Nancy Etcoff : Happiness and its surprises

TED 2004

Nancy Etcoff : Happiness and its surprises (transcript)

Summary

I thought that human being was not a beautiful thing when I knew about human desires.    

And then, this time, the speaker tells us that human design is created continuing the pursuit of happiness. How selfish a human is! However, if you think about only yourself, it hasn't made you any happier at all.

It goes against our biology and nature.

People are happiest when in flow, when they're absorbed in something out in the world, when they're active or when they're with other people, and etc.

So if we honestly follow our biology and nature, we will be happy, but social status and money mislead us to selfishness.

We need more understanding for our life. The speaker showed it that underwenting can change your life and your whole values. The true values are happiness, generosity, and forgiveness that come from beyond wealth, adventure, achievement, and materialism.  

It all depends on yourself change.

"How to love this world?"

"If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it, blame yourself. Tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches".

"First, say to yourself what you would be. Then do what you have to do".

Then I love this quote.

"Let him that would be happy for a day, go to the barber, for a week, marry a wife, for a month, buy him a new horse, for a year, build him a new house, for all his lifetime, be an honest man".

Words in this story

selfishness /noun/ the quality or condition of being selfish.  selfish /adj/  

materialism /noun/ a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.

irrelevant /adj/ not connected with or relevant to something.