Midnight strikes and the ballroom explodes with jovial hollering—“Happy New Year!” Everyone says it, in every country and in every language.
We all want happiness in the coming year (especially after last year!), so we make our New Year’s resolutions, confident that our plans—if only we can stick to them—will make us happier.
Does it ever work? Or are we wasting our energy?
I decided to consult the experts.
Daniel Gilbert, a professor in Harvard’s department of psychology, studies “affective forecasting,” which means he examines how we predict what will make us happy or unhappy, and how we feel about it after the actual experience. Sounds like the plot of a Hollywood comedy starring Jennifer Aniston? Perhaps. But I for one am grateful that Harvard has taken a break from finding the cures for cancer and global warming, and has assigned one of its best and brightest to study something so—well, so important.
It’s all very scientific, mind you. Lots of tests and studies and questionnaires. What Dr. Gilbert and his team have found is that what we think will make us happy—a raise, a new car, a new job, a new hairdo, losing ten pounds—doesn’t make us as happy as we think it will.
He calls this the “principle of adaptation.” It is a coping mechanism—whatever comes our way is accepted and soon becomes the norm. The new Kindle, the new house, the new job just aren’t as exciting as we thought they would be.
Dr. Gilbert’s study also reveals that a single tragedy we think will destroy our lives will likely make us less unhappy than a chronic annoyance. In the same way a onetime extravagance will bring us less happiness than a simple change that affects us every day, such as a job without an annoying commute, a broken leg will cause less unhappiness than an arthritic knee.
Apparently everything that happens to us ends up mattering less than we think it will.
So how do we plan for a Happy New Year if we are such bad judges as to what will make us happy?
This is my thought. If the belief that change will make us happier motivates us to leap into a new job, a new mortgage, a new baby, is that not in itself a good thing? Even if it turns out not to be as grand we expected? If we realized that a new pair of shoes or handbag would not make us eternally giddy, we wouldn’t buy anything. The whole economy would go into a tailspin! No one would get married, or have children, or start a new business.
Perhaps the pursuit of happiness is more important to our lives than achieving happiness.
A recent article published in Science magazine shows that the states where people are happiest are, in descending order: Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, Alabama, and Maine. New York comes in dead last. California is 46th!
The pursuit of happiness is greatest among aspiring actors, artists, and young masters of the universe—in New York and California. Happiness is greatest in states with lots of sun, clean air, reasonable housing prices, and moderate traffic congestion.
In other words where there is an abundance of simple pleasures.
I love it when brilliant scientists tell us what we already know.
Don’t give up your dreams for that new career or exotic vacation. But you may be happier if you make a resolution to enjoy more small pleasures, such as—you knew I’d work up to it—a glass of Mad Housewife wine and a homemade meal shared with family and friends.
Tangerine and Ricotta Crêpes
Crêpes are simply thin pancakes, wonderfully versatile for both sweet and savory dishes. For New Year’s Day or for brunch (or dessert) anytime, try these tangerine crêpes. Serve with Mad Housewife White Zinfandel, or a Mad Housewife mimosa—Mad Housewife Chardonnay, orange juice, and seltzer.
For crêpes (makes 10 crêpes):
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar (no sugar for savory crêpes)
pinch of salt
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and let stand for 30 minutes (to allow flour gluten to relax).
2. Coat a warmed non-stick crêpe pan with a little butter and pour about three tablespoons of batter into the pan, swirling the batter to cover the bottom. Cook until bottom is browned (1-2 minutes), then, using your fingers and a spatula, flip and cook the second side. (Don’t worry if you mess up the first one—the second one always comes out better.)
3. Stack the finished crêpes between pieces of waxed paper as you go. You can use immediately, or seal in a bag and refrigerate for up to five days.
For filling:
6-10 tangerines (or 3-6 oranges), pealed and seeded and chopped into small chunks
3 tablespoons honey (or 1/3 cup sugar)
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup brandy
8 ounces ricotta cheese
¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
1. In sauce pan, bring to boil first four ingredients. As soon as it thickens, 2-3 minutes, add brandy and cook for another minute or so.
2. In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, half of the cooked tangerines (without the syrup), and pine nuts.
3. Place one crêpe on a plate and spoon on about ¼ cup of the ricotta mixture in a line on one side. Roll up crêpe and place on serving plate. Continue rolling up the crêpes until the ricotta mixture is used up. If the crêpes have come from the refrigerator, warm in a 250 degree oven for ten minutes. Spoon the syrup and rest of tangerines over the top.
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