The pursuit of happiness is a fundamental aspect of human nature. From the moment we are born, we are driven by a desire to be happy and to experience positive emotions. This desire is evident in the way we seek out pleasurable experiences, such as spending time with loved ones, engaging in hobbies and activities that bring us joy, and striving for success and achievement in our personal and professional lives.
However, despite our best efforts, the pursuit of happiness is often futile. This is because happiness is a fleeting emotion that is not easily obtained or sustained. It is influenced by a complex array of factors, including our genetics, our environment, and our mindset. These factors are often beyond our control, making it difficult to achieve a sense of lasting happiness.
One reason the pursuit of happiness is futile is that we often place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others. We may think that achieving certain goals or milestones, such as getting a promotion or buying a house, will bring us lasting happiness. However, research has shown that these kinds of external achievements are only temporary sources of happiness, and the joy they bring often fades quickly. This is because we quickly adapt to new situations and our happiness level returns to its previous state, a phenomenon known as the "hedonic treadmill."
Another reason the pursuit of happiness is futile is that our happiness is influenced by our mindset and how we perceive the world around us. Our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality, and if we have a negative or pessimistic outlook, it can be difficult to find happiness no matter what we achieve or possess. On the other hand, if we cultivate a positive and grateful mindset, we may find that we are able to find happiness and contentment in even the most challenging circumstances.
Finally, the pursuit of happiness is futile because happiness is a subjective and personal experience. What brings happiness to one person may not bring happiness to another. This means that what works for one person in terms of finding happiness may not work for another, making it difficult to pinpoint specific strategies or approaches that will work for everyone.
In conclusion, while the pursuit of happiness is a natural and universal desire, it is often a futile pursuit. This is because happiness is influenced by a complex array of factors that are often beyond our control, and it is a subjective and personal experience that varies from person to person. Instead of focusing on the pursuit of happiness, it may be more beneficial to focus on cultivating a positive mindset and finding ways to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Jon Gertner's The Futile Pursuit Of Happiness
Since the ancient Greek philosophers, happiness has always been a goal for people. In other words, we might believe that a new BMW will make life perfect. This sounds like a goof, but it gets at the fundamental difference between how we behave in ''hot'' states those of anxiety, courage, fear, drug craving, sexual excitation and the like and ''cold'' states of rational calm. For instance, some individuals provide accounts of their personal experiences in which they regret rushing into various decisions thinking such activities would offer them the comfort they desired. He explains that people act in a hot state when they are anxious, brave or scared.
The Ftile Pursuit Of Happiness Analysis
Now, bent on becoming a stockbroker, Chris is willing to go to great lengths to succeed; however, life can be challenging and cruel. This is how he feels. Gilbert takes a scientific look at the illusions we make for ourselves when trying to create our future in our heads. Thus, when we find the pleasure derived from a thing diminishing, we move on to the next thing or event and almost certainly make another error of prediction, and then another, ad infinitum. Both the generosity and the discrimination he experiences at the hands of whites around him are portrayed, as well as, the reality that poverty has no color boundaries.
Horizon: The Futile Pursuit of Happiness
. There are several arguments to this. But lately, that has been three per month more than he has sold, resulting in an increasing embittered Linda continually needing to work double shifts doing manual work at a laundry, which still isn't enough to cover those basic costs, they being currently behind three months rent. But it would be more precise to say that Gilbert -- along with the psychologist Tim Wilson of the University of Virginia, the economist George Loewenstein of Carnegie-Mellon and the psychologist and Nobel laureate in economics Daniel Kahneman of Princeton -- has taken the lead in studying a specific type of emotional and behavioral prediction. Worse, Gilbert has noted that these mistakes of expectation can lead directly to mistakes in choosing what we think will give us pleasure. A couple of hours later, he went looking for it. Gilbert and his collaborator Tim Wilson call the gap between what we predict and what we ultimately experience the ''impact bias'' -- ''impact'' meaning the errors we make in estimating both the intensity and duration of our emotions and ''bias'' our tendency to err.
Futile Persuit of Happiness Essay Example
Another recent study asked whether transit riders in Boston who narrowly missed their trains experienced the self-blame that people tend to predict they'll feel in this situation. The world of Fahrenheit 451 reflects this greatly, in which many people are unhappy, but choose to sweep their troubles under the rug rather than face them head on. During that period, Chris goes through a lot of hardship personally and professionally. The results of the studies suggest that although people can predict who or what will make them happy, they do not know how long it will last or to what degree. Taking the Live out of Alive What if you never had to get upset to the point of heartbreak or angry to the point of tears again? From there, the payment sections will show, follow the guided payment process and your order will be available for our writing team to work on it. This world is a material world, where people believe that things will satisfy their happiness. With some changes in their lives resulting in fewer expenses, Chris figures he needs to sell his remaining six scanners just to scrape by for those six months.
