''Emotional Mathematics''--What’s the Big Idea?

The underlying concept of the formula is flawed as it does not take into account the most important variable of all - time.

Or maby it does and I just plain missed it (along with the point, apart from making someone money through self-help drivel).

Of course the theory speaks about the present situation, current times-21st century without doubt as there were no iPads or iPods in the late past.

''The trouble with this is that the qualitative data about our lives - the quality of our relationships, the happiness of our children, our level of satisfaction at work - is often left out of the equation (and therefore the agenda) because it's much more difficult to measure.'' (comparative case)

"apart from making someone money through self-help drivel)."

Do you like all the results in your life? If not (probably not unless you are part of a very small minority), where do you go for information to help you think better, so you will act differently, so you will get better results?

I will grant that there are many people who offer advice on a variety of topics when there is no "fruit on the tree" that shows their information is viable and valuable. Maybe you've had interaction with some of those people and hence the "self-help drivel" comment.

Not all people are worthy of listening to and it is incumbent to each individual to judge who they should listen to.

'A concrete method for addressing the human needs that drive them.' anxiety = uncertainty x powerlessness

You can't have something "concrete" when the situation of anxiety, uncertainty and powerlessness are subjective due to all the different variables that cause those things as well as each persons individual means of dealing with situations of anxiety, uncertainty and powerlessness. One difference between a person who is unsuccessful and one who is successful, eventhough they may experience the same circumstances, is the way they both respond to said circumstances.

Regarding the statement of someone making "money through self-help drivel"; what is more important, the food you buy for your body, or the food you buy for your brain and the thinking process?

Statistics say that the majority of people are spending >100% of what they make and going further into debt on a monthly basis with a great deal of that money being spent on depreciating items which become liabilities on their leger sheet, not assets. Marriage relationships for many people are wrecks waiting to happen. People losing their jobs because they don't take responsibility and perform like they should. Kids growing up without a dad and mom who care about and for them helping them become responsible citizens. The list can go on almost indefinitely. Read Point Man by Steve Farrar.

What should I be spending my money on? I'll spend it on the personal development and leadership information that helps me be a greater asset to my family, my business, my church and where I work. Information like that is something that is consumed and then has ongoing positive impact.

Not all people are worthy of listening to and it is incumbent to each individual to judge who they should listen to.

Correct, but self-help advisers and guides are a dime a dozen and many self-helpers should be getting help themselves, not giving it while others just write a pile of vague or obvious rubbish in an attempt to con a few bucks out of people (not mentioning any names here).

There are plenty of good ones out there but it can be hard to find them. I would recommend (for example) Spencer Johnson.

Who Moved My Cheese?

"self-help advisers and guides are a dime a dozen and many self-helpers should be getting help themselves, not giving it."

That is a very correct statement. That is why I said they should "have fruit on the tree", not just theory like is what happens at many universities where the professors teach a class about some particular field, but have never worked in the field hands-on. Many of you as engineers have experienced that vividly as others who design a product or part don't understand the variables that need to be considered for the part to actually work as intended. Those doing the original design don't have "fruit on the tree".

Spencer Johnson is good, John Maxwell, David Schwartz, Zig Ziglar, Gary Smalley, Emerson Eggerichs, Todd Duncan, Orrin Woodward, Frank Bettger, Les Giblin, Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey, Chris Brady, Gus Lee, Brian Tracy, etc. are all very good because they are teaching from the results they have obtained in business, relationships and life. You're right when you say there are many charlatans who just want to separate as many people from their money as possible.

I just came across a quote that very aptly deals with your comment about those who just want to make money, without having anything substantial to offer. " Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading, an easy prey to sensations and cheap appeals."

This could be an interesting discussion.

Have you ever heard the saying about burning bridges?

No, please do tell. I just remember the Boiling Frog story!!

What was wrong with this comment that someone marked it ''off topic''?? Is is off topic to ask a poster to explain what he meant by the use of a 'phrase', in this case 'burning bridges'??

Burning bridges or boats is common but has a different connotation in engineering. What the poster meant i don't get...so how come it become 'off topic'' if I asked him to clarify?? Amazing things happen, sometimes!

I didn't mark you OT mazhur, but I undid it for you. You may want to slow down a little and get to know this place and the members more before you get off on a rampage. I know it's exciting to have other people paying attention to you, but if you want any degree of respect around here, you should think about wading into the water.....................not diving. The bottom might be shallower than you think.

Okay, but I didn't say you did it, 'someone' did it.

You I right, I ought to slow down and go with mild doses to see their outcome first. But have I done anything wrong which falls against the policy of this esteemed forum?? I am sure no because everything is being watched by the learned mods here...and that's good for all and civility.

let no one bully no one...be our motto, our rule.

The mods are what they are. I prefer it when they stay out. The beauty of CR4 is that it's a combination of an engineering forum and a social forum. As far as I know, nothing else like it exists.

I've got a big mouth. There are people here that like me. There are people here that hate me.......................tolerate me and ignore me.

I hadn't seen any moderation for a long time before your boiling water thread. Things used to get pretty ugly around here. While we still argue and disagree, it's much better now. That's the way everyone likes it. Getting on here shouldn't be stressful. It should be fun and informative......................even while disagreeing.

It's cool. Lots of people have started off just like you. Lots.

agree....but should I say ...I Love CR4

well, don't know how your culture will take it if I exclaimed ...I love you!!

I get that a lot. It typically morphs into a love/hate relationship...........ask anyone.

The slowing down part is more directed at helping you to form more coherent posted questions or topics, some of which I am still not sure exactly what you are on about or what you are trying to accomplish by sharing with us.

There is a general discussion section that may be better suited to some of your (what appear to be) conversation topics. It would help if you could also clearly explain why you are posting (is it a question, are you wanting our point of view on something, etc) as this always helps users to better understand what you want by posting a particular post.

Some of us are good guessers, but........

Before posting this thread I had never heard of ''Emotional maths'' and thought why not share it with y'all here for their opinion. Simple, ain't it not???

Quite simply, it is the need (perceived -- real or not) for money that, primarily, interferes with happiness. Most databases and the processing power used to create and manage them have arisen, to a large degree, to track money in both it's concrete form and it's potential form -- consumers.

It is the never ending cycle of see, want, buy that drives our lives and creates the debt that causes much of our anxiety. Despite the hopes and aspirations of the masses that they, too, will become independently wealthy, the reality is, the majority will be in debt for something until they die.

We've all heard the phrase, "I'm just a number." Thinking of all that implies, to, now, want to subject happiness to a mathematical analysis is like tragic comedy, even if in jest. If we want an example of what is wrong with the whole picture, that one idea might just sum it up.

The need for money is an essential requisite for living. When this need grows into the monstrous desire for pelf it creates all the trouble.

Modern times have driven some people beyond need, hence all this commotion. They are the 'ciphers among numbers '.....

Money makes the mare go hold true for all times but lust for too much money or the craze to spend it reminds me of the prodigal son;

prodigal expenditures on unneeded weaponry; leading a prodigal life.

Does not this "monstrous desire for pelf" (spelled "left leaning drivel") pull third world economies, and hence people out of poverty ?

Imagine the number of jobs, primary and incidental, have been created by that pelf vacuum Bill Gates. How can he sleep at night ?

Capitalism combined with sensible and enforced laws and regulation from an honest government will always be the path out of poverty. Freedom is a very necessary part of that equation also.

With the right people in the right places, doing the right things, we can all have our cake and eat it too.

A good example of the value of freedom and economic growth is the difference between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea has much more of everything, i.e. resources, farmable land, people, etc. Except for the freedom of it's people. The people are enslaved by a government system that takes away the incentive to work hard and produce. Because of that they are very backward and many are starving.

South Korea on the other hand has less of everything by a great amount except for the freedom part of the equation. Because of the freedoms they enjoy they have about the 12 largest economy in the world.

Freedom; spiritual, economic and government, is critical to how well a country and it's people thrive. We here in the USA are slowly allowing our freedoms to be taken away because we have multiple generations of people who don't understand freedom in all those areas and therefore want the government to "give" them things. What the people don't understand; because the educational system intentionally doesn't teach about freedom and history; is that the government can't "give" anything. It doesn't have anything except that which it takes from it's citizens. The ratio of what is taken, to what is given is a very poor rate of return. You and I can much better spend our money since we have vested interest in the expenditure.

The finance part of the happiness (opposite of anxiety) equation is just a small part. Larger parts of that equation are a healthy marriage, being part of a community, an occupation that they enjoy and the thing that makes the greatest difference in their happiness is their faith.

GA facilitiesmgr. The basics that work, are the basics. I truly appreciate your ability to explain them in a way that doesn't bring politics or religion into the equation. I don't think that anyone can argue with common sense.

Faith??? Huh! It's Faith which is the root cause of all the trouble in the world, in particular the Muslim world and the rest!

The West doesn't seem to like people living by their faith, not to talk of Muslims alone but Mormons as well as a case in point. The Afghans, Pakistanis, Iranians etc want to live by their ''faith' but a desire by the economically and scientifically powerful to impose its ''new world order '' on one and all has failed to bring peace or happiness to this world. Pakistan and Bangla Desh, which was once a wing of Pakistan and practiced same faith failed to remain together for long and after much blood shed Bangla Desh came into existence. Faith is thus not contribute to bringing in peace or happiness...it has never.

One of the other reasons for unhappiness is not just capitalism but consumerism too...James William's thoughts on it and 'functionally illiterate''are quite well-known

I'm sorry that you've had such a bad experience in your past, or maybe even currently. Just because that has been your experience doesn't mean it is the case for the majority of people.

The factors of happiness are not my opinion, they were the result of a very large study and those factors were what people recorded as being essential to their happiness.

I didn't say anything about Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc., the report simply said "faith" so don't try to bring in other of your biases or hurt feelings.

I think when you bring in the aspect of faith as being "the root cause of all the trouble in the world" you confuse degenerate human beings who may sometimes use "religion" to legitimize and rationalize their effort to try and dominate others for their personal selfish gain, either economically or politically.

You're correct in your statement that consumerism will not bring or contribute to long-term happiness. It will just make people frustrated because there is always more to purchase without having the means to pay for it without going into more debt which brings associated anxiety and damage to their lives.

People will have a greater chance for happiness as they have greater freedom spiritually, economically and politically and there are certain governmental systems that take that away from their citizens. Not all government system have equal value in the ability for their citizens to live freely and equally.

I shifted from technology to cognitive science because it was obvious we have all the technology we need, and lack the understanding to deploy it. There can certainly be a mathematics of emotion, although calculus would be an apter term... go to physorg.com and note the new diffusion MRI readouts of the brain connection grid. It's coming, but it will be used against us by the likes of Frum and Rove.

I've merely embraced the fact that I'm an a$$hole.

I was relatively happy when I started reading this thread.....now I'm not so sure...

It must be the uncertainty part of the equation, or the fact that you are powerless to change anybody's opinions here.