Do you try to be happy? A study reveals that it causes you to feel worse: this is the ‘paradox of happiness’

In self -help books and publications we see again and again that the great objective is to be happy. But now, an investigation has discovered that this desire can produce precisely the opposite effect.

By constantly looking for our mood, we are exhausting our mental resources and reducing self -control. It also makes us more likely to fall into the temptation to make bad decisions that make us feel worse. This problem is called the ‘Paradox of happiness’.

The paradox has been observed by scientists for more than a decade, but now the researchers, whose study is published in the magazine Applied Psychology: Health and Well-BeingThey believe there found an explanation.

«The search for happiness is a bit like a snowball effect,» said the study co -author, Professor Sam Maglio. «You decide to try to feel happier, but then That effort exhausts your ability to do things that make you happier«He adds.

Professor Maglio concludes that the more deteriorated we are mentally, more vulnerable we are to temptation and to self -destructive behavior. This reinforces the unhappiness we were looking for.

Maglio compares him to get home after a long and exhausting day of work. We feel mentally fatigued and we abandon responsibilities such as cleaning the house for less productive activities such as navigating social networks.

«The point is that the search for happiness requires mental resources. Instead of simply letting yourself be carried away, One tries to feel different«says Professor Maglio, from Toronto Scarborough University in Canada.

In an experiment, the participants who were shown ads with the word «happiness» They were more likely to adopt unhealthy behaviors (like eating more chocolate) than those who were not exposed to those ads.

In another study, participants were assigned to the participants to evaluate their self -control capabilities. The group that sought happiness left the project before, which indicates that they had less mental resources after efforts to improve their mood.

«Do not try to be superfeliz all the time. Instead of trying to get more things you want, observe what you already have and accept it as something that gives you happiness, «says Maglio.

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