Don’t Try To Be Happy. We’re Programmed To Be Dissatisfied.

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In the 1990s, a psychologist named Martin Seligman led the positive psychology movement, which placed the study of human happiness squarely at the centre of psychology research and theory. It continued a trend that began in the 1960s with humanistic and existential psychology, which emphasized the importance of reaching one’s innate potential and creating meaning in one’s life, respectively.

Since then, thousands of studies and hundreds of books have been published with the goal of increasing wellbeing and helping people lead more satisfying lives.

So why aren’t we happier? Why have self-reported measures of happiness stayed stagnant for over 40 years?

Perpetual bliss would completely undermine our will to accomplish anything at all – that’s why perfect contentment has probably been evolved out of us.

– Frank T McAndrew

By Generation Next|2016-08-29T14:30:14+10:00August 29th, 2016|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: contentment, Happiness, lack of satisfaction, meaning, Positive Psychology, positive thinking, Seligman, unhappiness, wellbeing|0 Comments

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Don’t Try To Be Happy. We’re Programmed To Be Dissatisfied.