Skip to content

One Scientifically Proven Thing Actually Makes People Happier

2016-09-02 · explainer · Hank · 3:41 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life (also: US politics & society) · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: self promotion

Hank argues that one non-obvious, well-supported way to be happier is avoiding a long commute, which studies link to stress, ill health and low life satisfaction, and that cities should allow dense development near jobs, since happiness depends on what we do with our time rather than what we have.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Five years since TFIOS; sorry about John's rib

  • ★ Hank can't believe it has been five years since The Fault in Our Stars; life keeps passing by. — 00:00:00 · The Fault in Our Stars
  • ★ Hank is sorry to hear about John's rib and hopes never to find out what that feels like. — 00:00:06 · John Green

00:00:10 — Humans are bad at knowing what makes them happy; one strategy hits the golden trifecta

  • ★★★ Hank says humans are not particularly good at knowing what makes them happy, so sometimes they have to be told. — 00:00:10
  • ★★ Hank says nearly all happiness strategies he hears of seem obvious, poorly supported by science, hard to implement or only short-term. (hedged) — 00:00:19
  • ★★★ Hank says one strategy hits the golden trifecta (measurable peer-reviewed impact, actionable and hard to undo, non-intuitive): the commute to work is a magnificent source of unhappiness, stress and unhealthiness. — 00:00:31

00:00:50 — The commute: the least pleasant daily activity, and studies of its costs to health, happiness and life satisfaction

  • ★★ Hank says most workers rate the commute as the least pleasant thing they do every day. — 00:00:58
  • ★ Hank says the brothers make Dear Hank and John with commuters in mind, and hopes it helps. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:03 · Dear Hank and John
  • ★★ Hank says the happiest commuters cycle and the least happy commute alone in a vehicle, by far the most common way to commute. — 00:01:07
  • ★★★ Hank says commutes over one hour are linked to stress, chronic pain and high cholesterol, and long commuters have less time for physical leisure and friends. — 00:01:16
  • ★★★ Hank says we rarely weigh the commute when choosing where to work and live; moving closer to work, even to a smaller or pricier place, is often far better for happiness. (hedged) — 00:01:25
  • ★★★ According to one study cited by Hank, freeing up an hour-long commute gave the same happiness gain as going from a $60,000 to a $100,000 a year job. — 00:01:54
  • ★★ Hank says one study found people with the longest commutes had the least satisfaction with their lives. — 00:02:03
  • ★★ Hank says owning a home or moving to a bigger place has been found to have no long-term impact on average happiness. — 00:02:08

00:02:13 — A short commute is a luxury; cities should allow dense development near jobs

  • ★★★ Hank says choosing one's commute is a luxury not available to everyone, so cities should be allowed to grow densely and residents near jobs shouldn't fight dense development to protect neighborhood character. — 00:02:13
  • ★★ Hank says without new housing near jobs there will always be more commuting, bad for the environment and for people who drive 90 minutes each way. — 00:02:32
  • ★★★ Hank says research continually indicates happiness is not about what we have but about what we do with the minutes, hours and days of our lives. — 00:02:39

00:02:43 — Happiness is what we do with our time; avoid long solo car commutes; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank says how we spend our time is surprisingly, hugely affected by urban planning and by individual decisions, often made with faulty decision-making processes our brains aren't designed for. — 00:02:51
  • ★★★ Hank urges viewers to remember that spending upwards of 10% of waking hours alone in a car, even with Dear Hank and John, should be avoided if possible. — 00:03:01 · Dear Hank and John

00:03:20 — DFTBA's Awesome Socks Club

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description adds that having a dog or cat is another repeatedly shown happiness booster, apparently because being needed makes people feel intrinsically valuable. (hedged) — video description
  • ★★ For the best bang for the buck, Hank suggests a small dog or cat from the pound, since it will eat significantly less food than a bigger animal. — video description
  • ★★ Hank adds that marriage is another life change that effectively increases long-term happiness on average, a topic he found too hairy for the video; he jokes it is definitely not dose-dependent: one spouse, not two. — video description
  • ★★ Hank sums up his happiness advice: get a pet, get married and shorten your commute, since you need to get home to feed your dog anyway. (playful) — video description
  • ★★ Hank lists the video's sources: The New York Times on homeownership not increasing happiness, NPR on a short commute being worth a $40,000 raise, and studies and articles linking commuting to lower life satisfaction, worse metabolic and cardiovascular health, and lower social activity and trust. — video description · The New York Times

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Commuting · Happiness

Also: Awesome Socks Club · chronic pain · Dear Hank and John · decision-making · DFTBA Records · NIMBY · The Fault in Our Stars

Only in the description or credits: animal shelter · Marriage · NPR · pet · The New York Times · Time

Also centred on Happiness: Stress and Joy · Cause for Celebration · Is Happiness the Goal?

Replies to

← Previous: My Body Is a Broken Temple · Next → How We're Spending Your Money: The Bank of Nerdfighteria's Quarterly Report