3 Biological Pillars of Happiness
Happiness = f(sleep/light x exercise x relationships)
Many people tend to think of the “good life” as a matter of addition…
This + That + The other thing = Happiness
But I’ve come to see it as a multiplication…
This x That x The other thing = Happiness
This is an important distinction because, if any of them go to “zero” then the whole thing goes to zero (aka no happiness).
So what is included in this equation? This article is a short overview of the scientific literature: there are 3 pillars that set a biological foundation for happiness.
3 Biological Pillars of Happiness
Sleep / Light
Exercise
Relationships
As a function… Happiness = f(Sleep/Light x Exercise x Relationships)
When I say “biological foundation” for happiness, think of it as the physiological and psychological conditions that are conducive to happiness. This includes the numerous brain chemicals and hormones that regulate states of being. It represents fertile soil in which to plants seeds of happiness.
Consider this, if you’re making $1M but live in a little cave alone with insomnia how happy will you be? Yes, extreme example, but the point is there are certain things which are sort of “prerequisites” for happiness. If you’ve been up 48 hours sitting still on a plane whilst in a fight with your partner, you might have the most delicious breakfast you’ve ever had and probably won’t enjoy it all that much.
What the scientific literature indicates is that these factors optimize the quality and consistency of our inner states (of mind and body). If any of them “go to zero”: disordered sleep, sedentary lifestyle, or loneliness then happiness will wither.
Sleep and Light
In the last few years, scientists like Matthew Walker have led major advances in sleep research.
I’ve come to believe it is probably THE first and foremost pillar of health and happiness. This is a point that Dr. Walker argues persuasively in his book Why We Sleep. Here are some notes:
There are 20+ large-scale epidemiological studies tracking millions of people over many decades, all of which report the same relationship: the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The leading causes of disease and death in developed nations (heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer) all have causal links to a lack of quality sleep.
Averaging less than six hours of sleep per night has consequences: time to physical exhaustion drops 10 to 30%, muscle force and vertical jump height drop by a similar percentage, impairments in cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory capabilities, and disruption of ghrelin (hormone regulating hunger) which leads to overeating and disordered eating.
Sleep loss is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, suicide, stroke, and chronic pain, as well as cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, infertility, weight gain, obesity, and immune deficiency.
Needless to say that all off these things are fairly “unhappy-making”. What’s more — nearly all of our emotional processing occurs in REM sleep and all learning/memory are processed during sleep. If we want to be well off, we need to be well slept.
You will note though that this factor also includes light. That’s because light, even independent of effects on sleep, plays a significant role in mental and physical health.
In a recent study — Day and night light exposure are associated with psychiatric disorders: an objective light study in >85,000 people — researchers analyzed 86,772 adults to understand the relationship between day and night-time light exposure and psychiatric disorders.
“Greater night-time light exposure was associated with increased risk for major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and self-harm behavior. Independent of night-time light exposure, greater daytime light exposure was associated with reduced risk for major depressive disorder, PTSD, psychosis, and self-harm behavior. These findings were robust to adjustment for sociodemographics, photoperiod, physical activity, sleep quality, and cardiometabolic health. Avoiding light at night and seeking light during the day may be a simple and effective, non-pharmacological means of broadly improving mental health.”
Looking at morning sunlight specifically, viewing it within the first few hours of waking, increases early-day cortisol release with supports immune function, metabolism, and focus throughout the day. It also helps to regulate the sleep/wake cycle, hunger, and even body temperature.
Further, morning sunlight helps regulate your “circadian clock” — the body’s mechanism for anticipating when to wake up and go to sleep — and it manages other biological processes like hunger and body temperature.
To recap, morning sunlight, adequate night-time darkness, and consistently sufficient quality sleep are the foundation for mental and physical health (which in turn is the biological foundation for wellbeing).
The Protocol: 8+ hours of sleep almost every night with night-time darkness and morning sunlight for 15 minutes as soon as possible after waking.
Exercise
In an interview with the pioneering professor and happiness researcher, Tal Ben-Shahar, the host asked what the most important thing is for happiness.
Tal said if he were a therapist, the first thing he’d ask every client is — "are you exercising?" He explained that it’s not about exercise making you feel better. As humans we are meant to move. Exercise is about bringing you up to baseline.
If you’re not exercising regularly you’re not even at baseline level for mood, focus, and energy.
This claim is broadly supported by scientific research. Laurie Santos, the professor behind Yale University’s immensely popular “Science of Wellbeing” course explains that in many cases exercise is as, if not more effective than antidepressants. There are systematic reviews such as Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews that support this claim.
Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki is a leading researcher on the connection between exercise and the brain. She shares the following:
“Better mood, better energy, better memory, better attention. And so now, after several years of really focusing on this question, I've come to the following conclusion — that exercise is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today for the following three reasons. No. 1, it has immediate effects on your brain. A single workout that you do will immediately increase levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline… My lab showed that a single workout can improve your ability to shift and focus attention, and that focus improvement will last for at least two hours… But these immediate effects are transient. They help you right after. What you have to do is do what I did - that is, change your exercise regime, increase your cardiorespiratory function to get the long-lasting effects. And these effects are long-lasting because exercise actually changes the brain's anatomy, physiology and function.”
The physical health benefits of exercise are fairly obvious, but it also sets the foundation for cognitive and emotional flourishing. A good starting point is to aim for about 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise in “Zone 2” which means about 120-140 beats per minute and 1-2 resistance training sessions per muscle group (eg weightlifting).
The Protocol: 150 minutes cardio + 1-2 resistance sessions per week
Relationships
Finally, no discussion of happiness is complete without emphasizing the benefits of relationships and social connection.
In one of my favorite TED talks, Robert Waldinger describes the longest running study of adult health and happiness. The Grant Study at Harvard University tracked a large sample of people across their entire lives (extending to multiple generations). They found that essentially one thing mattered for both how happy you are and how long you live: relationships.
Quality social connection predicts life satisfaction and longevity.
So why do I call this a biological factor, you might ask? It turns out that this factor has direct, biological implications…
Loneliness is associated with a 48% increase in premature death and 71% higher likely of reporting poor health. It is also linked to poorer immune function, higher levels of inflammation, and increased risk for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Spending time with people (or animals) we enjoy leads to the release of positivity-inducing neuro-chemicals and endorphins.
To summarize: the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. Social connection is a basic human need like food, water, or shelter.
The Protocol: 1+ hour per day of quality time with close friends / family members
Biological Pillars Weekly Checklist…
7 x 8+ hours of good sleep in a dark space and 15+ minutes of morning sunlight
1-2 x resistance training sessions + 150 minutes of cardio (Zone 2)
7 x 1+ hours of quality social connection time
If you implement the above checklist you will have a thoroughly supported, science-based foundation for happiness and flourishing. What’s more, I think much of this squares with firsthand experience or “common sense”.
Sleep enough. Get some exercise. Spend time with those you care about.
Happiness doesn’t have to be complicated.
Your happiness nerd,
Jackson