Many people have found that the pandemic has caused them to take stock in what is really important and to reflect on questions like, “what do I want from life?”. When faced with a question like this, many of us will say something like “happiness.”
At the only perception-focused neuroscience creative studio in the world, Dr. Beau Lotto conducted an experiment where he asked 400 people to imagine being at the end of their life. He then asked, “What do you hope your life’s purpose would have been? Was it joy? Wealth? Wisdom? Meaning? Success?”. As you might expect, most people responded with “happiness”.
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Then the participants were asked how they experienced 2020. The people who responded with happiness as their purpose experienced 2020 with less joy, less fulfillment, and less creativity than people who had a different purpose. People seeking happiness also experienced 2020 with more stress, loneliness, and anxiety than others. Other participants in the study who chose authenticity as their purpose said that in 2020 they were living in a way that was more closely aligned to their goals. As a result, they were more open and empathetic than other participants.
The reason for the difference between the two choices is likely that to live authentically doesn’t rely on outside sources. It can be achieved independent of events and other people. The researchers concluded that people who focus on “I will be happy when XYZ happens,” set themselves up for disappointment. They further explained that the brain works on prediction, so when we are disappointed, our brain registers it as pain, leading to stress and anxiety. In other words, living our lives authentically in times of uncertainty allows us to carve out our own path, independent of what’s happening around us. It requires self-knowledge and the ability to reflect on what is truly important. This often results in us being more optimistic and better equipped to deal with an uncertain environment.
To support your exploration of your purpose or your why, here are a couple of brief exercises.
Reference
https://www.labofmisfits.com/experiments/looking-back/