Time is a key role in how we perceive the world, and thus is important in the quest for happiness. Einstein demonstrated that time is not always linear when travelling (etremely) fast, but for our daily life, it can be considered as a regular thing. Physically speaking.

But in terms of perception, it's all but linear. A minute spent waiting for someone will seem much longer as the first minute you'll spend together. The longer you'll have to wait, the quicker the time will pass when the wait phase will be over.

This is a bit like if time was compressed, delayed, and then accelerated once the pressure is released. If you're a skier, you know that well. Long time spent waiting, then in the cable car, for a short ride down. But what do you remember then ? The ascent, or the descent ?

Because our perception of time varies with the level of happiness that the activity we carry on produce, one can conclude that it is not "linear". It's worth spending some to be rewarded with more joy. This kind of an investment, and some things will be even more enjoyable when preceded by a waiting phase.

Do you remember lesson 1, from my previous hub in this series (How to be happy... and why ?) - there is no small piece of joy. The particular nature of time somehow interacts with this rule.

Do you prefer a small happiness now, or a much bigger one in three days ? A smile from an unknown person today, or a good meal next week-end ? 1 million dollars today, or 100'000 dollars per year after you get retired ?

Our relation to time, and the way we perceive it makes such decision hard. If time was linear, it would be much easier, but it's not. This can lead to what I call The Time Trap: always waiting for something better later.

Several proverbs and popular stories relate to that, but by favorite is a rather simple one: "Don't Sacrifice Today For Tomorrow".

Note to students: I did not said to stop and start a life made of beer.

It's important to have a strategy with some clear goals and tactics to achieve them. However, the quest of your personal Grail shall not prevent you to profit from good side of life on a day to day basis.

funride made interesting comments on the first hub in this series (How to be happy... and why ?) about chocolate. His point was that chocolate brings false happiness.

Understanding strategy and time makes the chocolate point more interesting. Chocolate is an easy way to get happiness nearly immediately. Because the waiting period is short, it's attractive, and may hide longer-term factors of sadness (overweight, diseases, ...).

So what ? Shall we sacrifice chocolate today for a healthier tomorrow ? Am I doing exactly the opposite to what I preach ? No. Here again, the keyword is balance (and I guess funride will agree with that).

You can't base all your happiness and life strategy on chocolate - long terms effects would be disastrous. But on an occasional basis, be it to compensate for an exceptional event, or just to bring a good moment closer to perfection, chocolate can do.

This post is the second in a series about happiness. The first one is "How to be happy, and why", and the third one is "The Significant Other".