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Good morning. One of the benefits of being an introvert is that I'm rarely disappointed. If I have to have a meal with someone or, heaven help me, attend a party, I tell myself "this is going to be Hell" - and when it isn't, well that's a nice turn up for the books. I might even enjoy myself! Neuroscientists at University College London have come up with an equation for happiness which can be roughly translated as: "the trick to being happy is to lower one's expectations". Set them too high and you'll go through life disappointed; set them a bit lower and when you exceed them, you'll feel like a success. But what is a reasonable level of human expectation? Well the consensus according to previous research is that one must earn about £33,864 a year, have five close friends and two children. 33,000 strikes me as a very competitive salary; friends can be hard to come by (especially if you hate going out); and not everyone is in a position to have kids. For many of us these things of course aren't average, let alone something one would settle for. They are almost unobtainable ideals. The effort required to live this perfectly humdrum life could itself sow unhappiness. I also have to ask, is happiness as a material state or a set of personal relationships, even a desirable goal? Religious belief is often rationalised as "Whatever makes you happy", but that's not its primary purpose. The road to Heaven in Christianity is described as a narrow path: the challenge is not to feel good but to do good, constantly asking "am I doing the right thing?" or even "is there something I should be doing that I'm not?" To be uncomplicatedly happy, implies to me that someone is satisfied that these questions are answered, or are unimportant, and I can't help but be suspicious of that attitude - on the grounds, to quote Socrates, that the unexamined life is not worth living. Learning to accept one's lot just wouldn't make me very happy, and might reduce happiness further down the line - after all dissatisfaction has been a spur throughout history for creativity and invention. Imagine how impoverished our culture would be if many artists had enjoyed a solid income or five good friends? Individuals can be driven by ambition, the relentless pursuit of perfection or the desire to serve others, to be part of something bigger than oneself for which a little sacrifice of personal happiness is worthwhile. Speaking personally, I rarely aim to be happy; I battle on, and, if I'm lucky, happiness catches me by surprise.