The Cognitive Study Of Happiness Based On Behavioral Decision-Making Theory

With the progress of science and technology and the improvement of material living standard, people are putting more and more emphasis on the spiritual life and psychological experiences. Researchers in psychology have been actively looking for the proper approaches to improve people’s experiences of joy and happiness status, from various perspectives and directions. Happiness is a psychological status, reflecting an overall satisfaction on a thing or situation, which is affected both by the inevitable factors in the macro social environment and individual decision-making. Thus, the consequence of every single decision will affect happiness. People are making various decisions every day, therefore it is crucially important to discuss and study deeply some common behavioral bias to better understand human decision-making. Since the consequence of decision-making affects human happiness profoundly, it is important to face the reality and behavioral patterns objectively, hopefully avoiding some of the unfavorable consequences.This study includes the following four main parts:1. A theoretical analysis studies the relationship between happiness and utility. Professor Paul Samuelson proposes that happiness=utility/desire. To maximize happiness, first individuals need to maximize utility, second individuals need maximize utility under current resource constraints among the group network. Happiness is very subjective, a concept of totality, thus it is not possible to compare happiness since each individual has his/her different happiness index, unable to measure one individual by another individual’s standard.2. From sociology viewpoint, three factors affecting happiness are analyzed by the perspectives of individual cognitive capability and individual decision behavior. Sociology views social environment from value, spiritual and material conditions in addition to individual subjectivity. Individual cognitive capability mainly analyzes physiological and psychological factors, including common types of behavioral bias and decision behavior.3. The interaction of emotions and happiness.4. Among the three types of factors affecting happiness, we individuals can only improve the third type of decision behavior bias. Some recommendations of improvement on decision bias are proposed.