SAVE YOUR TRUTH PROJECT RESULTS (PEEK)
The Pursuit of Happiness. Like the writers of the Declaration of Independence, my research shows that most Americans aged 50+ continue to believe that happiness is the main goal of life. I did not define happiness in the survey, but many people offered their opinions about happiness. (See below.)
Self-Evident Truths. What is the best way to achieve happiness? Is it by pursuing money, fame, pleasure, purpose, faith, or ___? I wonder if pursuing a meaningful life is the best path to a happy life? To help me find out, please complete my July 4th Declaration of Independence Survey “Self-Evident Truths”.
Demographics so far. By March 2022, 654 people from every state in America shared life lessons with me. The vast majority of survey participants were white females who live in California. Does this affect the results? In the weeks, months and years to come, I will attempt to get more males and keep expanding the survey to get a representative sample of America and the entire world.
| Selected charts from the most recent survey (March 2022): |
 |
| Fig. 1. Happiness is the main goal of life. Yes: 70.0% No: 21.9% Unsure: 8.0% |
 |
| Fig. 2. Science is the best guide for how to live life. Yes: 24.0% No: 56.5% Unsure: 19.4% |
 |
| Fig. 3. It is better to pursue passion over practicality. Yes: 39.%1 No: 29.7% Unsure: 31.3% |
 |
| Fig. 4. Fame is a good measure of success. Yes: 4.7% No: 88.4% Unsure: 6.9% |
 |
| Fig. 5. God exists. Yes: 74.8% No: 9.0% Unsure: 16.3% |
 |
| Fig. 6. Humans have free will over our actions. Yes: 93.4% No: 1.6% Unsure: 5.1% |
 |
| Fig. 7. Having children is a main purpose of life. Yes: 18.6% No: 70.1% Unsure: 11.3% |
 |
| Fig. 8. Love is a main purpose of life. Yes: 65.9% No: 21.2% Unsure: 12.9% |
Here are some life lessons shared about happiness:
“Happiness is different to different people. Some would say happiness is being content while others may say it is joy or even satisfaction. I think that is why it is hard to define happiness or why people may perceive they are or are not happy.”
– D.G. (Age 56, Female, Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
“Happiness is one being at peace and being optimistic.”
– Anonymous (Age 50, Female, Atascadero, CA)
“Happiness comes and goes. Best to focus on service of others and a healthy lifestyle. For example: my happiness rose significantly when I started eating more vegetables/fruit and less of everything else.”
– Anonymous (Age 56, Female, Sierra Madre, CA)
“Happiness comes from being useful and making the world a better place. Happiness for happiness sake is just fleeting.”
– Anonymous (Age 58, Male, Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
“I think happiness is not necessarily the aim but the product of achieving other pursuits. Loving someone and loving what you do makes you happy. So yes – to me, you want to be happy because it means you’ve succeeded in some other way.”
– Anonymous (Age 56, Female, Burbank, CA)
“Happiness has nothing to do with money or finding your true love, happiness can be found by sitting anywhere, even the chaos of a shopping mall, and quieting your thoughts and just being, accepting what is around you.”
– J. B. (Age 68, Female, San Juan Capistrano, CA)
“You have to love yourself and love God. Your happiness is not dependent on other people. You need to be happy with yourself and by yourself. I think the purpose of life is to serve others with the goal of being happy. I think the more you give and serve the more you get in return.”
– Anonymous (Age 55, Female, Chino, CA)
“Happiness comes in all categories. You can be happy that you have friends and relatives, but then there are times when you are not happy or pleased with them in the way they act or behave. But if you are honest with them and have legitimate conversations, things can work out.”
– Anonymous (Age 74, Male, Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
“Happiness is an emotion, I would say, rather than a state of being. And it is a word used extremely casually in America. That being said, I believe living in a singular emotion for an extended length of time is generally not practical, grounded, or satisfying. Perhaps – rather than pursuing happiness – we might be better off seeking a life fulfilled, content, purposeful, or contemplating nirvana might be a more specific, less Founding Fathers way of looking at things.”
– B. P. (Age 56, Female, Long Beach, CA)
