The Happiness Myth

With the economy down, a lot of people are looking for ways to pick themselves up. There are ways to get happy and there are ways not to get happy. Here's The Fast Draw's guide to both.

Volumes have been written on the pursuit of happiness -- the Declaration of Independence even calls it one of our "unalienable Rights."

Someone who knows a lot more about the pursuit of happiness than us is Gretchen Rubin. She's a former Supreme Court clerk who left the legal profession to write. Her latest project is The Happiness Project.

Rubin has another happiness myth to add: The Arrival Fallacy. It's the belief that when you arrive at a certain destination, you'll be happy.



She writes:"We often imagine that we'll be happy as soon as we get a job/make partner/get tenure/get married/get that promotion/have a baby/move. (But) usually by the time you've arrived at your destination, you're expecting to reach it, so it has already been incorporated into your happiness. You quickly become adjusted to the new state of affairs. And of course, arriving at one goal usually reveals a new goal. There's another hill to climb. In fact, working toward a goal can be a more powerful source of happiness than hitting it – which can sometimes be a letdown. It's important, therefore, to look for happiness in the present, in the atmosphere of growth afforded by making gradual progress toward a goal."

So make sure you keep dreaming and moving forward. Most of all, remember to find happiness in the pursuit of happiness.

[alinda008]

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[alinda008]

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[Rainbow0000000]

Please, who are Elizabeth Benefield and David ____? who are mentioned in the video clip on the subject of "lust for power" and happiness. Can't seem to find by googling, would appreciate any help. thanks.

[DrFrankB]

In writing on renewal and reinvention for Third Agers at http://www.happiness-after-midlife.com, I often refer to the work of Jonathan Haidt, a positive psychologist. In his book "The Happiness Hypothesis," he presents the provocative idea of a happiness formula. The formula is easy to remember:
happiness = a set point + conditions of life + voluntary activities.
He refers to identical twin studies in which researchers make the case for a happiness set point related to a person's genes.

The second part of the equation refers to the conditions of your life -- conditions that you can change and those that you cannot. Obviously, you cannot change your age or race. But you can change such conditions as your level of wealth or marital status for the better or the worse for that matter. External conditions matter too. For example, by reducing irritating noise levels, reducing commuting time, or strengthening your family and social network, you can increase your happiness, at least temporarily.

The third part of the equation refers to the things that you choose to do, such as meditation, exercise, or learning a new language. They too can increase your level of happiness. For example, it makes me really happy to exercise at least 30 minutes six days a week.

[DoubleHappiness88]

Hi, tincup356. Your comment caused me to recall the quotation below.

Thanks!

People, wake up
Figure it out
Religious fanatics
Around and about
The Court House,
The State House,
The Congress,
The White House

Criminal saints
With a Heavenly Mission
A nation enraptured
By pure superstition
Frank Zappa (1940-1993)
American composer, rock musician -- "When the Lie Gets So Big" (1988)

[Slrman-21001573651763300012869]

Gretchen Rubin is just another pop psychology phony who, like Dr. Phil, is finding lucrative happiness in peddling a line of total BS that people will believe because it's far easier than thinking for yourself. Anyone that swallows this kool-aid probably also thinks that there were WMD in Iraq and "W" was working for the good of everyone. Amazingly, there are still people stupid enough to believe that and Dr. Phil and Gretchen Rubin.

[tincup356]

It would make me happier if Americans would wake up and see the real truth about BOTH parties in congress,,,,,,,they are BOTH greedy low lives who do not care about the people they are supposed to be representing,,,,,,but then again you have to consider that the biggest part of them ,,,are lawyers,,,,,,people who are paid to make you believe lies, and screw you out of your money.

[mja721]

maybe just a demotion would make you happy

[gold_standard]

The most important conclusion is about what does make you happy.l

[mja721]

this makes me happy i'm ugly