Happiness is something we all strive for. But could you be happy under any circumstances?
What if you lost something precious to you? Maybe a relationship, all your money, even your reputation?
Barbara came across a fascinating TED talk by Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert on The Surprising Science of Happiness.
Here are some questions he poses. Who do you think would be happier one year after either winning the $318,000,000 lottery in the USA or a paraplegic who’s lost the use of their legs?
Or the 78 year old who spent most of his life in jail for a crime he was now proven to have not committed?
The answers will surprise you!
Something else that in a way didn’t surprise me was people are happier with their choices when they have no choice. I know if seems paradoxical to be happy with a choice when you don’t have one – but there it is.
Watch the talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy. It’s only 20 minutes and if you’re a student of human nature (and if you deal with people in any way, you should be), you’ll find it enlightening.
Rashid.
