Myths of Happiness : What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does (9781101605509) by Lyubomirsky Sonja

Author:Lyubomirsky, Sonja
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin USA
Published: 2012-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

BENEFITS OF LIVING WITH LESS: HOW LESS COULD BE MORE

The scary new economic era that confronted the world in 2008 prompted much public hand-wringing about the decline of our current way of life amid a handful of hopeful notes. The pessimists opined about the demise of life as we know it. By contrast, the optimists predicted that the shock and toll of looming financial disaster and widespread insecurity would shift our attitudes and better our consumer behavior, ultimately lending our lives greater meaning and greater appreciation for what we have and fostering much-needed disgust with the materialistic culture that pervades our lives and harms our planet. Supporting this perspective, scientists have shown that managing the slings and arrows of life’s adversities necessitates expressing gratitude for our relatively good fortune (rather than yearning for more), cultivating a sense of connection with family and friends, building competence and expertise, and looking outside oneself to contribute to others.300

Is it simply an unfortunate cliché, or can less truly be more? Many people feel that they don’t earn enough to truly enjoy life, and that being told that their hardship has a bright side is offensive. I intend to convince them otherwise, although my arguments apply only to those who have not been impoverished so much by financial circumstances or setbacks that their basic needs fail to be met. Research suggests that a new attitude toward money, time, spending, and possessions can stimulate people to rise to the occasion in ways that they previously had not envisioned, to contribute more positively to society, to thrive via cooperation and interdependence, and to live more authentically and more lightly on the earth. Here are some specific ways that having less can actually improve our lives and challenge the veracity of the myth that no one can be happy without money.

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