Seven Top Takeaways From Daniel Gilbert's Bestselling Book, Stumbling On Happiness
Daniel Gilbert's bestselling book, Stumbling on Happiness, is regarded by many as a valuable exploration of people and their relationship with happiness. Gilbert is a distinguished Harvard psychology professor who has won numerous awards for teaching and research. His credentials and accolades can allow his work to carry relevance in a digestible way for many who seek to understand human relationships and reactions toward the concept of happiness. Below are seven takeaways from Stumbling on Happiness that you can choose to leverage in your lived experience.
Seven takeaways from Stumbling On Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
Below are seven of the main takeaways from Daniel Gilbert's book.
1. Humans may be the only animals that think about the future
The human ability to think about the future can significantly impact how individuals think about happiness. Science supports the hypothesis that the human brain can perform many feats, including seeing, remembering, and forming pathways. However, Gilbert states that the ability to imagine can be even more remarkable and singular to humans, which he calls the brain's most outstanding achievement.
Gilbert explains, "To imagine is to experience the world as it isn't and has never been, but as it might be. The greatest achievement of the human brain is its ability to imagine objects and episodes that do not exist in the realm of the real, [such as happiness], and it is this ability that allows us to think about the future."
However, for many, brains don't imagine without structure or form. Instead, human brains can imagine and comprehend the future by making predictions based on prior knowledge and events. An individual might do this by tapping into what may be already known and what has already been learned through experience.
Gilbert suggests that humans can take this knowledge and create expectations for the future. It can be done subconsciously, which Gilbert calls "nexting." According to Gilbert, the brain can constantly be in a state of nexting, which is why when something unexpected, unplanned, or out-of-the-ordinary pops up, people often respond with surprise, shock, or fear.
Gilbert suggests that humans think of the future for pleasure and survival. He states, "When people daydream about the future, they imagine themselves achieving and succeeding rather than fumbling or failing." However, imagining the future may lead to feelings of nervousness or fear for some. However, Gilbert considers that nervous "nexting" serves two purposes that can be helpful to the future.
For example, people might think that disaster planning can reduce the disaster's impact if it occurs. Whether this is true, it can give some a semblance of control and safety. In addition, when an individual anticipates problems, they can take precautions to actively prevent or avoid them, leading to a potentially higher quality of life.
2. It can be difficult to measure happiness, but it may not be impossible
Happiness might not be as easy to measure for some, and Gilbert acknowledges this. He suggests a theory in alignment with the scientific community, stating, "If a thing cannot be measured, then it cannot be studied scientifically." Since happiness may not be quantitative, people have wondered whether studying it is possible.
Gilbert suggests that happiness is "a feeling, an experience, [or] a subjective state [that] has no objective referent in the physical world." He goes on to suggest that science already has a reliable source to measure when it comes to happiness: the people who report being happy. He hypothesizes that people can be an accurate measure, as the individual is the only person with the potential to report feelings and experiences truthfully.
When subjects report feeling happy, scientists can examine physiological measurements to support or refute the claim, like muscle movement and cerebral blood flow. While happiness is often a subjective feeling and an emotional experience, it is still experienced and genuine. The individual reporting the feeling may be the most accurate form of reference when measuring and talking about happiness scientifically.
Gilbert suggests another way scientists can possibly reduce objectivity in these measurements is to leverage the "law of large numbers." This law states that the sheer and vast amount of information gathered may start to show the true median range of a set population or test group.
As Gilbert explains, "No individual's report may be taken as an unimpeachable and perfectly calibrated index of his experience - not yours, not mine - but we can be confident that if we ask enough people the same question, the average answer will be a roughly accurate index of the average experience."
By examining thousands of people and their experiences of happiness, Gilbert suggests that it may be possible for science to measure at least some aspects of this subjective human experience.
3. Imagination is fun, but it may have shortcomings
Even though people can report when they feel happy, they might not make an accurate assumption about future happiness. Gilbert acknowledges and suggests that remaining in an imaginative state can be fun, but it may not result in a perfect or pleasant experience.
He then goes on to describe three possible shortcomings inherent in imagination and the related experiences for some:
- Imagination can add and subtract details. Individuals may not see that essential details are made up or missing until they move through the experience.
- When it comes to past or future events, what a person imagines can be more like the present than those events were or will be.
- A person's imagination may not consider that they could end up feeling differently than what they imagine they would once the future occurs.
Gilbert introduces several studies that showcase the brain's possible predisposition to suggestibility, which allows some to create a comprehensive image for themselves.
He then references the work of German philosopher Immanuel Kant and his idealism theory to further iterate on this point.
In the 18th century, Kant stated, "The understanding can intuit nothing, the senses can think nothing. Only through their union can knowledge arise." Gilbert explains Kant's idealistic concepts by suggesting that people use physical senses and the mind to create sensations. This process might allow them to understand better and comprehend their environment.
When a person imagines being happy in the future, their imagination may create a beautiful picture. However, it might not accurately depict their future or how they'll feel when it arrives. For example, someone might believe they'll be happy when they receive a certain amount of money. However, if they someday achieve that amount, they might notice that their level of happiness hasn't changed.
4. No one may truly know how other people feel and experience happiness
Gilbert notes that it can be challenging, if not impossible, to compare happiness between individual experiences. That's because happiness happens for many on an individual level and can change in manifestation depending on who is experiencing it.
Gilbert states that this unknown aspect of happiness may allow people to be happy with what they have because they are not comparing it with what they don't have. In addition, he notes that it can be impossible for many people to experience a situation without putting it in the context of their cumulative past experiences. Gilbert states, "Our experiences instantly become part of the lens through which we view our entire past, present, and future, and like any lens, they shape and distort what we see."
5. The future you imagine may be unrealistically simple
Have you ever happily and willingly made plans several weeks in advance, only to find that you become reluctant to the idea as the day approaches? Gilbert offers a suggested explanation for this challenge in his book. He implies, "When we remember or imagine a temporally distant event, our brains seem to overlook the fact that details vanish with temporal distance, and they conclude instead that the distant events actually are as smooth and vague as we are imagining and remembering them."
It may be that imagining the immediate future allows for greater detail. However, when the actual day arrives, experiences can vary, and what once excites you might not anymore.
6. Your past memories and future imaginations may be similar to the present moment
Further in the text, Gilbert discusses something he calls "presentism," or "the tendency for current experience to influence one's views of the past and the future." Because humans can carry all accumulated experiences wherever we go, describing a future free of the subjective input can seem impossible.
To do so fully may require humans to extract themselves from what is now known and believed, returning to their former selves and speaking objectively about how they may have felt then, without the experiences they may have gathered between the past and the present. The same can apply to the future. You can try to imagine how happy you might be if a particular event happens.
However, it can be beneficial to consider how much might have changed by the time you reach that future and what would happen if you found out it wasn't what you wanted. Gilbert suggests that many humans actively compare how they feel in the future to how they would feel now instead of considering what they might feel then.
7. Psychological immune systems can act as a buffer when traumatic events happen
Gilbert directly references those who may be resilient in the face of trouble, saying, "We may see the world through rose-colored glasses, but rose-colored glasses are neither opaque nor clear." He explains, "We cannot do without reality, and we cannot do without illusion. Each serves a purpose, each imposes a limit on the influence of the other, and our experience of the world is the artful compromise that these tough competitors negotiate".
Studies have found that the psychological system in the body keeps individuals in a state of self-preservation in times of stress. Humans can imagine adverse events that haven't yet occurred, with many thinking that they may lessen their impact if they think about them ahead of time. This process may result from a resilient psychological defense mechanism, which often works preemptively to rationalize the potential for failure or loss.
If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
Counseling options
If you are experiencing periods of prolonged sadness, stress, or apathy, you might be overwhelmed or confused by your experiences. You may feel drained or unable to leave the bed or your home. In these cases, online therapy may be a beneficial resource, allowing you to receive support from your bed or space of comfort.
Studies have found that online therapy is as effective as in-person therapeutic formats. A recent study published by the Journal of Medical Internet Research reviewed the efficacy of an online platform and found that depressive symptoms and feelings of sadness in those living with depressive disorders featured in the test group were reduced after the intervention.
If you want to try online therapy to address a lack of happiness, a mental health condition, or any other concerns, consider signing up with an online platform like BetterHelp. BetterHelp uses a match-based system, allowing you to get matched with one of over 30,000 therapists specializing in unique areas of mental wellness.
Takeaway
How does Gilbert define happiness?
Daniel Gilbert describes happiness simply: to be happy, one needs to be satisfied with life and experience more positive emotions than negative ones. Like many definitions of happiness, Gilbert’s communicates deep concepts as deceptively simple. Life satisfaction and a sense of well-being may be elusive for some, and achieving consistent positivity can take considerable time and effort.
Gilbert recommends using a simple method, like focusing on experiences over material pleasures and avoiding comparing yourself to others. You may also more closely conform to Gilbert’s definition of happiness if you expand your social relationships and improve your self-esteem. He sums up his definition of happiness in his tongue-in-cheek law: “Happy people are those who do not pass up an opportunity to laugh at themselves or to make love with someone else. Unhappy people are those who get this backward.” Concurring with Gilbert’s law, psychology recognizes the importance of finding happiness by enjoying experiences.
What type of psychology is Gilbert most known for?
Dan Gilbert is a social psychologist at Harvard University. He studies how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by society. His research on affective forecasting is also well known. Affective forecasting refers to the human ability to think about the future and predict which thoughts and actions are likely to bring happiness.
Predicting happiness is tricky for many people, and several cognitive processes can lead to inaccurate estimations of which actions are likely to bring future happiness. According to Gilbert and other happiness researchers, most people are subject to biases and errors in their understanding of themselves and the world; this can make happiness seem more complicated than it likely is, leading to inaccurate choices when pursuing future happiness and success.
What is the purpose of the book Stumbling on Happiness?
Daniel Gilbert’s book Stumbling on Happiness presents the notion that misperception and cognitive biases lead people to make poor predictions about the future, especially about what will make them happy. Dan criticizes the utility of using imagination to envision the future, arguing that imagination fails to accurately conceptualize what a person’s future will look like if they make certain choices. While it is possible to practice making good choices, it will never be possible to predict the outcome with 100% accuracy.
What was Dr. Gilbert's main point?
Daniel Gilbert’s main point in Stumbling on Happiness concerns the problems people have when attempting to make accurate predictions about the future. Gilbert criticizes imagination and argues that imagining the future often leads to unavoidable inaccuracies based on three shortcomings of imagination:
- Imagination tends to add or remove details, and many people do not realize which details are accurate or fabricated. They might also not be aware that crucial elements are missing from their imagined future.
- Because the imagination extrapolates its vision of the future by referencing the past and present, the imagined future is usually much more similar to the present than the real future will be.
- The imagination does not consider the work of the psychological immune system, which Gilbert argues will help people come to terms with undesired outcomes in the future, meaning that imagined future shortcomings often seem much worse than they actually will be.
What does Gilbert tell us about human beings?
Gilbert makes several conclusions about how people think, feel, and act. One of his most important conclusions may be that many, if not most, people drastically over-complicate their pursuit of happiness. Gilbert argues that happiness is as simple as experiencing positive emotions and finding life satisfaction, but many people use overly stringent or downright inaccurate predictions about what will make them happy when making decisions.
Gilbert’s research is especially important to the field of behavioral economics, a domain that draws from psychology, sociology, and economics to make predictions about how people spend money to obtain happiness, among other things. Research indicates that people often prefer instant gratification and short-term happiness over long-term satisfaction. Gilbert notes that one of the ways to avoid this is to spend money on experiences rather than material possessions. While happiness from possessions ultimately fades, the memory of happy experiences can potentially persist for a lifetime.
What does Daniel Gilbert call mistakes of expectation that lead directly to mistakes in choosing what we think will give us pleasure?
Gilbert defines “mistakes of expectation” as incorrectly imagined futures that give a person an unrealistic expectation of how a certain choice will make them feel. The distorted expectation leads the person to make a “mistake in choosing,” meaning the person makes a choice that will ultimately fail to meet their expectations.
For example, a person may expect buying a luxury car to make them happy for as long as they own it, while research suggests that joy from material possessions fades quickly. Their misaligned expectation leads them to make a mistake in choosing. They purchase the car under the belief that it will provide more happiness than it actually will. Their attempt to do precisely the right thing may have hindered more than helped their future happiness.
Why does Gilbert say time is a powerful force?
Gilbert recognizes that the human brain does not always understand time and how powerful of a force it can be. The problem is especially noticeable when a person tries to predict how much future happiness a choice will bring. Gilbert asserts that the human imagination does not account for the true power of time.
In one way, the imagination fails to predict how the psychological immune system will adjust a person’s perceptions when the future arrives. Human beings can adapt to almost any environment, and the psychological immune system helps make bad outcomes seem less harmful. When imagining the future, many people do not consider how their perceptions may change, making the adverse outcomes of a choice seem worse than they may be.
The imagination is also at a loss to predict unknown elements of what a future may look like. Projections of the future are based on extrapolation of the past and present. Because of this, the imagination tends to downplay how much is likely to change as time goes on, making an imagined future seem much more similar to the present than it is likely to be.
Why is predicting happiness not easier for humans?
In his book Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert places most of the blame for poor future predictions on the shortcomings of the human imagination. He argues that imagination rarely accurately conceptualizes what the future will look like, and using an imagined future to make choices can lead to unrealistic expectations. Things that people find easy may bring less happiness than following a more challenging path.
Gilbert argues that imagination fails in three specific ways:
- Imagined futures contain details that may or may not be accurate, and it is unlikely that a person can tell when a detail is inaccurate or when accurate details are missing.
- The imagination derives its vision of the future by extrapolating the past and present. Because an imagined future is based on past experiences, it is often much more similar to the present than what the future actually turns out to be.
- The imagination disregards the ability of humans to adapt and the role of the psychological immune system. In many cases, this leads to a person imagining the future from their present perspective and disregarding that they may have changed and adapted after time has passed.
Why is the ability to choose the enemy of synthetic happiness?
According to Daniel Gilbert, humans may be the only animals that consciously consider the future. They must try to predict what impact choices will have, sometimes attempting to predict the future years or decades in advance. The ability to make choices is lauded as a hallmark of human intellectual superiority, but it may significantly reduce happiness.
From a reductivist perspective, a choice can either be “right” or “wrong.” What defines a right from a wrong choice depends heavily on the situation and perception of the person choosing, and it may be difficult or impossible to know which choice is correct. Doing a good job choosing is often more difficult when predicting events far in the future.
Now, imagine that a person is in the same situation and has the same perception, but they have no ability to make a choice. Hypothetically, because the person cannot choose, they do not experience the stress associated with the decision. They also don’t have to worry about looking back on their decision through hindsight and regretting their choice.
Humans are excellent adapters, and a well-functioning psychological immune system ensures that people adapt to circumstances that adversely affect well-being. Without the burden of choice, humans may experience less stress, and regrets about past decisions might not threaten their ability to adapt.
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