The circumstances of our lives actually matter less to our happiness than the sense of control we feel over our lives.

Sutherland’s line contrasts “objective” life conditions (income, status, comfort, even luck) with a more psychological driver of wellbeing: perceived agency. It echoes findings from behavioral science and psychology that people tolerate hardship better when they feel they can influence outcomes, and that helplessness or constraint can make even favorable circumstances feel miserable. In Sutherland’s broader style—using advertising and behavioral economics to critique overly rational models of human satisfaction—the quote suggests that policy, management, and personal choices should prioritize autonomy, choice, and meaningful control, not merely material optimization. Happiness, on this view, is less a product of what happens to us than of whether life feels steerable.