Eight Ways to Banish Misery
Eight takeaways:
Bertrand Russell broke down the root causes of unhappiness into eight categories of common errors humans make. They are:
- Fashionable pessimism: Presenting an outwardly negative or pessimistic attitude, often to seem more enlightened or sensitive.
- Social comparison: Evaluating one’s worth based on what others possess, enjoy, or achieve. This leads directly to envy and discontent.
- Envy: Feeling unhappy because others have more, leading to resentment and dissatisfaction. Envy can be channeled positively into healthy admiration.
- Evading boredom: Fear of boredom drives an unhealthy embrace of distractions, preventing contentment in the present moment. We need to stop fearing boredom and be comfortable with what is going on around us.
- Coping with fear: Refusing to face and rationalize one’s fears, leading to anxiety and avoidance behaviors. Russell said, “We must think about our fears rationally and calmly, but with great concentration, until it has been completely familiar.”
- Senseless guilt: Feeling guilty without reason or due to undue privilege, hindering happiness. Guilt can be channeled positively to gratitude.
- Virtuous victimhood: Identifying too strongly as a victim of circumstances, which can perpetuate feelings of injustice and unhappiness. Self-pity can stimulate anger and depression.
- Fear of public opinion: Allowing the opinions of others, especially strangers, to dictate self-worth and decisions, causing distress and anxiety.
Brooks notes that Russell is not saying that misery is a moral failing – he is saying that by correcting errors in our thinking, we can avoid unnecessary suffering.
From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
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