TORONTO, March 1 — It’s often said that happiness is the result of hard work on one’s self and one’s life plans. One has to fight to achieve this state, sometimes even travel the world to find it. But what if, paradoxically, trying to be happier actually made us sadder?

At least, that is the finding of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada and published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. The study reveals the existence of a “happiness paradox”: the more we try to be happy, the more mentally exhausted we become, to the point of reducing our ability to make choices that are truly beneficial to our well-being.

For over a decade, scientists have been interested in examining just how effective our quest for happiness is. An increasing number of studies suggest that devoting too much energy to happiness-seeking is not only futile, but can even have the opposite effect. Why? Because this constant search draws on our finite mental resources, weakens our self-control and makes us more vulnerable to temptations that distract us from genuine fulfillment.

Sam Maglio, marketing professor and co-author of the study, compares this dynamic to mental fatigue after a hard day’s work. When you’re exhausted, you’re more likely to give in to the easy way out: leaving dirty dishes to be washed later, scrolling endlessly on social media, or mindlessly snacking. With his colleague Aekyoung Kim, a researcher at the University of Sydney, he had already observed in 2018 that people obsessed with their happiness experienced increased constraints of pressure on their time, which accentuated their stress and dissatisfaction.

Is letting go the real key to happiness?

To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, the researchers interviewed several hundred volunteers. They found that those who actively sought happiness showed less self-control in everyday life. In other words, willpower and the pursuit of happiness draw on the same resources... which are not infinite.

The researchers then designed a series of experiments to test their hypothesis. In one of them, participants were exposed to advertisements focusing on happiness, unconsciously triggering their desire for well-being. Immediately afterwards, they were offered chocolates to taste and rate. The result? Those influenced by the messages ate more, a sign of declining self-control.

But was it simply the effect of the happiness-seeking, or did any type of pursuit have the same impact? To find out, the researchers asked two groups of volunteers to select everyday objects according to different criteria. The first group had to choose according to what would make them happier, while the second group based their choice on personal preferences. Afterwards, they all took a test to assess their mental control.

The verdict was that those who had oriented their choices towards happiness-seeking gave up more quickly, a sign that they had already used up part of their mental resources. “The pursuit of happiness costs mental resources. Instead of just going with the flow, you are trying to make yourself feel differently,” explains Sam Maglio in a press release.

So instead of chasing happiness at all costs, maybe we should just let it come to us. “Just chill. Don’t try to be super happy all the time. Instead of always trying to get more stuff you want, look at what you already have,” advises Mr. Maglio. In the end, it seems that happiness is not a goal to be achieved at all costs, but rather a state of mind to be cultivated lightly without pressure. — ETX Studio