Happiness revisited Twenty-three hundred years ago Aristotle concluded that, more than anything else, men and women seek happiness. While happiness itself is sought for its own sake, every other goal—health, beauty, money, or power—is valued only because we expect that it will make us happy. Much has changed since Aristotle’s time. Our understanding of the worlds of […] Written by Brave Dave January 2, 2024February 3, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The anatomy of consciousness At certain times in history cultures have taken it for granted that a person wasn’t fully human unless he or she learned to master thoughts and feelings. In Confucian China, in ancient Sparta, in Republican Rome, in the early Pilgrim settlements of New England, and among the British upper classes of the Victorian era, people […] Written by Brave Dave January 1, 2024February 3, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The conditions of Flow We have seen how people describe the common characteristics of optimal experience: a sense that one’s skills are adequate to cope with the challenges at hand, in a goal-directed, rule-bound action system that provides clear clues as to how well one is performing. Concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over to […] Written by Brave Dave January 3, 2024February 3, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The body in flow A man possesses nothing certainly save a brief loan of his own body,” wrote J. B. Cabell, “yet the body of man is capable of much curious pleasure.” When we are unhappy, depressed, or bored we have an easy remedy at hand: to use the body for all it is worth. Most people nowadays are […] Written by Brave Dave January 2, 2024February 3, 2024 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
