A professor of “happiness” at Yale University told the New York Times Magazine that the culture of capitalism in the United States is making students uneasy.
Cognitive scientist Laurie Santos told magazine writer David Marches, “All around us there is a huge culture of capitalism that commands us to buy things and makes my students insecure. There is a culture of hustle achievements that destroys.
According to Santos, who teaches one of Yale’s most popular classes, “Psychology and the Good Life,” people’s intuition is often wrong about what makes them happy and avoid anxiety. Be guided and seek short-term gratification in buying a new iPhone, buying a new iPhone, or chasing something else. more money.
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A group of five happy friends are running and jumping in the sunset light against the background of mountains.Happiness and friendship concept
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“After a busy day, I like to sit down and watch some silly Netflix TV show. I know there’s data that says you’ll be happier if you exercise or call your friends.” , you have to fight your intuition to do so,” Santos said.
She also argues that moderns struggle with cultural forces that convince them they are not happy enough or that happiness may be just around the corner, often judging the amount of information versus the benefits. It suggests that you are feeding them a ton of information that they have to do.
Santos also points out that religion and spirituality, not necessarily beliefs, can make people happier in their actions and communities formed from such beliefs.
“It seems that the driving force behind the fact that religious people are happier is not our beliefs but our actions. , volunteering, getting involved in society.Connection — you’ll be happier.It’s a lot easier when you have a cultural apparatus around you,” she said.
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Woman drinking coffee with a smile.
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Santos also countered the idea that habits that promote happiness, such as embracing anxiety, avoiding comparisons, and being content with what’s in front of you, can lead to self-satisfaction. Citing research from Towne researcher Kostadine Kuschlev, he said that those who self-report the most positive emotions are also those who take action.
“If you have positive emotions, you have room to deal with other things,” she told the magazine.
When asked about the impact of social media on happiness and anxiety, Santos offered simple advice.
“Remove all apps now.”
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Happy boy hugging a golden retriever.
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She notes that she thinks the biggest disadvantage social media does to students is that they spend a lot of time on social media, socializing rather than talking to others in real life. She also talked about the acronyms she teaches her students to analyze how social media makes them feel.
“What for, why now, and what else? What was it for when you picked up your phone? Was there a purpose? Did you have something to do? Or did you get bored, anxious, or fight cravings? And what else?: Be proactively aware of your opportunity costs. It could be studying, it could be talking to your roommate,” she said.
Santos adapted her popular Yale Course for her podcast series, The Happiness Lab. The series has been downloaded over 64 million times since then.
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