Psychology
The more pragmatic approach is to ask, ‘Is this thought helpful? Does it help me take action to create the life I want?’
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
fear • anger • shock • disgust • sadness • guilt • love • joy • curiosity. You have just read a list of the nine basic human emotions, from which all others are derived by combination. (At least, this is what many scientists believe—it’s still the subject of considerable debate.)
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
The bottom line is not whether a thought is positive or negative, true or false, pleasant or unpleasant, optimistic or pessimistic, but whether it helps you create a fulfilling life.
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
It’s not that Irish people have more historical trauma to mine, she said, or that Americans love Irish shit. It’s that her civilization believes art matters — and funds it accordingly, as part of public infrastructure. They believe art makes life navigable. Its actual value is beyond measure, and like a lot of invaluable things, its survival hinges... See more
This is How We Fall Out of Love with the World
Does it help me to be the person I want to be?
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
One particular type of thought process is so intimately linked to our emotions that some experts consider it a core component. This is the process of ‘making sense of’ or ‘giving meaning to’ our experience. For example, with sadness you have a sense of loss, and with fear you have a sense of danger.
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
The three basic steps of expansion are: observe your feelings, breathe into them, and allow them to come and go.
Russ Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
these control strategies have three significant costs: 1. They take up a lot of time and energy and are usually ineffective in the long run. 2. We feel silly, defective, or weak-minded because the thoughts/feelings we’re trying to get rid of keep coming back. 3. Many strategies that decrease unpleasant feelings in the short-term actually lower our
... See moreRuss Harris • The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living
The values-focused life will always be more fulfilling than the goal-focused life because you get to appreciate the journey even as you’re working towards your goals.