It's easy to believe that true happiness and contentment can only be achieved by achieving great goals, but that's far from the truth, according to Arthur C. Brooks, a social scientist and professor at Harvard University who teaches a free course taught about happiness.
“A lot of people think that once they learn their skills, once they arrive in life, everything will be fine, but that's a fallacy that we in my business call 'The Arrival Fallacy,'” Brooks said during CNBC -Work Summit 2023 this month.
The premise of the arrival fallacy is that once you accomplish a certain thing, you will automatically be happier and more satisfied with your life, Brooks said.
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Some examples of achievements that people believe give them the satisfaction they desire, according to Brooks, include:
- Securing a well-paying job or financial stability
- Marry
- Buy the house you have always wanted
- Lose a certain amount of weight
No matter what the goal is for you, Brooks said that to be truly happy, you should avoid the arrival fallacy and embrace change.
“People are focused on progress. Progress gives us a real sense of satisfaction. Forward movement. Goals and the approach to them are what we really need,” he said.
“Ultimately, the goal is not happiness, because happiness is not a destination, but a direction. The way we become happier has something to do with things outside of us, but it has more to do with our inner lives.”
To feel more happiness in your life, Brooks suggests treating your happiness like an investment portfolio by prioritizing these four areas:
- Faith and philosophy of life
- Family
- Community and friends
- Meaningful work
“None of these things alone can constitute happiness,” Brooks says in his course on happiness. “They complement each other and exist in harmony.”
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