Misconceptions About Happiness

One misconception about happiness is that people think they need to try harder to be happy, but the problem is not the lack of effort. The issue lies in the fact that our minds deceive us about what truly brings happiness. We have strong intuitions that achieving certain things, such as the perfect job, higher salary, or accolades, will make us happy. However, studies show that while these accomplishments may provide a temporary happiness boost, it doesn't last. Lasting happiness comes from something else. This misconception leads people to become 'happy if or happy when' individuals, who believe they will only be happy when they achieve certain milestones. This bias is known as the arrival fallacy, where people believe that happiness will come once a specific event or achievement occurs.