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I've been following Daniel Gilbert's research on happiness for a few years. His big finding — the idea that people often can't predict what will make them happy
by hawkharris 13y ago
I've been following Daniel Gilbert's research on happiness for a few years. His big finding — the idea that people often can't predict what will make them happy — has changed the way I think about growing older.
When I was younger I used to feel like I had become mature enough to make life predictions that would stand the test of time. Now I realize that my attitude, outlook and preferences may change dramatically every year.
My goal for every birthday is simply to be able to look back at the past year and poke fun at myself.
- read 13y agoI like this goal! What's the best way you've found that helps poke fun at yourself? If I could ask, what kind of prediction about what will make you happy have you been the most wrong about?
- hawkharris 13y agoHaha. That's a great question. I try to poke fun at my predictions about everything — from relationships to technology — but if I had to name the one I was most wrong about, I'd point to a recent career-related prediction. I enjoy writing, and a few years ago I stumbled on an awesome opportunity: writing tech articles for MIT. I thought I was a great writer who knew a lot about technology. I thought I'd be surrounding myself with other talented, like-minded writers. I realize in retrospect that this was an egotistical thought. Honestly, writing for MIT made me feel stupid almost every day, but I learned to appreciate not knowing. I felt happy approaching each day of the job as if I were a student rather than pretending to know everything.