It may depress the booming self-help industry but pursuing happiness is making us miserable, researchers have found.
By constantly seeking to improve our mood, we are draining our mental resources and reducing self-control. It also makes us more likely to be tempted into poor decisions that leave us feeling worse. The problem is called the ‘happiness paradox’.
The paradox has been observed by scientists for more than a decade but now the researchers, whose study is published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, believe they have found an explanation.
‘The pursuit of happiness is a bit like a snowball effect,’ said study co-author Professor Sam Maglio.
‘You decide to try making yourself feel happier, but then that effort depletes your ability to do the things that make you happier.’
Prof Maglio concluded that the more mentally run-down we are, the more vulnerable we are to temptation and self-destructive behaviour. That reinforces the unhappiness we sought to avoid.
He compared it to coming home after a long, tiring day at work. We feel mentally fatigued and abandon responsibilities such as cleaning the house for less productive activities such as scrolling through social media.
‘The story here is that the pursuit of happiness costs mental resources. Instead of just going with the flow, you are trying to make yourself feel differently,’ said Prof Maglio, of the University of Toronto Scarborough.
It may depress the booming self-help industry but pursuing happiness is making us miserable, researchers have found
By constantly seeking to improve our mood, we are draining our mental resources and reducing self-control
In one experiment, participants shown advertisements with the word ‘happiness’ were more likely to indulge in unhealthy behaviours – such as eating more chocolates – than those who were not exposed to such prompts.
In another, participants were given a mental task to gauge their self-control abilities.
The happiness-seeking group quit earlier, indicating they had fewer mental resources left after efforts to improve their mood.
‘Just chill,’ said Prof Maglio. ‘Don’t try to be super happy all the time. Instead of trying to get more stuff you want, look at what you already have and accept it as some- thing that gives you happiness.’
