It's so difficult to predict what might make us happy because we usually predict wrong, we assume the best and it ends up not being as good as we thought. We think something will make us happy for a long period of time when actually it never truly lasts that long or truly gives us the pleasure intensity we were originally seeking out to begin with. We get used to what we have and then need more, it is a never ending cycle and we are never truly satisfied. The thing about happiness is that it doesn't happen twice, if you see a movie today and had a great experience it won't ever be the same experience tomorrow even if you do the exact same things. Knowing this may be helpful because it teaches us not to expect the best just by getting something new, it won't truly make us happy. We know how our system works now, about happiness anyway, and know newer and nicer things won't make us as happy for as long as we think.
A classic example of this could be shown when you get the latest smart phone or iPod. Sure we're happy when we get it and all but by two weeks to a month later we always start complaining about it. Or we see the newest phone/iPod come out and want to have that just as bad as we wanted what we have. I hear people complain all the time, and I am one of those people as well, about how my phone is to slow or how it's stupid or how there isn't enough memory. I thought having a smart phone when it was the new craze was awesome but now that I've been stuck with it for almost two years I have wanted a new one for the longest time but can't get one. But I know that as soon as I get a new one I'm just going to complain about it and so on.
i remember how many of my buds thought the blackberry was the best thing next to sliced bread and wonderbras now i see them in pawn shops for 50 bucks if it is now new and improved what was it before old and lousy??
ReplyDeleteI think were all guilty of that feeling Becca. I didn't even get a cellphone until I was a senior in high school, but yet prior to that, I was geek-ed to get my hands on them. Once I did though, it became obvious I got bored quickly and wanted to upgrade to the latest models every time. I did manage to get the Iphone 4 though recently, so I think I'm set for a while at least...I Think!;-)
ReplyDeleteWhich of the terms from the textbook or the video can account for the changes you identify here?
ReplyDelete