Can you make your own happiness?

The basic premise is that the human mind is a crappy computer – full of bugs, but capable of reprogramming

If phrases such as “goal refactoring” and “urge propagation” mean nothing to you, perhaps it’s time to shell out £2,700 on a four-day workshop to learn the self-improvement philosophy sweeping Silicon Valley: applied rationality. The basic premise is that the human mind is a crappy computer – full of bugs, but capable of reprogramming. Take the way you resist checking your bank balance because you fear the stomach lurch of finding it lower than you thought. That’s a mistake, plain and simple: you’ll be happier (and richer) in the long term if you stay aware of how much cash you’ve got. Wouldn’t it be great if we could fix such glitches?

Writing recently in the New York Times, Jennifer Kahn made the workshop sound a bit cultish, but she learned some useful tricks. Such as urge propagation – which involves trying to make your life goals as emotionally compelling as, say, scarfing down a cheeseburger. Train yourself to imagine how glorious it’ll feel to take a hot shower after your workout, and you won’t need to “make yourself” exercise; you’ll have the urge to do so.

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from Health & wellbeing | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1NUcVc5
via health