Description

By (author) Hilda Kammoun
“Fixating on certain wants or ambitions independently of our likes, as when we do what the Joneses are doing, is not satisfying; on the contrary, it increases our tendency to copy them, our herd behavior. In the same vein, going on a shopping spree when we need to save for an apartment, is satisfying in the moment but does not make us better off. Hence, the importance of trying to make our ambitions and our appetites coincide.” Today, with the collaboration of philosophers, scientists, and humanists, any theory of happiness must take into account the finding that the brain can adapt fast and frugally prompted by a healthy attraction to uncertainty and by fresh, alert eyes to see the change when it happens.