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Centaur Write Satyr, MBA's avatar

I liked the book "stumbling on happiness" for this reason. it points out that the common trope of "once i get x, then i'll be happy" is a fallacy. there's also the fallacy of "i just want to be happy" and people don't really interrogate what it means to be "happy" and if that should be a prime motivator.

good work!

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James's avatar

Thanks and I agree. It's a simple enough concept but then again you can also write 3500 words on it 😂. I kind of just wanted to lay out the scientific basis — vi's a view neurotransmitters — as to why instant gratification can fade and turn rotten.

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Professor Axelrod's avatar

Most people are not very good at knowing what will make them happy. Unfortunately, a moderate number of people are good at persuading others that one thing or another will make them happy (or at least content), and since it's very lucrative to use that power for your own gain - and especially these days, to do so at an industrial scale - the incentives tend to get pretty misaligned.

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