In 1978, psychologists Brickman, Coates, and Janoff-Bulman compared the self-reported happiness levels of lottery winners, compared to paralyzed victims and normal people as controls. Surprisingly, lottery winners didn't report themselves much happier than the control group, and although the paralyzed people showed as less happy than the controls, the difference was not as big as you would think. Surprisingly, happiness can rebound from many things, and is not guaranteed even when we reach a cherished goal, nor is endless misery guaranteed when we lose something cherished.