The algorithm for misery
Work was excruciating last year. We were working on a significant project, and I carried the burden of an underperforming mishire. I compensated by working way too much overtime.
E and I chatted about it, and he shared that he was miserable last year because I was less pleasant to be around. I responded with alarm, expressing that "miserable" sounded severe.
He clarified that he was "10% miserable." I told him it was helpful to quantify these things, and I shared that the misery was not as terrible as I had imagined (80%+).
I asked, "Are your misery levels reset? Have they dropped lower now that work is no longer difficult and the situation is better?"
He confirmed that it was lower, but everything else was unknown. "I don't know. The algorithm for misery is a black box. I don't know how it's calculated or what influences it. I only know what the number is."