Suffering can add to sure but also is part and parcel of what we value the most, right? And some of the suffering we choose isn't about pleasure at all. It's about deeper pursuits, deeper things. We want you talk about negative emotions not necessarily being unpleasant,. which sounds like a paradox, because if they wre negative, and by definition, they would seem to be unpleasant. One way to think about this is fear. Sometimesthey are unpleasant, but we could revel in them none the less.
Some people think humans are natural pleasure seekers. But not psychologist Paul Bloom. In his new book, “The Sweet Spot,” Paul says we’re pain seekers, too. Just think about all the uncomfortable things we do for fun — eating spicy food, climbing treacherous mountains, watching scary movies, engaging in BDSM. Why do that stuff? According to Paul, it’s because pain can enhance pleasure, chosen suffering can make you more resilient, and adversity can suffuse your life with meaning. We can all benefit from a little discomfort, and in this intimate conversation with Next Big Idea Club curator Susan Cain, Paul explains how to fit more of it into our lives.
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