Chapter 5: Mental Health and Happiness
The truest measure of self-mastery
Humans are fundamentally programmed to chase happiness. This basic desire makes us do what we do. But here’s the problem: In our modern world, our instinctive pursuits of happiness often bring nothing but misery.
The fifth chapter in the HHWPS project presents some tangible guidelines for achieving lasting happiness in today’s complex society. Below are convenient links to all the articles in the chapter.
How Happy Are You?
It’s hard to go anywhere if you don’t know where you are. That’s why we started the chapter with a collection of seven insightful happiness tests.
How Happy Are You, Really?
Happiness is much harder to measure than health, wealth, productivity, and sustainability. That’s why we mostly use subjective tests like those in the previous article. But there are ways to get an objective picture of your current state of happiness. This article presents the three best options.
Ditch the Instant Pleasure Industry & Live a More Pleasurable Life
At the root of our happiness and mental health struggles lies a multi-trillion dollar juggernaut I like to call the Instant Pleasure Industry. This industry specializes in triggering highly-addictive dopamine releases with no regard for the long-term costs. Breaking our dependence on this self-destructive industry is the first step to lasting happiness.
A Practical Strategy for Dealing with Negative Emotions
We typically turn to the Instant Pleasure Industry when we feel down. But there is a much more constructive way of responding to negative emotions than junk food and junk media.
Seven Wholesome Indulgences You Can Enjoy Every Day
Luckily, the Instant Pleasure Industry is not the only place we can find joy in the moment. This article lists seven wholesome pleasures that are actually good for you. Indulge at will!
Five Steps to Authentic Happiness
Our first summary article of the chapter presents five practical steps to real happiness — not the kind of fake happiness we like to portray on social media. These precious habits turn happiness into a natural state of being.
Falling Up: The Art of Finding Fortune in Your Misfortune
Life is not always sunshine and roses. That much we all know from experience. What is less well known is that setbacks can become catalysts for a better life. This article shares how a stuttering problem, a cancer scare, and a broken leg all ended up making my life a whole lot better.
Four Outdated Social Narratives that Still Govern Our Lives
Aside from the Instant Pleasure Industry, there are several outdated social narratives that drag down the happiness of all too many people. This article critiques the typical education-money-marriage-kids narrative that still governs most of our lives.
Why We Spend 4x More Time on Leisure Activities 3x Less Likely to Make Us Feel Good
Extreme convenience and accessibility are central to the business model of the Instant Pleasure Industry. Thus, even though these instant pleasure products bring little real happiness, we still spend a huge amount of time on them. The link below shares a fun bit of fiction to drive this point home, followed by a practical solution (the 20-second rule).
Four Lifestyle Design Strategies to Set Your Happiness Free
True happiness is not caught; it is designed. In this article, I share the four lifestyle design strategies that contributed most to my lasting happiness.
How to Handle Primitive Fight-or-Flight Emotions in the Digital Age
Much of our struggles to find happiness in our affluent modern society arises from our outdated emotional framework. Basically, we’re cavemen stuck in the future. These emotions need some short, medium, and long-term upgrades if we are to thrive in our modern world.
The Willpower Gap: A New Understanding of Happiness
I had to let the scientist in me run free for at least one article in this series. Here, I present an interesting new theory of happiness resting on the difference between the willpower we have available and the demands our lives place on this limited willpower resource.
Happiness Lives on the Border Between Order and Chaos
This article addresses the role of order and chaos in our happiness. We need both to be happy, but it’s easier to find the right balance from a place of order than a place of chaos.
A Quality Life with Clinical Depression: My Mom’s Story
The high level of depression is one of the most depressing features of our affluent modern society. My mom has suffered from depression for decades but she now has it well under control. This article presents an extensive interview where she shares her experience and insight.
A Practical Guide to Mastering the Mental/Physical Health Connection
Mental and physical health are tightly interconnected. This article covers the most important connections, followed by a vital paradigm shift: Use periods of positive mental state to build an environment that makes healthy actions come naturally instead of chasing health directly.
The “Big Five” Reasons to be Grateful Every Day
Wrapping up this extensive chapter, we have five grand reasons for daily gratitude. These are not your usual superficial gratitude mantras, and they may just be powerful enough to leave a lasting impression.
