Recipe for Happiness

To continue with Barry Schwartz’s views of happiness and the paradox of choice, he suggests that people are happier when they make their decisions irreversible and when they truly appreciate the lives they have. Rather than thinking that  the grass is greener on the other side and that just maybe you’d be much happier if you worked at XYZ Widgets instead of M & M Industries, maybe you should just stay where you are. Remember, the grass will still need watering, fertilizing and mowing wherever you are. And besides, don’t you have friends at M & M? And aren’t the hours flexible and the work challenging? Just look on the bright side and be thankful you have a job.

There are many other applications of this concept, and I’m sure you can find some in your own life. For instance, do you think knowing that divorce is an option that wasn’t available “back in the day” increases a person’s dissatisfaction with a current marriage partner? If you knew that there was no way out, would you be more likely to make the best of it and try to find some redeeming qualities in the spouse? If you knew that chicken noodle soup was the only choice for dinner, would you be better off just accepting it and being grateful for something to eat instead of squawking about  how you wish you had pizza ?

Do you agree with Dr. Schwartz’s recipe for happiness? Do you think making decisions that are irreversible will make you happier than continuing to look for something bigger, brighter, and more exciting? What about the gratitude part? Does stopping to think about the many good things you have going on in your life make you happier than grumbling about what you don’t have?

Decisions, Decisions

Continuing the happiness topic begun in the last post, I came across some interesting insights by Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice. Schwartz feels that in rich nations such as the United States, too much choice can adversely affect our happiness. Just think about it. It used to be that the people drank Pepsi or Coca-Cola, but now entire sections of the grocery store are devoted to soft drinks. So many decisions! When I was a child, we basically ate corn flakes, cheerios, or rice krispies, but now I feel like I need an advanced degree to help me figure out the best cereal in terms of fat, fiber, and sugar.

Schwartz tells of a study in which college students were asked to rate chocolate candy. One group had six choices to taste and rate while the second group had thirty. Surprisingly, the first group rated their tasty sweet treats higher than the second group. Could it be that having too many choices decreases our satisfaction and our happiness? In his words, “After millions of years of survival based on simple distinctions, it may simply be that we are biologically unprepared for the number of choices we face in the modern world.”

What’s your opinion? Do you think one secret to happiness may lie in limiting our choices instead of increasing them?  In my estimation cheerios are just as tasty and healthy as many of the more recently developed brands, and I’d probably be just as happy sticking to them instead of always looking for something better.

What about you? Are you happier with such a glittering array of choices, or do you think you’d be more contented with fewer options?

Power of Self-Esteem

In PSY 103, we’re beginning a study of “self” words, including self-esteem. I thought it might be interesting to cite the definition given in the text (Reece & Brandt) and ask you to respond to it. Is it true? Does it affect our choices, and if so, how? Does it influence how we see the world and our place it in? Again, how? In other words, read the definition of this powerful concept and react to it. You might consider including a specific example of how it applies to your life.

“Our level of self-esteem affects virtually everything we think, say, and do. It affects how we see the world and our place in it. It affects how others in the world see and treat us. It affects the choices we make-choices about what we will do with our lives and with whom we will be involved. It affects our ability to both give and receive love. And, it affects our ability to take action to change things that need to be changed.”

Do you agree or disagree with the above? Just how important is healthy self-esteem?

Fraidy Cat

Ever been called a fraidy cat? Just today, I came across two great quotes that relate to topics we’ve recently studied in General Psychology.

A week or so ago, we discussed motivation and zeroed in on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the internal ”push” people feel to become self-actualized. However, according to Maslow, sometimes we make our choices based on fear rather than personal growth, hence staying at the bottom or middle of the pyramid.

We also looked a various types of intelligence, including Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence. One component involves an awareness of one’s emotions, and a related element concerns managing one’s emotions. This brings me to fear.  Do people sometimes hang back rather than “going for it” because of fear? Do they sometimes even know that that’s their problem? Do you think that sometimes people aren’t able to manage their fears even if they’re aware of them?

Here are the quotes:

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Anais Nin

“It’s a sad day when you find out that it’s not accident or time or fortune but just yourself that kept things from you.” Lillain Hellman

What do you think? Is fear keeping you from making your dreams come true? Is it keeping you in a relationship that’s no longer satisfying? Is it keeping you from making a phone call, speaking up for yourself, or flying in an airplane? It could even be fear (of ridicule, of exposure, of inadequacy) that keeps you from commenting on the blog.  In fact, some people even fear success!

What can you do to expand your life today? Do it, or your life will begin to shrink.

Hot Cognition

Doesn’t this sound like an intriguing term? It is indeed. Since we recently studied problem solving in General Psychology, I thought this topic might appeal to some people who often use heuristics (mental shortcuts) when making decisions. Frankly, that could apply to all of us since we all act from feeling and desire once in a while.

 

Hot cognition is a relatively new psychological term describing the mental processes that occur when emotions and personal goals influence judgment. Unlike cold cognition that is purely intellectual, it often relies on biases, hunches, feelings, intuition, “gut feelings,” and heuristics. People are especially likely to rely on this type of processing when making decisions that involve powerful emotions and self-interest.

 

Have you ever made a decision based on emotion before fully analyzing the situation? Have you ever found it hard to calm down enough to critically and clearly analyze what’s going on? Would you like to share an example?