We are often poor judges of what will truly make us happy in the long run from "summary" of Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Humans have a remarkable ability to imagine the future, and we often rely on these mental simulations to make decisions about what will make us happy. However, our predictions about what will bring us joy can be wildly inaccurate. This is because our predictions are influenced by a number of cognitive biases and heuristics that can lead us astray. One reason why we struggle to predict what will make us happy in the long run is that we tend to focus on the wrong things. For example, we often overestimate the impact that certain events or possessions will have on our well-being. We believe that getting a promotion, buying a new car, or moving to a new city will make us significantly happier, only to find that the initial boost in happiness is short-lived. Another reason why we are poor judges of what will truly make us happy in the long run is that we have a tendency to adapt to changes in our circumstances. This phenomenon, known as hedonic adaptation, means that we quickly get used to positive changes in our lives and they no longer bring us the same level of happiness that they once did. This can lead us to constantly seek out new experiences or possessions in a never-ending quest for happiness. Furthermore, our predictions about what will make us happy are often influenced by social comparisons. We look to others to determine what will bring us joy, rather than focusing on our own preferences and values. This can lead us to pursue goals or desires that are not truly aligned with our own happiness.- Our ability to imagine the future is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to predicting what will make us happy in the long run. While we may think we know what will bring us joy, our predictions are often clouded by cognitive biases, hedonic adaptation, and social comparisons. As a result, we are often poor judges of what will truly make us happy in the long term.
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