Brianna Suggs

Dr. Jizi
UWRT 1102
8 February 2016

Double Entry Journal

Aversion to Happiness across Cultures Mohsen Joshanloo and Dan Weijers
Aversion to Happiness Quote:

Response:

Indeed, Western culture and psychology see

to take for grantedthe most important (pg.
267)

It is very true. Society today is so focused on

success and achieving the things that
supposedly make us happy, that we forget to
check if we truly are.
There seems to be a balance between the two
and that you can only be one or the other. With
my depression, for example, I feel that no
matter how happy I am, the depression is
stronger, so when I have a wave of those
feelings, I just ride it out until my happiness
can then be the conqueror.
Because people believe unhappiness will
follow, it is like the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Happiness can be shattered because people let
it. Like its easier to be sad.
People set expectations and place the
dependency of their happiness on those
expectations henceforth running the risk of
disappointment. This is why society has such
trouble with the when I haveI will be
happy thinking
Society seems to perceive happy people as
ignorant because optimism has been morphed
to be synonymous with feeble-minded. Due to
this perception, people may sub-consciously
avoid the attitude that pairs with happiness.
This is a tragic thought. People like drama.
There is no drama in a content life. Smiles all
day may seem same old, same old; but a life in
pain is not worth fitting the perception of
society.
I can understand how someone constantly in a
good mood can rub people the wrong way. Its
like theyre a show-off or make others jealous.
What really frustrated me though, is denying
that expression just pushes you closer to

Happiness tends to be accompanied by and

then outweighed by unhappiness and vice
versa (pg. 268)

happiness and a glass vessel are most easily

shattered (pg. 269)

because they are likely to result in painful

unsatisfiable desires for more and better of the
same (pg. 270)

Naturally, happiness doesnt necessarily cause

ignorancedeep reflection on important
issues. (pg. 271)

happiness makes people bland because

interesting lives include agony (pg. 272)

The entire section on expressing happiness

(pgs. 272-274)

In a Buddhist context, pursuing happiness is

seen as misguided. (pg. 274)

the notion that health is requiredled to

such an abundance of devices (pg. 275)

Summary section (pg. 278-279)

adopting a more negative attitude. Humans

have extremely developed brains and part of
our adaptions is language and expression, use
it!
I believe some cultures see pursing happiness
as a bad things because society has shaped
happiness to be materialistic. The Buddhist
culture also promotes inner well-being. Being
at peace with yourself if the happiness we need
to search for.
Again, turned something into needing an
object. Not only that, but the technologies
created create stress by constant monitoring
and even competition on whose_____ is better.
Industry has morphed pursing and the
definition of happiness
We are too consumed with what perceptions
are taken from certain actions. Happiness has
been taken to a materialistic level henceforth
changing the meaning of how cultures pursue
and express it.