According to researchers from the University of Toronto, today many people are in a constant race to find happiness, trying to be like the images of famous and happy people in their environment, but more often on the Internet. It is known that such attempts often lead to the opposite effect: a person begins to feel less happy. This phenomenon is called the "happiness paradox."
Several years ago, scientists discovered that people who want to be happy often feel a lack of time and this feeling makes them unhappy.
To clarify the reasons for this paradox, scientists conducted several experiments and found that in the pursuit of happiness, a person loses self-control and willpower.
"The thing is, the pursuit of happiness requires mental resources. Instead of just living, a person tries to force himself to feel differently," commented the co-author of the work Sam Maglio. In the first experiment, scientists found that the more effort people put into finding happiness, the less self-control they have in their lives. In the second experiment, participants were offered many people's favorite source of "quick happiness" - chocolate.
It turned out that with greater self-control in life, people ate less chocolate and vice versa. It is noteworthy that the portion was largest among those who, before the experiment, saw the word "happiness" in an advertisement that was shown in advance.
Finally, in a third experiment, some participants were asked to choose from items that would make them happier, while others were allowed to choose from personal preferences. Then everyone had to complete a task assessing their level of self-control. People in the second group gave up faster, indicating a lack of resources after searching for the best item.
The findings demonstrate that constant pursuit of happiness can lead to chronic resource depletion and, as a result, daily breakdowns in self-regulation.
"Ultimately, we see that self-control is a critical component in the cycle of increasing personal happiness and well-being. You can grab a handful of sand and try to control it, but the tighter you grip, the more your hand cramps," Maglio concluded.
Another study on happiness found that one spouse's happiness reduced the other's stress levels. It found that one person's positive emotions helped the other person cope with stress without any additional effort.
