What Synthetic Happiness Tells Us About the Real Thing

In a world where personal success is dependent on our happiness levels, it seems that we would all know how to become happy. 

Right?

Well, perhaps contrary to common belief, according to Havard’s psychologist, Dr. Dan Gilbert, our beliefs and perceptions around what will make us happy are often mistaken.

Hang on, how can this be? Let’s find out.

The Role Of Impact Bias

If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Gilbert’s work, you may enjoy his TED Talk on the surprising science of happiness. ¹ In this talk, Dr. Gilbert details how our “psychological immune system” allows us to feel truly happy even when life doesn’t quite go to plan.

Dr. Gilbert’s research has found that, in the long-term, that neither getting what we want nor not getting what we want has any impact on our happiness levels whatsoever. That’s right:

Research shoes that over time, neither getting what we want nor not getting what we want impacts our happiness levels.

It appears that we understand a lot less than what we initially thought about what truly makes us happy. Dr. Gilbert describes this general misconception as “impact bias”. Biases are basically cognitive shortcuts that your brain creates to help you make decisions more quickly, but they often don’t follow logic or reason. Impact bias, specifically, describes the tendency we have to overestimate the length or intensity of future emotional states.

[define: impact bias ]

Impact bias isn’t unique to Dan’s research. Study after study demonstrates that people tend to overestimate the impact of a desired outcome. ² We believe that our emotional state will be positively affected when in reality it often isn’t. 

Impact bias results from something called focalism, a form of hyper-focus on achieving your goals.

[define: focalism ]

According to Dr. Gilbert, this focus doesn’t make an individual any happier. He gives examples of how winning or losing an election, gaining or losing a romantic partner, and finding or being fired from a dream job has far less impact on an individual’s long-term happiness than most people expect it to.

Psychological Immune System

Dr. Gilbert then goes on to describe something he has coined the “psychological immune system”. As described by Dr. Gilbert,

The psychological immune system is a cognitive process that allows people to change their world views allowing them to feel better about the life circumstances they may find themselves in.

As Dan puts it, “we synthesize happiness, but we think happiness is a thing to be found”.

Dan then goes onto giving examples of individuals that have seemingly found themselves in less than desirable life circumstances, yet still claim to be truly happy. 

These individuals include:

• A man who was jailed for a total of 37 years for a crime he never committed. When asked to reflect on his experience he said “it was a glorious experience”. 

• An investment banker who wouldn’t lend him $3,000 to invest in a McDonald’s franchise seemingly lost out on a chance of a lifetime. Six months later, in the year 1949, Ray Kroc had the exact same idea and went on to become America’s wealthiest man at the time. The man who missed out on this investment of a lifetime later stated that he remained impartial about the whole experience, stating that “...I feel happy regardless.”

• Pete Best, the drummer for the Beatles before being ditched by the band and replaced by Ringo Star. In a 1994 interview, Pete claimed “I’m happier than I would have been with the Beatles”.

So what is it exactly these people understand that most of us don’t? Let’s look more closely.

Synthetic Happiness Vs Natural Happiness

When we hear someone claim they are better off for having experienced misfortune, we tend to think they’re reciting a line - or at the very best, fooling themselves into believing it to be true.

In our society, we hold the belief that natural happiness, getting something we want because we want it, trumps synthetic happiness, receiving something we don’t want but being happy regardless of the situation.

When, in actual fact, synthetic happiness is every bit as meaningful and enduring than natural happiness. Choosing happiness has the same effects, the same health benefits, ³ and makes us feel just as good as natural happiness. ⁴

So how do we choose happiness?

Happiness Is A Choice

For every minute you spend unhappy, frustrated, anxious, or stressed, you are losing a minute of happiness. Choose happiness by following these tips.

Choose To Spend Your Time With The Right People

Spend time around people that inspire, motivate, and love you for who you truly are. Good wholesome friendships are all about supporting one another and maximizing each other’s happiness. Choose friends that you are proud to know, people you look up to, and most importantly, people who make your day that little bit brighter.

Choose Gratitude

Focus on what you have - not what you don’t have. When you make an effort to genuinely appreciate your life, you will naturally begin to value what you observe more deeply. In return, these things will bring more happiness than ever before. And it makes sense, you’ll find it hard to be thankful for anything if you can’t appreciate what you already have.

Choose To Smile Whenever the Opportunity Arises

Try to smile - even if you don’t really want to. A genuine smile makes you and anyone on the receiving end feel happier. Even a small smile sends signals to the brain that there is cause to be happy and content. In return, your brain will fill your body with feel-good hormones that will only help to further extend your levels of happiness. ⁵

Conclusion

As Dr. Gilbert puts it, “...we have within us the capacity to manufacture the very commodity we are constantly chasing when we choose experience.”

With practice, you can find more happiness through choice than you ever will through selfish pursuits and material acquisition.

• Sources

  1. Gilbert, Dan. “The Surprising Science of Happiness,” n.d. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science_of_happiness.

  2. Noval, Laura J. “On the Misguided Pursuit of Happiness and Ethical Decision Making: The Roles of Focalism and the Impact Bias in Unethical and Selfish Behavior.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 133 (March 1, 2016): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.12.004.

  3. Achor, Shawn. “Positive Intelligence.” Harvard Business Review, October 8, 2014. https://hbr.org/2012/01/positive-intelligence.

  4. EurekAlert! “Study: For a Better Workday, Smile like You Mean It,” February 22, 2011. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/msu-sfa022211.php.

  5. Watson, Stephanie. “Feel-Good Hormones: How They Affect Your Mind, Mood and Body.” Harvard Health, July 20, 2021. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/feel-good-hormones-how-they-affect-your-mind-mood-and-body.