Benjamin Todd

We now have three decades of research into positive psychology, the science of happiness, as well as decades of research into motivation and job satisfaction.

We'll summarize the main lessons of this research and explain what it means for finding a fulfilling job.

Two overrated goals for a fulfilling career.

People often imagine that a dream job is well-paid and easy.

In 2015, one of the leading job rankings in the US provided by CareerCast rated jobs on the following criteria.

1.

Is it highly paid?

2.

Is it going to be highly paid in the future?

3.

Is it stressful?

And 4.

Is the working environment unpleasant?

Based on this, the best job was... Actuary.

That is, someone who uses statistics to measure and manage risks, often in the insurance industry.

It's true that actuaries are more satisfied with their jobs than average, but they're not among the most satisfied.

Only 36% say their work is meaningful, so being an actuary isn't a particularly fulfilling career.

So the career cast list isn't capturing everything.

In fact, the evidence suggests that money and avoiding stress aren't that important.

Money makes you happier, but only a little.