Happiness via Time Travel?

From the Happiness PhD Project with Jackson Kerchis...

I just watched The Odyssey and as I left the theatre I had a thought…

Even just like 10 lifetimes ago (depending on where you lived), it would be pretty darn common, on any given day, to get attacked, robbed, stabbed, murdered, or other similar misfortune.

Actually think about it.

You could get attacked by an animal or a rogue group of criminals and there would be pretty much nothing you could do. Similarly, you could break your leg or get a minor infection and instead of a few weeks of inconvenience, you’d basically suffer for a few months then die.

In short, the past must have sucked!

So bringing this back to happiness, here’s a 1-3 minute thing you can do every day to feel better… Think about the fact that you’re not living in the past.

Is your bed more comfortable than the ground?

Is your TV more entertaining than a fire?

Is your standard of living better than a peasant or caveman?

Of course I’m not saying this is the grail of happiness that’ll make all your problems go away.

But it helps to have perspective. If you were talking to your great-great-great (to the power of 10) grandparents living in the pre-colonized United States, the stresses they faced would have been things like starvation, attacks from other tribes, trying not to freeze to death, etc.

Meanwhile you’re stressed out because you can’t stay on top of your email and there was construction on the highway. Come off it! (That’s mostly a shot at myself but sorry if it applies to you too).

So as you go through your workday or face some personal inconveniences or feel otherwise anxious, think about putting yourself back into the shoes of someone from a few thousand years ago.

That’s one way to reset your happiness expectations.

your happiness nerd,

Jackson