Observe the effect of school on my happiness and IQ over time! I start out pretty much as a blank slate. One of the famous philosophers had a whole theory about that, but I forgot who*, because I am much dumber now than when I took philosophy in undergrad (see figure.)
Anyway, as I aged past blank-slate-babyhood, I got smarter and happier, as depicted by the local increase in both lines just after the origin. High school made me a lot smarter but a little unhappier. University made me a lot happier but I didn’t really get much smarter after age 17. Then I started grad school and I got a lot unhappier and overall not much smarter but it comes and goes! Sometimes I am smart, sometimes I am stupid, It’s always a surprise!
Today I am very dumb and relatively happy (see figure).
Really? I’d have thought children start out happy by nature. Also, I am pretty much convinced there is a negative correlation between IQ and happiness. Roughly, given the state of the world, if you’re dumb you have an easier time being happy. (I vaguely recall some study about that, will see if I can find a reference…)
Babies are always crying, especially right after they’re born. They don’t seem very happy…
“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”
- Ernest Hemingway
Oh, but they just cry when they’re hungry or tired or their nappy is full or their bored….. but in-between, they’re ecstatically happy!
Anyway, I am interested to see that you seem to be able to predict both your IQ and happiness into the future – things are going to pick up significantly, no?
Sorry to be off-topic, but have you seen this, Eva?
The International Festival of Authors is giving “random gifts of reading” to Torontonians to promote the festival (22 October- 1 November). More than 1,000 free paperbacks, by authors participating in the fest, will appear tomorrow before and during morning rush hour.
(via Books, Inq., the Epilogue)
Oh! Thanks! Free books!! And I just bought new bookshelves!
But they’re all the way downtown… And morning rush hour is early…