Earn & Invest 686. Your Thoughts Lie to You w/ Lybi Ma
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Dec 1, 2025 In this engaging talk, Lybi Ma, Executive Editor at Psychology Today and author of How to Be Less Miserable, shares insights on the deceptive nature of our thoughts. She discusses the cultural roots of resilience and contrasts the Western obsession with happiness against more balanced emotional acceptance. Lybi highlights common negative thought patterns that lead to misery, the stress of choice overload, and the importance of self-care. With practical strategies like labeling negative thoughts and finding purpose, she offers tools to break free from mental traps and enhance overall well-being.
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Happiness Vs. Less Miserable
- Our minds often equate different life goals with happiness, but that belief can be misleading.\n- Lybi Ma suggests reframing the goal from chasing happiness to becoming less miserable.
Raised To 'Eat The Bitter'
- Lybi Ma recalls growing up in a Hui Chinese household where the phrase "eat the bitter" emphasized endurance over comfort.\n- Her parents expected hard work and acceptance rather than focusing on personal happiness.
Negativity Is Built In
- Humans are evolutionarily biased toward negativity because scanning for threats improved survival.\n- Ma warns that our thoughts often lie to us and amplify negative, irrational narratives.
