The source I chose to investigate comes from the notes of "Immune to Reality" by Daniel Gilbert. While I did not read this essay, I was interested by the paper that I peer reviewed that was based off of it. I am very interested in human's happiness and what contributes to it. This source is entitled "The Pursuit and Assessment of Happiness can be Self-Defeating" and is written by Jonathan W. Schooler, Dan Ariely, and George Loewenstein. The full text can be found here. This text argues that humans believe that the primary goal in life is happiness and they will go to extreme measures in the pursuit of happiness. He presents evidence that consciously trying to maximize happiness can backfire. This evidence is presented in the form of results from two studies that support the claims made. The three main claims are: one may not have access to all the tools that they perceive are necessary for happiness, when people try to measure their happiness they are inherently subtracting from it, and when people make an active effort to achieve maximum happiness it can undermine the ultimate goal. The tone of the writing is very matter-of-fact and deliberate. The topic of the paper is relatable and engaging which interests the reader. The claims are controversial and arguable which leads the paper to need to convince the reader.
Citation:
J. W. Schooler, D. Ariely, and G. Loewenstein, "The Pursuit and Assessment of Happiness Can Be Self-Defeating." The Psychology of Economic Decisions: Rationality and Well-Being. eds. I. Brocas and J. Carillo, vol. 1 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003)
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