Fear of happiness
John Ward
October 24, 2014
COMM/215
Paul KorzeniowskiFear of Happiness
Fear of Happiness
“Unhappiness is often viewed as something to be prevented, avoided or eliminated. Yet recent studies reveal that for some people, feeling good is what scares them,” (Rodriguez, 2013). A friend of mine called me last week worried because everything in his life was going right. Steven was scared something bad was going to happen because he was completely happy. This experienced and brainy man said throughout life, whenever he became triumphant or ecstatic, he would wait for something to come over the hill. That something unkind, unsatisfactory, or excruciating always seems to follow. I discovered with him how he might be having optional insight and was seeing bad events out of undesirable anticipation, rather than from a straight reason and consequence in which the sensation of joy caused the bad things to take place in his life. When did this notion start to appear in people’s minds? Why all the sudden are we afraid to be happy? It is a hard concept to wrap your mind around the fear of happiness but many experience this phenomenon.
Fear of Happiness
Background: I could understand being afraid of spiders, clowns, needles and snakes but afraid of being happy? Today, people think that being happy with the way their life is going is a way of showing something wrong is just around the corner. “Although we seem to idolize happiness as the be-all and end-all of life’s desired outcomes, some people, particularly from certain cultures, actually fear the state of happiness. In cultures that believe worldly happiness to be associated with sin, shallowness, and moral decline will actually feel less satisfied when their lives are (by other standards) going well,” (Whitbourne, 2011).
Present Study: People fear good emotions because they fell like something bad is going to happen the minute they begin to feel happy. There have been two studies done on the subject by Mohsen
October 24, 2014
COMM/215
Paul KorzeniowskiFear of Happiness
Fear of Happiness
“Unhappiness is often viewed as something to be prevented, avoided or eliminated. Yet recent studies reveal that for some people, feeling good is what scares them,” (Rodriguez, 2013). A friend of mine called me last week worried because everything in his life was going right. Steven was scared something bad was going to happen because he was completely happy. This experienced and brainy man said throughout life, whenever he became triumphant or ecstatic, he would wait for something to come over the hill. That something unkind, unsatisfactory, or excruciating always seems to follow. I discovered with him how he might be having optional insight and was seeing bad events out of undesirable anticipation, rather than from a straight reason and consequence in which the sensation of joy caused the bad things to take place in his life. When did this notion start to appear in people’s minds? Why all the sudden are we afraid to be happy? It is a hard concept to wrap your mind around the fear of happiness but many experience this phenomenon.
Fear of Happiness
Background: I could understand being afraid of spiders, clowns, needles and snakes but afraid of being happy? Today, people think that being happy with the way their life is going is a way of showing something wrong is just around the corner. “Although we seem to idolize happiness as the be-all and end-all of life’s desired outcomes, some people, particularly from certain cultures, actually fear the state of happiness. In cultures that believe worldly happiness to be associated with sin, shallowness, and moral decline will actually feel less satisfied when their lives are (by other standards) going well,” (Whitbourne, 2011).
Present Study: People fear good emotions because they fell like something bad is going to happen the minute they begin to feel happy. There have been two studies done on the subject by Mohsen
References: Whitbourne, S. (2011). 13 of Psychology 's Newest and Coolest Ideas. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201304/13-psychology-s-newest-and-coolest-ideasRodriguez, T. (2013). Fear of Happiness Underlies Some Mental Illnesses. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fear-of-happiness-underlies-some-mental-illnesses/Lambrou, P. (2014). Is Fear of Happiness Real? Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/codes-joy/201405/is-fear-happiness-realStallings, A. E. (n.d.). Poetry Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/238824