Living a happy life seems like a reasonable goal. But there’s a chance that setting that goal might reduce the chances of achieving it. According to Ruut Veenhoven, Director of the Database and Emeritus professor of social conditions for human happiness at the Erasmus University: “Unhappy people are more aware of their goals, because they seek to change their life for the better … Although there is some positive correlation between seeing meaning in life and being happy, studies suggest this is not a necessary condition for happiness. In fact, studies suggest leading an active life has the strongest correlation with happiness … In order to lead a happy life, a rewarding life, you need to be active. So involvement is more important to happiness than knowing the why, why we are here.”

+ A quote from a recent WSJ profile of Woody Allen (who basically makes a movie a year) supports a similar notion: “It’s the therapy of moviemaking that has been good in my life. If you don’t work, it’s unhealthy — for me, particularly unhealthy. I could sit here suffering from morbid introspection, ruing my mortality, being anxious. But it’s very therapeutic to get up and think, Can I get this actor; does my third act work? All these solvable problems that are delightful puzzles, as opposed to the great puzzles of life that are unsolvable, or that have very bad solutions.”

+ Another study suggests that people with a lot of self-control are the happiest. Someone should study the happiness levels of people who do studies on happiness. There sure are a lot of them.