You are right about the past not mattering, but I think that people sometimes discount their happiness now too much in favour of expected future happiness and r

You are right about the past not mattering, but I think that people sometimes discount their happiness now too much in favour of expected future happiness and rewards. The fellas I knew invested their time in unhappy activities hoping for a reward in the future. They didn't get any of that reward; what they did was only rational if they could access some of the expected reward in their lives. They would have been better off if they had missed some paper deadlines and gone on a few more hiking trips or gone to a few more wild parties. Sure - if working on something is what floats your boat... go for it! Sure - invest something in the future (at least!) because it's likely you are going to live to see 75 winters, but only likely.