Why We Avoid the Things That Make Us the Happiest
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Why We Avoid the Things That Make Us the Happiest
Evolution didn’t care about sunsets or spontaneous adventures; it cared about predictability, safety, and conserving energy. That wiring persists today. Really living takes energy. It takes attention, planning, emotional bandwidth, and a willingness to step into uncertainty all of which our brains are trained to ration.
Why We Avoid the Things That Make Us the Happiest
Our brains are brilliant and maddening. They are wired to keep us alive, yes, but not necessarily to keep us alive in the fullest sense. Evolution didn’t care about sunsets or spontaneous adventures; it cared about predictability, safety, and conserving energy. That wiring persists today. Really living takes energy. It takes attention, planning,... See more
Why We Avoid the Things That Make Us the Happiest
Sources & Further Reading
Hedonic adaptation: How our brains get used to good things over time and why joy can fade. (Brickman & Campbell, 1971; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005)
Self-consistency: Why our brains resist actions that feel like they contradict our self-image. (Swann, 1983)
Cognitive load: How daily decisions exhaust our mental energy, making it hard to follow through on what truly matters. (Sweller, 1988)
Risk perception: Why imagined failure often outweighs real potential joy. (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979)
Motivation & growth: Understanding what drives us to pursue meaningful goals. (Deci & Ryan, 2000)