Psychological barriers to the pursuit of happiness

September 22nd, 2008 | Published in Life | View blog reactions

Why aren’t we happy? Why do we tend to think that “we would have been happier if…”? And does this pursuit of external happiness, which seems sometimes to fail even for people who are billionaires, constitute an obstacle to reaching actual happiness?

Before you think you landed on a New Age, “life bliss” blog, think again. We are so sure, most of the time, of the fact we know what would make us happy – but if we are not supremely happy already, shouldn’t we be skeptical about our ability to judge what really has the potential to bring us happiness?

We all know the stories of mystics living in poverty, and still living a fulfilling life: but how many of us would seriously consider such a life choice? Living in poverty, owning nothing, and with no kind of security, there is no way we could really be happy. Good for them, we think. But if only we could win a jackpot, land that job, marry that person…then, we really would be happy. The fact is, the people who landed the job, got the cheque, and married the hotshot are not necessarily happier than you already are.

Now you must be annoyed. You thought this was a serious blog, talking about science, technology, skepticism and the like – but here you are, reading platitudes. But what if, for a moment, I could convince you to be skeptical of your own skepticism about the sources of happiness in your life? Just lend me, and Dr. Dan Gilbert, about half an hour. I promise you’ll laugh.

[If you cannot see the movie, you can watch it here.]

Post Scriptum: One of my posts has been picked by Tangled Bank. You can read the post here, and find more good science blogging visiting the Bank’s latest edition.

Image credits: sxc.hu, and other copyright holders