In recent years, there has been an explosion of scientific studies proving how positive emotions like happiness are beneficial to our health. We know they inspire us to achieve significant goals and overcome challenges, protect us from the negative effects of stress, bring us closer to others, and even help us avoid physical and mental illnesses. But did you know pursuing happiness may actually make you unhappy?
Most people, predictably, want to be happy. We appear to be hardwired to seek happiness, and this is especially true for Americans; it’s even written into their Constitution. Is it, however, healthy to seek happiness? Iris Mauss’ groundbreaking research recently reinforced the surprising premise that pursuing happiness may cause more harm than good. In fact, it appears that the more people seek happiness, the less likely they are to get it. According to Mauss, the more people seek happiness, the more likely they are to set a high bar for happiness, only to be disappointed when that bar is not satisfied. This was especially true when respondents were in happy situations, such as listening to a happy song or seeing a happy movie clip. It’s as if the harder one strives to be happy, the more difficult it is to be happy, even in otherwise nice circumstances.
My colleagues and I are building on this research, which indicates that pursuing happiness is linked to major mental health issues including depression and bipolar disorder. It’s possible that pursuing happiness is driving some of us insane.
