Surprising Science — October 16, 2011

The Ugly Side of Happiness

A string of new studies suggests that the modern chase after happiness—and even happiness itself—can hurt us. Happy, it turns out, is not always the way you want to be.

bigthinkeditors

What’s the Latest Development?

Having too much of a good thing, even happiness, can turn out badly, warn experimental psychologists who study that warm, fuzzy feeling. When it comes to income levels, life expectancy, education and being attentive to risks, too much happiness can drag you down. “Psychologists have documented a set of cognitive deficits, dangerous in some contexts, that come with the warm wash of feeling that all is right with the world.”

What’s the Big Idea?

As neuroscience advances, mental states are increasingly isolated for study. And lately, the study of happiness has been all the rage. But lest we confuse studying happiness with doggedly pursuing the positive emotion in our own lives, contemporary psychology reminds us that happiness is the byproduct of certain ways of behavior. It is not an end that can be achieved by pursing bliss directly. That, they say, is a recipe for unhappiness.

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

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