans, according to a 2020 study with participants from nine countries — the United States, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India and Angola.... Germans were most likely to endorse seeking a life of psychological richness at around 17 percent, while Singaporeans were least likely to prefer this path, at less than 7 percent.

Here’s how to cultivate more psychological richness in your everyday life:

Embrace more playfulness, curiosity and spontaneity. This can be something as simple as taking a different route to work or home and noticing the newness around you. “Find something new from the familiar, and change your routines a little bit here and there.... Have a certain time that you can be spontaneous every day.”

Try a new activity. There is discomfort in not being good at something, but pushing past your comfort zone is a way to grow into the new and (previously) unknown. “Start by reaching for richer experiences and becoming a little bit more comfortable with tolerating negative feelings, tolerating discomfort,” Westgate said.

Journal and reflect on your experiences. Psychological richness is more akin to career highlights, but even the most profound memories can fade with time. Writing them down and even sharing them with others can help you hold onto your life-changing experiences.

Honestly, all that is not bad advice. I already journal. I like new activities. I do keep exhorting myself to play more.

And the fact that this quiz lets me know I'm "furthest down the path to Happiness"? We need to celebrate our victories, no matter how they come dressed.