【Text, Pictures/Excerpted from the Shang and Zhou Dynasty publication "Why do we want more than we need? 》, author Bruce • Hood]
Why can't wealth bring happiness?In a study of more than 4,500 people tested, there were much more people who had worked hard at the same time than the other. This result is actually strange because in various surveys, visitors usually prefer more money rather than more time. Of course, the phenomenon of spending money for time is also in line with the trend of consumerism growth over the past hundred years. We thought we wanted more money, but if we really visited commuters, they would say they would rather have more time. Maybe they are frustrated with a boring commute every day, but comfort themselves with money payments, believing that it can bring more happiness. We thought more money would make us happier because we could buy more luxury goods, but what we really should cherish is the cost of time.
Many people think that making as much money as possible is the secret of happiness. In the 1970s, about 13,000 freshmen from college participated in the research, and researchers asked them why they went to college. The most common answer is to find better jobs and make more money in the future. However, those students who self-rated more materialistic attention will be more unsatisfied with their lives twenty years later, and the proportion of suffering from mental illness is also higher. This relevant study shows that those who end up having wealth are not necessarily the happiest people; people often think that economic success is the root of happiness, but this is not the case.
Why can't wealth bring happiness? Why don’t we know how to appreciate what we already have, but instead want to get more? To answer this question, you must turn the focus from happiness to how to decide on our brains. Let’s first think about the basic principles of our judgment in our daily lives. One of the principles is the relative argument. Relatively speaking, not only is Einstein's basic physical laws that describe the universe and space, but also the most important organizational principle of earth's life. All living things operate according to relatively comparative principles. Even the most basic unit in our brains is a relatively common machine.
The brain is a complex processing system that divides information into different cellular impulses and is then transmitted through the network of brain cells, thereby emitting the stimulus received and producing the thoughts and actions we experience. Through this complex brain network, our bodies can interact with the world. Brain cell neurons use different discharge speeds to encode information. If we can hear the power transmitted by a single neural unit through the speaker, we will hear a bit like the Kelly meter that measures the radiation line, which will initially be a continuous burst sound, and then when we receive a noteworthy message, it will sound like a machine-controlled gun.
information is processed in this way and then stored in the brain according to the activity classification. However, the threshold of the neural cell will change over time and activity. If the same signal is sent continuously, the valve value of the final discharge will change. In other words, the brain will learn. Neural networks therefore need greater stimulation to react again. After we experience it again, we gradually feel habitual or sympathetic, so we are born with the tendency to like new things and love novelties that can attract us interest. Because the brain feels chaotic, we want to find a variety of new and different experiences, from simple sensory experiences that can stimulate the neurons to a wide variety of human activities, such as complex shopping behaviors. Regardless of our experience, we are always looking for something new.
Novelty is one of the reasons consumers are constantly looking for new products. We want the latest and coolest things because we are already feeling terrified of what we have on our hands, and we want something different. It is no coincidence that advertisers want to break the "new" or "advanced" of products, because only such consumers will buy orders. The attention system in our brains will also be attracted by new rewards, allowing us to develop desires and desires. But like most experiences, our happiness gets tired. Once we get what we want, we start searching for the next best thing and get stuck in this so-called "hedonic adaptation".
Even the most exciting experiences, we have a tired day. Many species of sexual desire will be reduced due to repeated sexual behaviors, and the male characteristics are apparent. And novelty can lead to the "Coolidge effect". The so-called Coolidge effect is that when new sexual partners appear, sexual desire and sexual behavior abilities can be reinvigorated. This effect should be one of the reasons pornography is developed so, because it can provide newcomers who seem to be inexhaustible to satisfy sexual impulse. Coolidge's effect was that once President Coolidge and his wife visited the farm, the wife noticed a cock mate frequently, and told her that the little cock would mate ten times a day. According to Mrs. Coolidge, "When the President comes, tell him this matter." After listening to this, the President asked, "Is it the same mother chicken every time?" The other party replied, "Oh, no, Mr. General, it is a different mother chicken every time." So he ordered, "Tell me about this matter to the lady."