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Hacking Happiness: Our Obsession
Millions and millions of people get consumed by the idea that happiness can be generated.
We look to those that fit in society with ease and an annoying air of ignorance. And we think “What do they have that I don’t?”
But on reflection, perhaps the focus in our middle-class lives shouldn’t be so pointed towards happiness (it is, after all, a fleeting emotion) and rather on avoiding unhappiness.
We know what depression looks like. And if your search for happiness is tinged with a hint of desperation, then you might even know what it feels like.
But what about an emotion that’s less life-threatening and less dramatic? “Unhappy” is not a sexy buzz word. It’s a casual emotion we all know. And it’s even healthy in short doses
What makes humans unhappy?
We have the capacity to be unhappy with quite a few things in life. Let’s think about life in prison for example. Or at least life in prison in some stereotyped movie set (done correctly, prison should rehabilitate prisoners, but instead we focus on punishment. This makes sense if you consider how irrational humans are about getting revenge).
- No access to good quality food
- No personal autonomy
- Small living confinements
