Everyone wants to learn the secrets on how to be truly happy in life. For sure, right now, most people in this world are still in pursuit of happiness, a journey that many of them have probably started right from that very moment when they learned about the concept of “happiness.” There two types of happiness, namely: experienced happiness and remembered happiness.
Imagine your friend asking you randomly during lunch time about what you are doing and how happy you actually are at that very moment. That is experienced happiness, the kind of happiness that comes from the things that you do for a particular period of time. On the other hand, remembered happiness refers to how you think about yourself in general. This is how you will answer that million dollar question “Are you happy with your life?” This is how you remember those years you had in high school, the vacations that you went to, the holidays you have spent with your whole family, the early days of childhood with other kids, your history of jobs, or even your divorce. Remembered happiness is pretty much like the bigger picture or perspective on your state of happiness.
It is not surprising that experienced happiness and remembered happiness do not match all the time. For instance, millionaires in general have higher rate for their remembered selves compared to those people who only earn $50,000 each year. However, a millionaire might have more responsibilities in life. He may experience more pressure in his work, with a larger house to run and a spouse who is more demanding. It only goes to say that even if they are earning millions, these people might have lesser moments of spontaneous happiness during their day to day lives, and living their lives less happily.