Shigehiro Oishi Quotes

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity. —Christopher Morley

Studies done in more than 132 countries show that the wealthier a country becomes, the more its population struggles with feelings of meaning and purpose. See Shigehiro Oishi and Ed Diener, “Residents of Poor Nations Have a Greater Sense of Meaning in Life than Residents of Wealthy Nations,” Psychological Science 25, no. 2 (2014): 422–30.

Should we strive to be happy? Or should we work for others’ happiness before thinking of our own?

In a sense, they are forgotten people in the extant scientific literature on well-being. By proposing the idea of the psychologically rich life, we attempt to shed light on the likes of Renée and Aaliya, both of whom we believe led good lives.

Simplifying one’s life so as to have reliably positive experiences or contentment is key to happiness. Dedicating one’s life to others with compassion is key to meaning. Experiencing the unusual, challenging oneself and learning new things - though frustrating and unpleasant at times - are key to psychological richness. When you are playful, you are “on vacation from social and economic reality.” All of us adults have a lot of social and economic responsibilities. We are bombarded with the constant possibility if distraction. Social media is endless chatter. Small talk is endless chatter. This chatter makes life feel uprooted, groundless and floating. Between our to-do lists and endless distractions, we rarely have a moment to think deeply or to convene with the sublime. Reading literature is associated with more cognitive complexity and better perspective-taking skills ( skills and abilities to see another person’s behavior from that person’s perspective rather than from an observer’s perspective ) and it appears to help us appreciate the ups and downs of our own lives. And the purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. You can do that only if you have curiosity, an unquenchable spirit of adventure. Eleanor Roosevelt, You learn by living Familiarity is a powerful force. It gives us comfort. It’s a psychological teddy bear. When you know what you want to maximize ( happiness, meaning or richness ), you can start structuring your life and curating experiences that align with your goals.