The art of misery Why we are never truly satisfied

The art of misery Why we are never truly satisfiedThe art of misery Why we are never truly satisfiedOn December 29, 1954, in Detroit, Michigan, Simon Kuznets, a Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, stood in front of a large crowd of intellectuals, and delivered a brave Presidential Address at the sixty-seventh Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association.Kuznets had bottled up his thoughts for numerous years. But, he couldnt hold back any longer. Hisradical ideas were bubbling and ready to burst out into the open air of the auditorium.After the Great Depression, and under mandate from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Kuznets spent donkey years pouring through a stupendous amount of economic data in the U.S. and other developed countries.In doing so, Kuznets accomplished an astonishing feat- the compression of the entire economic activity of a country into a singular number.That number is what today we call GDP, or Gross Domestic Product.On this day however, Kuznets welches nt talking GDP. He was talking inequality. Specifically, the relationship between income inequality and economic growth.During his speech, Kuznets proposed a radical idea that would stun the audience and throw the world into a frenzy. He argued that the growing economy of a country passes through three phases of income inequality.In the first phase, economic growth creates more income inequality. In the second phase, as a country begins to urbanize, the effect of economic growth on income inequality is nominal. And after a tipping point, in the third and final phase, economic growth creates less income inequality.These three phases when traced form the shape of an inverted U-shaped curve.Kuznets speech was later formalized as the groundbreaking paper,Economic Growth and Income Inequality, widely regarded as one of the most influential papers in modern economics. 1But the Inverted-U curve has far-reaching consequences beyond the world of the economics.The phenomenon also sheds light on the age-old question Why are we never truly satisfied?Never too much, never too muchIn America I have seen the freest and best educated of men in circumstances the happiest to be found in the world yet it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brow, and they seemed serious and almost sad even in their pleasures. They clutch everything but hold nothing fast, and so lose grip as they hurry after some new delight.- French Diplomat, Alexis de Tocqueville (1930)In 1981, the late legendary RB singer, Luther Vandross, released a popsong that took the world by storm.Its called Never Too Much. Here are the lyrics of the memorable chorusOh my love, a thousand kisses from youIs never too much, I just dont wanna stopOh my love, a million days in your armsIs never too much, I just dont wanna stopNever too much, never too muchNever too much, never too much. 2Aside from the slick, smooth vocals of Vandross and the catchy beat of the song, theres an undertone beneath the lyrics, whi ch accurately represents our beliefs about satisfaction.And that belief is that theres never too much of a good thing.In other words, we believe that more is better- more money, love, happiness, success, relationships, choice and so on.But ismore always better?In a fascinating paper, psychologists Grant and Schwartz, explore a substantial range of compelling studies which show that virtually all human pursuits follow the shape of the Inverted-U curve. 3According to the psychologistsThere is no such thing as an unmitigated good. All positive traits, states, and experiences have costs that at high levels may begin to outweigh their benefits, creating the non-monotonicity of an inverted U.Heres an illustration of the Inverted-U curveOn the left hand side of the curve, doing or having more of a thing is beneficial- or leads to more satisfaction.But, as this increases, the benefits taper off towards the middle of the curve. This is what economists call diminishing marginal returns.After a tipping point, on the right hand side of the curve, doing or having more of a thing surprisingly leaves us worse off.Think about the classic example of money and happiness.Wed like to think that earning more money would make us happier, but an increasing body of research would suggest otherwise.Studies have discovered that money can buy happiness, but only up to an income level of approximately USD 95,000. 4In addition, the top 1% income earners experience less life satisfaction than those who earn much less. 5Plausible explanations for this are that wealth attracts many fickle relationships that replace close genuine friendships, and it may also lead to unhealthy habits of social comparisons and material pursuits.In a similar fashion, this Inverted-U curve phenomenon resurfaces in every area of our lives.More is better only up to a certain tipping point, after which were worse off than before- dissatisfied and miserable.Vandross was wrong.Theresnever never too much of a good thin g.A pertinent question then is, where is this tipping point? When does more become too much?The golden meanIn the Nicomachean Ethics, ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, suggests that there is a desirable middle ground between the extreme ends of any human pursuitBoth excessive and defective exercise destroys the strength, and similarly drink or food which is above or below a certain amount destroys the health, while that which is proportionate both produces and increases and preserves it.- Aristotle (trans. 1999, p. 22)This middle ground, also known as the golden mean, is best illustrated by the optimal point, bang in the middleof the Inverted-U curve- where what we have or do, is just enough for the maximum benefit or satisfaction.According to Aristotle, the key to a lifetime of satisfaction is to remain within the golden mean of everything we have or do.For example, if youve had your basic needs met and live a relatively comfortable lifestyle, and still feel dissatisfied, youre out of balance to the right of your golden mean.To rediscover your life satisfaction and realign with your golden mean, you could rid off excesses and downsize your lifestyle, by for example, giving away clothes and items to someone else living in scarcity.Its important to note that the golden mean isnt an exact science. Its an art. And it varies from context to context, and from person to person.Through self-experimentation and inner discourse, we can move towards the center of the Inverted U-curve and realign with our golden mean for maximum satisfaction.The takeawayI denied myself nothing my eyes desired I refused my heart no pleasure.When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind nothing was gained under the sun.- King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 210-11)We live in a world driven by a crazed pursuit of more.More money. More love. More relationships. More technology. More happiness. More self help. More goals.We have and do too much. But, the never too much culture has sold us a dream.More isnt always better, as weve never felt so stuck and entrapped in misery than before.Our only escape now is to flip the script- to have and do less, and give ourselves away to a lifetime of service and generosity to those in need.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.Com, where he shares the best practical ideas based on proven science and the habits of highly successful people for stress-free productivity and improved mental performance. To get unterstellung strategies to stop procrastinating, get more things by doing less and improve your focus,join his free weekly newsletter.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comasThe Art of Misery Why We Are Never Truly Satisfied.FootnotesKuznets, Simon. 1955. Economic Growth and Income Inequality. American Economic Review 45(1) 1-28.Luther Vandross Never Too MuchLyrics.Grant, Adam Schwartz, Barry. (2011).Too Much of a Good Thing The Challenge a nd Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 6. 61-76. 10.1177/1745691610393523.Andrew T. Jebb, Louis Tay, Ed Diener, Shigehiro Oishi.Happiness, income satiation and turning points around the world. Nature Human Behaviour, 2018 2 (1) 33 DOI 10.1038/s41562-017-0277-0Oishi, S., Diener, E., Lucas, R.E. (2007).The optimum level of well-being Can people be too happy?Perspectives on Psychological Science,2, 346360.Aristotle. (trans. 1999). Nicomachean ethics (W.D. Ross, Trans.). Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Batoche Books.Interestingly virtues like courage, loyalty, kindness, humility and patience also follow the shape of the inverted U curve. For example, Aristotle explains that too little courage leads to cowardice, but too much courage leads to recklessness. The only exception to this could be wisdom.