Chasing Happiness Can Make Us Unhappier: U of T Study

Study in Canada: The researchers studied the underlying causes of the "happiness paradox", and found that trying to be happy can actually lead to unhappiness.

University of Toronto's Sam Maglio co-authored a study which found that running behind happiness drains our willpower and self-control and makes us unhappier.

Maglio, a professor at U of T Scarborough’s Department of Management and the Rotman School of Management conducted this study along with Aekyoung Kim of South Korea's Jeonbuk National University and performed various experiments to find the main reason behind this "happiness paradox," wherein seeking happiness actually makes us more drained out and less happy. The study found that when one tries to be happy all the time, it can result in failures of self-regulation and can make them take self-destructive decisions.

"The pursuit of happiness is a bit like a snowball effect. You decide to try making yourself feel happier, but then that effort depletes your ability to do the kinds of things that make you happier,” says Maglio.

He talked about the phenomenon when people come home after a long day at work, they feel mentally rundown and they are more likely to skip household errands which can actually make them feel better if they complete them.

U of T Researchers Conducted Interesting Experiments For Happiness Study

In one experiment, the participants were given a large bowl of chocolates and were instructed to eat as many as they liked and then rank the chocolates as per taste. They found that the participants in the happiness-seeking group ate more than the control group.

They were also told to rank a list of products in order of preference. The happiness-seeking people took less time in this experiment. At the end the participants of both the group - happiness-seeking and control group were given the following task -one group was given the task to choose the option which could improve their happiness and another was told to choose as per their personal preferences. The happiness group quit the task earlier as they had fewer mental resources left after a bout of happiness-seeking.

“The story here is that the pursuit of happiness costs mental resources. Instead of just going with the flow, you are trying to make yourself feel differently,” says Maglio.

“Just chill. Don't try to be super happy all the time. Instead of trying to get more stuff you want, look at what you already have and just accept it as something that gives you happiness," he added.

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