Researchers have recently illuminated the “happiness paradox,” a phenomenon where attempts to boost personal happiness paradoxically lead to less happiness. This concept has been documented for over a decade, but the underlying causes have not been deeply investigated until now. Findings from a new study at the University of Toronto Scarborough, published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, suggest that the effort to become happier can be mentally draining. This drain impacts our self-control and willpower, increasing our susceptibility to temptations and poor decisions that ultimately detract from our happiness.
Sam Maglio, a co-author of the study and marketing professor at the Department of Management at U of T Scarborough and the Rotman School of Management, describes the pursuit of happiness as a self-defeating cycle. He explains that the mental effort required to uplift one’s mood depletes the energy to perform activities that genuinely bring joy. This effect is akin to the exhaustion one feels after a demanding day at work, where one might prefer passive activities like browsing social media rather than engaging in more productive tasks such as house cleaning.
Building on their earlier research from 2018, Maglio and Aekyoung Kim, a lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School, found that individuals actively seeking to enhance their happiness often feel a scarcity of time, contributing to increased stress and decreased happiness. They propose that pursuing happiness demands substantial mental regulation of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. It is particularly exhausting today, where self-help is a multimillion-dollar industry, and happiness is commodified like wealth.
Their hypothesis was further supported through a survey involving hundreds of people, revealing that those who habitually sought happiness exhibited lower self-control daily. Maglio and Kim suggest that pursuing happiness and exercising self-control are battling for the same limited mental energy reserves. This was illustrated in subsequent experiments where participants engaged in decision-making tasks, which required mental resources and self-regulation, leading to quicker depletion of these resources among happiness-seekers.
In one notable experiment, participants were exposed to advertisements containing the word “happiness” to induce a state of happiness-seeking. They were then presented with a large bowl of chocolates and allowed to eat as many as they wished. Those exposed to the happiness cues consumed more chocolates than their counterparts, indicating that their efforts to boost happiness had diminished their self-control. This prompted Maglio and Kim to question whether pursuing goals could be equally draining or if happiness-seeking was uniquely exhausting.
Despite these findings, Maglio emphasizes that the quest for happiness isn’t necessarily futile. He likens it to holding sand at the beach, suggesting that a looser grip allows one to enjoy its presence more fully. He advocates for a more relaxed approach to happiness, encouraging people to focus less on acquiring what they desire and more on appreciating what they already possess. This shift in perspective, supported by Maglio’s research funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, promotes a move from a relentless pursuit of happiness to an acceptance and appreciation of the joys that already exist in one’s life.
More information: Aekyoung Kim et al, Happiness depletes me: Seeking happiness impairs limited resources and self-regulation, Applied Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/aphw.70000
Journal information: Applied Psychology Provided by University of Toronto
Leave a Reply