Dissident Blog · Audio
Why Modern Happiness Is Broken
Happiness is not about being joyful all the time. It means being content with your own life, no matter how hard it gets.
About this episode
I believe happiness should be an object of study, the same way we study medicine or history. This episode is my attempt to do that, drawing on positive psychology and the work of Martin Seligman, who helped turn the science of well-being into its own field.
Throughout history, all kinds of people have gone through personal turmoil, and that is very hard to deal with. Being happy does not mean that turmoil goes away. It means finding a way to be content anyway.
I also talk about faith. I believe God created a design meant to protect people and keep them safe and sound, and that change is part of that design.
Finally, I look at American society: some things it does well, and some things it does not. My big claim is that the Constitution should be rewritten. Over the past century, America has become far more diverse, and our social and cultural standards have changed with it. A document written for a much smaller and more uniform country should reflect the people who live here now.
One more thing: I think Scientology sucks, and I've written about why you should avoid it.
What I read for this episode
Sources
- Rekhi Foundation: From Freud to Flourishing: The Psychology of Happiness
- Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley: What Is Happiness?
- Greenpoint Psychotherapy: The Science of Happiness: Understanding and Cultivating Joy
- Happy Brain Science: What Do You Call Meaningful, Enjoyable, Lasting Well-Being?
- Noba: Happiness: The Science of Subjective Well-Being
- Pursuit of Happiness: Martin Seligman and Positive Psychology: Theory and Practice
- Biri Publishing: The History of Positive Psychology: From Ancient Philosophy to Modern
- National Endowment for the Humanities: Martin Seligman and the Rise of Positive Psychology
- Ness Labs: The Psychology of Happiness