Doctor Mike

So if I said, what's Thanksgiving dinner, you wouldn't say the smell of the turkey, but that's feelings compared to happiness.

The smell of the turkey is evidence of Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving dinner is a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, or a list of ingredients or a list of dishes, depending on how scientific you are.

Our background says, yeah, it's like past the protein month or whatever.

So when you think happiness, do you think neurotransmitters?

Neurotransmitters play into it, as does basic neurophysiology.

But I think more in terms of the macronutrients, as in the component parts, the things that you need in balance and abundance, which are enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.

Those are the three big parts of it.

And I actually have tests that I'm able to administer that I've validated, have really high construct validity, to show that you're probably, I mean, all of us,

can get better at one or more of those macronutrients.

Learn more about it, get better skill, understand it, change our habits, share the idea with other people and actually get happier.

So I'll diagnostically look at people and say, yeah, you're real high on satisfaction because you're a striver and an achiever.

Satisfaction is the joy you get in an accomplishment after struggle.

So you're super high in satisfaction because you're doing all these things that are awesome and you've struggled a lot to get them.

I mean, you actually made sacrifices for them.

But you might be, I don't know, but you might be lower in enjoyment of your life.

And enjoyment is not the same thing as pleasure.

Or you might struggle with meaning.

What's the meaning of my life?

Which is very, very common among strivers to have real trouble with meaning.