Ah, yes. We all love a good formula for happiness. This time, Harvard professor Dan Gilbert in his TED Talk “The surprising science of happiness” lays out an unusual roadmap to that ever-elusive pot-o’-gold at the end of the happiness rainbow: the prefrontal cortex. According to Gilbert’s extensive and compelling research, what we think will make us happy actually has little-to-no correlation to our actual happiness. Instead, the prefrontal cortex of the brain has the unique ability to generate “synthetic” happiness—the kind of happiness that we get when we don’t get what we want. Gilbert takes the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it” to a whole new level:
“I want to suggest to you that synthetic happiness is every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aiming for.”
In a fascinating exploration of the human mind, Gilbert will leave you questioning what you thought you always wanted, the value of free choice, and, ultimately, that the best way to achieve happiness is not to seek it, but to manufacture it.
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