Humans are constantly looking for the next “item” or “event” to make them happy. Once I get a promotion, I’ll be happy. Once I start a family, I will be happy. Once I have a million dollars, I will be happy. The game is setting you up for failure.
Humans have evolved to look for the next thing constantly. We hedonically adapt to our conditions and return to our baseline. For example, if I think I’ll be happy buying a house, I’ll have a short burst of happiness once I buy it. After, I will go back to how I felt before. Any goal this will happen. Once accomplished, you will go back to normal after a certain period.
I am not saying you shouldn’t have goals, and accepting that accomplishing the goals won’t make you any more or less happier is liberating. The practical ways to increase happiness are finding a challenge that fits your strengths, exercising and eating healthy, taking a break from social media, and a gratitude journal.
This could increase your overall emotional baseline.