To some degree

Use “to some degree” to describe something that is at least partially true. It’s similar to saying “partly” or “somewhat.”

For example, imagine you did a project that was intended to improve efficiency. It improved efficiency a little bit. You might say, “The project improved efficiency to some degree, but there’s still room for improvement.”

Next, imagine that your town government implemented budget cuts. Some departments in the town suffered more, some suffered less. But all departments suffered a little. You might say: “To some degree, every department felt the impact of the budget cuts.” That’s because every department felt the impact at least a little.

Here’s how we used it in Lesson 179: There are many factors that affect happiness, including your genetics. But your happiness is to some degree under your control. That means it is at least in part under your control. You can change some of your circumstances, and you can change your intentional activities. Therefore, to some degree, you can affect your own level of happiness.