Gosha Shatirov

Behind the scenes: how our Happy Lifestyle Index actually works

When we started building todai, we knew we didn’t want to create another mood tracker.

The “How are you feeling today?” model just scratches the surface — and often misses the point entirely.

So we created something deeper: the Happy Lifestyle Index (HLI).

It’s a structured way to understand what’s really going on inside — emotionally, mentally, and motivationally.

Here’s what’s inside.

1. Emotional clarity

This part of the index goes far beyond “happy/sad”.

It looks at:

Understanding emotional causes

Can you name why you feel the way you do? Are your triggers clear — or blurry?

Presence of emotional outbursts

Are your reactions proportional, or do they sometimes overwhelm the moment?

Emotional stuckness

How long does it take you to bounce back after something hits you hard?

Balance of positive and negative emotions

Not about “being positive” — but about emotional sustainability. Too much of one side can burn you out.

Range of recognized emotions

How many emotions can you actually identify in your day? More nuance = better self-regulation.

2. Needs awareness

You can’t take care of yourself if you don’t know what you actually need.

Needs awareness

Are you in touch with your real needs — rest, connection, space, challenge?

Needs fulfillment

Do those needs get met — or are you constantly running on empty?

3. Thought patterns & motivation

This part of the index gets into how your internal world shapes your external choices:

Thought awareness

Are your beliefs helping you — or holding you back? Do you even notice them?

Insight formulation

Do you understand where those beliefs came from — and whether they’re still serving you?

Action attempt

Are you actively trying to change the patterns that no longer work for you?

4. Genetic set point for happiness

We all have a kind of emotional baseline — a natural tendency to return to a certain range of mood, regardless of what happens. This is known as the genetic set point for happiness.

Research suggests that up to 50% of our overall happiness is influenced by stable genetic factors — like temperament, emotional sensitivity, and how our brains process pleasure and stress.

That’s where todai steps in: you can’t change your genetic starting point — but you can change the system around it.

Because happiness isn’t a trait. It’s a practice.

Why we built it this way

Because emotional well-being isn’t a feeling — it’s a system.

And systems can be seen, understood, improved.

We’ve even done our own research into how specific factors — like emotional awareness, need fulfillment, and thought patterns — can gradually raise your day-to-day experience of well-being.

The HLI isn’t about judging you.

It’s about showing you the invisible forces that shape your experience — so you can work with them, not against them. It’s dynamic, evolving, and personal.

The more you share with todai (through journaling, check-ins, audio reflection), the sharper the picture becomes.

If you're someone who wants more than feel-good quotes and mood sliders — this is what we've built for you.

Curious what you'd discover if you tracked these things daily?

— Team todai

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Maria Anosova 🔥

I installed it today) I need to accumulate some data about myself and then I will have a more complete picture. But for now I can say - a user-friendly application that will be useful to everyone in our time.

Gosha Shatirov

@maria_anosova the first among the greatest!
Actually, you can now talk to our AI within the first day to warm up, so the info will be aggregated for the analytics to be shown the next day.