What the science of happiness says about the self and others | Aeon Essays
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What the science of happiness says about the self and others | Aeon Essays
“If I wanted to predict your happiness, and I could know only one thing about you, I wouldn’t want to know your gender, religion, health, or income. I’d want to know about your social network—about your friends and family, and the strength of your bonds with them.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn • Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
The “other people” part is more important than you might realize. That’s because the brain is innately – that is, neurochemically – motivated to care for and connect to other people. When you have a purpose, you satiate that innate desire – and your brain rewards you for it. The reactivity decreases in various regions of the brain, like the amyg
... See moreSteven Kotler • The Art of Impossible
A fundamental paradox at the core of human life is that we are highly social and made better in every way by being around people,” Epley said. “And yet over and over, we have opportunities to connect that we don’t take, or even actively reject, and it is a terrible mistake.”
Derek Thompson • The Anti-Social Century
If we continue to measure our lives by standards of self-determination, self-actualization, self-reliance, self-betterment, self-caregiving just to get wiser, happier, and healthier seems like a strange path.
But if we change our orientation to one of interdependence, seeing humans as a web of twisted roots, a vision of interdependence allows for us
... See moreunselfing.social
unselfing.social