In this engaging conversation, Russ Harris, a therapist and author of The Happiness Trap, challenges conventional views of happiness. He argues that seeking happiness as a feeling often leads to unhappiness, advocating instead for a definition rooted in action aligned with personal values. Discussing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Russ explains how embracing both positive and negative emotions can lead to a more meaningful life. He provides practical techniques for reframing negative thoughts and emphasizes the importance of living in accordance with one’s values.
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insights INSIGHT
Redefining Happiness
People desire happiness, but focusing on feeling good can be counterproductive.
Russ Harris suggests redefining happiness as "doing good" rather than just "feeling good."
insights INSIGHT
Experiential Avoidance
Experiential avoidance, or trying to avoid negative feelings, correlates with mental health issues.
Harris argues that avoiding unpleasant feelings can worsen anxiety, depression, and addiction.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Embracing Emotions
Reconceptualize happiness as a rich and meaningful life, including all emotions.
Embrace both pleasant and painful emotions as part of the human experience.
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In 'The Happiness Trap', Dr. Russ Harris presents the insights and techniques of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help readers escape the epidemic of stress, anxiety, and depression. The book focuses on accepting unhelpful thoughts rather than trying to control them, and it emphasizes the importance of clarifying values and developing mindfulness. It provides practical tools for reducing stress and worry, handling painful thoughts and feelings, breaking self-defeating habits, overcoming insecurity and self-doubt, and building better relationships and a fulfilling life[1][2][5].
Happiness is the subject of thousands of articles, podcasts, and scientific studies. Yet all this focus on happiness doesn't seem to be making people any happier. In fact, the more they try to be happy, especially by fighting to get rid of bad feelings and cling to good ones, the more unhappy people often become.
My guest would say that the first step in escaping this negative cycle is redefining what happiness even means — thinking of it not as a state of feeling good but of doing good.
His name is Russ Harris and he's a therapist and the author of The Happiness Trap.
Today on the show, Russ explains how struggling against difficult feelings and thoughts just makes them stronger — amplifying instead of diminishing stress, anxiety, depression, and self-consciousness — and how simply obeying your emotions doesn't work out any better. He then unpacks the alternative approach to happiness espoused by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. With ACT, you allow both hard and pleasant feelings to coexist, and unhook from the latter so that they no longer jerk you around. This allows you to focus on taking action on your values to create a meaningful, flourishing life, or in other words, real happiness.
The Art of Manliness 
