It’s easy to think that true happiness and contentment can only be achieved by achieving big goals, but that’s far from the truth, according to… Arthur C. Brooksa sociologist and Harvard professor who teaches a free course on happiness.
“A lot of people think that once they learn their skills, once they start living, everything will be fine, but this is a fallacy that we call in my work the ‘access fallacy,’” Brooks said during the conference. CNBC Business Summit 2023 This month.
hypothesis Access fallacy Brooks said, once you accomplish a certain thing, you automatically become happier and more satisfied with your life.
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Some examples of accomplishments that people believe will bring them the satisfaction they are looking for, according to Brooks, include:
- Secure a high-paying job or financial stability
- marriage
- Buying the home they’ve always wanted
- Losing a certain amount of weight
No matter what the destination is for you, Brooks said you must avoid the fallacy of arrival and embrace change in order to be truly happy.
“Human beings are wired for progress. Progress is what brings us a true sense of satisfaction. Moving forward. Goals and moving toward achieving them is what we really need,” he said.
“Ultimately, the goal is not happiness, because happiness is not a destination; it is a direction. The way we become happier has somewhat to do with things that happen outside of us, but more to do with our inner lives.”
To feel more satisfied in your life, Brooks suggests treating your happiness like an investment portfolio by prioritizing these four areas:
- Faith and philosophy of life
- family
- Community and friends
- Meaningful work
“None of these things alone can constitute happiness,” Brooks says during his happiness course. “They complement each other and live in harmony.”
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