In Jon Gertner’s article, “The futile pursuit of happiness”, he writes about four professors from different universities that study emotional and behavioral predictions made by humans. Dan Gilbert of Harvard University and Tim Wilson of the University of Virginia believe that the predictions people make about how they will feel after a choice has been made or an event that happens is most likely going to be wrong. George Loewenstein of Carnegie-Mellon says that someone’s rational thinking in a calm state will be different in times of stress or passion. Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University wonders what kind of a world it would be if everyone did not make errors in the predictions they make about their happiness.
Dan Gilbert and Tim Wilson talk about impact bias, the gap between what we predict and what we ultimately experience. What they mean is that people overestimate how they will feel about something and it ends up not as planned. They also talk about synthetic happiness and natural happiness, the happiness generated from accepting the things you can change and the happiness of getting what you want, respectively. I can relate to what Gilbert and Wilson are saying because I thought happiness was a thing you had to find, especially when it came to achieving goals and love. Like the time when all of my childhood friends and I graduated high school, and they were talking about the colleges they were attending. I told them about the program in my school that lets me say an additional year to earn a second rating in aircraft maintenance. Even though it was a good thing and I chose to do it, I felt like I have gotten left back and I wasn’t going to enjoy it. It turned out to be my best year in high school, and it gave me time to really think about my career path. When my girlfriend and I broke up I thought that I was going to be miserable forever and my life will never be the same but it turn out after a few months I was over her and my life gotten better since I worried about myself more.
George Loewenstein talks about hold and cold states and that affect one’s decision making. He says that someone’s way of thinking when they are rational and calm (cold state), is different when they are in the “heat of the moment”(hot state). I agree to what Loewenstein is say because they were times where I said and did stuff I knew was wrong but I did it anyway. Many people experience that and I guess it affects their happiness because they always talk about “I shouldn’t have done that that...” or “I regret doing that…”, they wish they can rewind time and redo those situations.
Daniel Kahneman wonders would the world the world be a better place if there were no forecasting errors. If everyone predicted exactly how they would you feel after making a decision and be correct, would they have a better life? I think it would be because everything would go as planned. No one would be disappointed because they would know what’s coming to them and accept things for what they are. I know I would be okay with it because it can’t be helped complaining and mopping around. You find peace within yourself and in turn find happiness.
The research and ideas that these professors have has enlightened me. I feel that since now I know that happiness is found inside me and that I can control the way I feel to keep my happiness up, I can have a better understanding about who I am and how the world works.
