The Happiness Pension Plan
Eileen Voyles · March 19, 2026
I love scrolling. People say it is such a waste of time, but honestly, I disagree. My feed knows me. It brings me things I actually care about. TV does not do that for me. And if I am not feeling a clip, it is forty seconds, maybe three minutes, and it is easy to bail and move on.
This morning, the scrolling angels dropped a gem into my feed, a short video from PhD Social Scientist Dr. Arthur Brooks. He shared something he calls a
Happiness Pension Plan.
A pension, of course, is money we invest now so it can grow and support us later. Dr. Brooks suggests that happiness works the same way. If we make daily deposits in four key areas, we will build a reserve of joy that carries us into the future. I think he is right.
Here are Dr. Brooks’ four “investment funds” that need daily deposits:
- Faith
Not necessarily religion, though it can be. Faith is about awe. Wonder. Something bigger than us. It draws us outside our own heads and reminds us that life is vast and meaningful.
- Family
Family relationships do not strengthen accidentally; they grow because we tend to them. Dr. Brooks says happy people take their family life seriously. For me, that means checking in with those I love; a call, a text, a moment of connection. And carving out chunks to just be together. I’m always renewed when I do.
- Friends
Friendships are deposits, too. Even when I feel busiest, I can send a text, make lunch plans, DM someone. When we reach the end of our careers, no matter how successful we are, if we do not have close connections, what did we actually build? Deposit are made today.
- Work That Serves
Service is not just helpful to others, it’s energizing for us! When we focus on developing our teams, improving lives, or connecting people, we make deposits into our own happiness.
In years to come, I hope we are all supported by the distributions from our Happiness Pensions, funded by the deposits we make today.
- Community & Connection