Why the “Pursuit of Happiness” Is a Bad Idea

The “pursuit of happiness” is one of America’s founding ideals. But what if chasing happiness is actually making us feel worse?

In honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Dr. Laurie travels to Independence Hall in Philadelphia to explore what Thomas Jefferson and the founders really meant by “the pursuit of happiness” — and how that idea has changed over time.

She speaks with historian Darrin McMahon and psychologist Iris Mauss about Americans’ unique relationship with happiness, why striving for it can sometimes backfire, and why the best path to a good life may involve focusing less on ourselves and more on other people.

For more content about the Declaration of Independence, and what we get wrong about it, check out the new Pushkin show, First America. Find First America wherever you get podcasts.

Experts Mentioned:

• Darrin McMahon, David W. Little Class of 1944 Professor of History at Dartmouth College
• Iris Mauss, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and Director of the Emotion and Emotion Regulation Lab 
• Lahnna Catalino, Associate Professor of Psychology at Scripps College
• Birgit Koopmann-Holm, Associate Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara College of Arts and Sciences

Resources Mentioned:

• “Declaration of Independence,” (1776)
• Happiness: A History, by Darrin McMahon (2006)
• A Dictionary of the English Language, by Samuel Johnson (1755)
• Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville (1835)
• “The Pursuit of Happiness: Pitfalls and Promises,” by Iris Mauss and Brett Ford
• “Can Seeking Happiness Make People Happy? Paradoxical Effects of Valuing Happiness,” by Iris Mauss and colleagues (Emotion, 2011)
• “Focusing on the Negative: Cultural Differences in Expressions of Sympathy,” by Birgit Koopmann-Holm and Jeanne Tsai (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2014)
• “Prioritizing Positivity: An Effective Approach to Pursuing Happiness?,” by Lahnna Catalino, Sara Algoe, and Barbra Frederickson (Emotion, 2014)

Related Episodes:

• “Happiness Lessons From the Ancients: Aristotle”
• "How to Identify Your Negative Emotions"
• “Stop Endlessly Chasing the ‘Next Big Thing’ in 2023”

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