The Calculus of Happiness

Oscar E. Fernandez is assistant professor of mathematics at Wellesley College and the author of Everyday Calculus: Discovering the Hidden Math All around Us. He also writes about mathematics for the Huffington Post and on his website, surroundedbymath.com.

Preface ix Math Topics Covered by Chapter xiii I: A Healthier You Is Just a Few Equations Away 1 1 How Many Calories Should You Eat Each Day? 3 1.1 The Linear Functions Hidden in Your Diet 4 1.2 The Mathematics of Metabolism 8 1.3 Burn Those Calories! Work Those Quads! 11 1.4 The Calories Required to Digest Food 14 2 Live Longer (and Be Healthier) by Eating the Right Foods 20 2.1 A Game of Macronutrient Musical Chairs 20 2.2 How to Eat More and Be Healthier: Energy Density 29 2.3 Live Long(er) and Prosper with theWaist-Height Ratio 34 II: A Mathematician's Guide to Managing Your Money 41 3 Dissecting Your Monthly Budget 43 3.1 The Return of the King (the Linear Function) 44 3.2 To Expenses, and Beyond! 49 3.3 How Many YearsWill It Take You to Reach Financial Independence? 62 4 How to Beat Wall Street at Its Own Game 69 4.1 How to Make 15% a Year, Guaranteed 70 4.2 The Safest Investments 71 4.3 Quantifying Investment Risk and Return 73 4.4 Stocks, Bonds, and the "All-Weather" Portfolio 77 III: Looking for Love? There May Be an Equation for That 87 5 Finding "The 1" 89 5.1 What the Search for Aliens Can Teach You about FindingYour Soulmate 89 5.2 Why Hiring a Secretary Is Like Dating 92 5.3 The Stable Matching Problem 97 6 Living Happily Ever After with "The 1" 103 6.1 Your Relationship as a Dynamical System 104 6.2 Need Help Making a Joint Decision? There's an Equation for That 108 6.3 How Psychologists Use Math to Predict Divorce 113 Epilogue 118 Acknowledgments 120 Appendix A: Background Content 121 Appendix 1 123 Appendix 2 128 Appendix 3 130 Appendix 4 141 Appendix 5 143 Appendix 6 144 Bibliography 151 Index 157