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The Mappiness data makes clear that many passive activities, such as watching TV, don’t yield much happiness—and lead to less happiness than people expect. One of the best ways to improve one’s happiness is to avoid that instinct to avoid doing things that seem like a lot of energy. When the thought of doing an activity makes you go “ughhh,” that is likely a sign you should do it, not that you shouldn’t. When someone used to cancel a plan to go to a show together or have a dinner party together or go for a run together, I used to say, “What would Larry do?,” thank my blessings for the cancellation, and surf the internet by myself. Now instead I say, “What would the Mappiness data say?” And I look at my iPhone case and try to overrule my instinct to sit on my couch and passively consume media. Mappiness data tells us there is great value (and more value than most suspect) in leaving your couch—unless, of course, you are having sex on that couch.
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Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life)