Feb 23 • General discussion
Why people are not happy
Psychologist Laurie Santos explains that the human brain did not evolve to make us happy, but rather natural selection for us to survive and reproduce creates a disconnect between what we believe will make us happy and what actually works.
This causes us to pursue goals that we believe will give us well-being, but in practice they do not. For example, we tend to overestimate the impact of money, promotions or material possessions once our basic needs are met.
Furthermore, we have other "factory glitches":
-Reference points: We evaluate our life by comparing it with that of others, which makes us feel bad if someone seems to be better off.
-Hedonic adaptation: We get used to positive things quickly, losing the initial enthusiasm.
-Impact bias: We believe that future events will affect us with greater intensity and duration than actually happens.
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To counteract these tendencies, she proposes five "redesign" practices:
-Social connection: The happiest people prioritize physical time with others. Overcoming "sub-sociality" (believing it doesn't matter) is key; even a real call is better than social networks.
-Generosity: Orienting yourself toward others produces more happiness than simple self-care.
-Appreciation: Thinking before we go to sleep about three things for which we feel lucky improves our well-being in the short and long term.
-Savoring: Paying conscious attention to good moments instead of overlooking them.
-Movement: Doing exercise of any kind, even if it is only 20 minutes a day, has a direct connection to mental health.
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Which of these "factory glitches" do you notice most in your life?
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Why people are not happy
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