I don’t know what the impetus was, but Slate recently had an essay on Happiness. Since this is one of my subjects of interest, I jotted down a few notes. The essay noted that you choose your spouse but not your parents, yet most people report enjoying time spent with their parents more than their spouse. I see 2 possible reasons for this: 1) you spend a lot more time with your spouse than your parents. Time with parents is limited, and therefore more valuable (basic supply and demand, economics is, afterall, really about human reactions to things). 2) Because you spend more time with your spouse, they become an extension of you. Your frustrations with your life are showcased. Your parents generally think you’re great no matter what you do. You’re their superhero. Your spouse, alas, knows that you’re human.
However, the essay notes, married people report being generally happier than single people. (I believe this is for entirely different reasons of the basic need for love, physical affection, companionship and support.) It follows up this discrepancy with observations about differences in methodology. One study asked people for their overall feeling about their life. The other interrupted their day for periodic ranking of their mood. (I’m sure I’m over-simplifying.) What we can learn from these observations is that our perception of our happiness is based on heavily edited memories influenced by our immediate surroundings. For example, if the sun is shining or your find a coin on the floor shortly before being asked about your life, you’re more likely to report a higher level of happiness.
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