Compass No.19
The present moment, happiness and unhappiness, identifying a "meaning crisis", and letting go of expectations
Thought provoking quote
“…Fulfillment cannot come when the present moment is little more than a struggle to bear in order to attain the future, because the future is destined to become nothing more than the struggle of a new present, and the glorious end state never arrives. The focus must be on the walk that is life with its string of present moments. Each present moment, in turn, provides small satisfactions we miss when the focus is only on bigger and better.” - Arthur Brooks, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Podcast insights that stayed with me
Last week, I listened to this 2023 interview with Arthur Brooks on Tim Ferriss’ podcast.
Brooks is a renowned social scientist known for his work on the study of happiness. A point he emphasizes in the interview is that happiness is not the absence of unhappiness. Research has shown that happiness and unhappiness are largely processed in different hemispheres of the brain and that they coexist at the same time. We all have our own mix of happiness and unhappiness. For this reason, Brooks contends that it’s important for individuals to understand whether they have more of a “happiness or unhappiness problem” so that they can manage their emotions accordingly.
Brooks references a psychological test he gives his students to assess this called the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANUS) which categorizes individuals into one of four combinations:
High positive affect, high negative affect: These are people that have high affect in general and get characterized as “the mad scientist” profile because they have lots of emotion on both sides.
High positive affect, low negative affect: Brooks calls these individuals the “cheerleaders” because they are prone to good moods and very infrequently have bad moods.
High negative affect, low positive affect: These are the “poets” who have lots of bad moods and fewer good moods.
Low negative affect, low positive affect: This profile is what Brooks calls the “sober judge” because these individuals are generally seen as steady and don’t have many moods on other side.
Because a key component of happiness is finding meaning, Brooks shares the test he administers to assess whether or not someone is having a meaning crisis. He maintains that there are no right or wrong answers. Rather, the point of the test is to see if someone has identified answers that are honest and compelling to them. The test involves answering two questions:
Why are you alive? (This can be answered in terms of a religious belief about who created you or your belief about your life’s purpose)
For what would you be willing to die today?
Brooks contends that we will spend our lives contemplating and updating our answers to these questions. The goal is to live and “earn” the answers.
Question inspired by a recent interview
Last week I published an interview with Marc St Raymond, co-founder of Jade Leaf Matcha, Mindful, and Clean Break Nutrition. Marc spoke about enjoying the ambiguity that comes with getting a new business off the ground. When I asked what helped him get comfortable with the discomfort of the unknown, he had this to say:
“From a mindset perspective, a lot of my ability to take this path has hinged on not having hard expectations or beliefs about what I should do in life or where I should be.”
If you find yourself reluctant to or having difficulty engaging with the unknown, I invite you to take a step back and look at your own expectations. Where could you benefit from letting go of expectations or re-examining them with a renewed sense of flexibility?