Who hasn’t started looking for the happiness that defines its image? Scientists say it’s a waste of time! By 2025, we don’t want to be happy at any cost and we’re literally changing our thoughts for the better.
Its paradoxes have been noted by all lovers of happiness, from ancient wisdom to modern philosophy. The Stoics once realized it, and now new science is measuring it: We almost instinctively want to make ourselves happy, but it does the opposite.
So how can we find happiness if we don’t look for it?
Based on research experiments, American scientists have presented different ways to change the cards. According to their conclusion, limiting happiness makes us lose sight of our purpose. Therefore, they say that in order to achieve happiness, we must first destroy some ideas.
The search for happiness eventually leads to disappointment
Happiness, although beneficial, can be harmful when it is the result of very strong inhibitions. Although happiness is a good thing, over-emphasizing a positive attitude can backfire and make us unhappy. So say Brock Bastian, a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne, and Ashley Humphrey, a lecturer at Federation University. In a study of 500 participants published in the Journal of Happiness, Australian researchers found that, paradoxically, the constant pursuit of happiness can affect performance.
- People may not be very happy when they are confident in their happiness, especially in situations where they want to be happy, the authors explain. “This feeling is expected to be followed by happiness, followed by disappointment or self-blame, because not having enough happiness is associated with more depressive symptoms and less happiness. Other studies designed to encourage people to seek happiness found that most participants were disappointed rather than happy. This need can be explained by a theory: Heightened expectations due to anxiety about the importance of happiness can lead to deep depression. This research does not mean that we should live unhappy lives, but it does suggest that we should seek happiness directly, rather than making it our priority.
Stoicism regains control of itself
By pursuing happiness, we isolate ourselves even more. And here we are, stuck in the tyranny of happiness. That’s the observation of psychologist Iris Moss of the University of California, Berkeley. His research shows that the constant pursuit of happiness can lead to conflict and even further isolation. To prevent this, experts recommend adopting a skeptical attitude and encouraging acceptance of life’s dangers. The Stoics had good reason to advocate the happiness that would bring us inner peace, the happiness they called psychosis.
Appreciating one’s fate, being able to change one’s thoughts, being able to let go… thoughts help them see things from a different perspective and thus regain control of themselves. Seneca said, “The greatest trouble in life is to lose today in the hope of tomorrow.” The scientist, who had a stoic character, believed that our unhappiness stemmed from our attachment to things that do not belong to us, to death, and therefore affected things we can control. However, in his work “The Happy Life” he wrote that happiness was not in material things but in virtue. “The wise man has enough to satisfy himself as far as happiness is concerned, but not enough as far as life is concerned. Life has many needs: All that is needed for happiness is a healthy body, a good mind, love of the sublime and laughter from fate.”
