Gilbert Short or Long-Term in Essay

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The following quotation, in which the author discusses how one of her patients was so adept at disassociating from painful situations that her appendix nearly ruptures, exemplifies this argument. "I don't want to die because I can't feel anything. I don't want to end up dead because I can't feel what's going on in my body…" This quotation from Stout's patient Julia indicates how hazardous it can be to gratify oneself for the present moment only to make one's future infinitely worse because of that fact. Julia was so good at disassociation from pain that she was not aware of when there was a reason for the pain and needed to help herself. Similarly, GenMe has been so pacified by the self-esteem movement that in the future, they will lack many of the essential attributes to be able to conduct happy, productive lives. This is largely due to the fact that they haven't learned enough, or challenged themselves in the present which will leave them unprepared for the future. That is the most noxious trap of the inverse relationship between self-esteem and happiness.

A close examination of the literature considered in this discourse (Stout's "When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning it Was Friday," Gilbert's "Daniel Gilbert," and Twenge's "An Army of One: Me" indicates that there is an inverse relationship between self-esteem and unhappiness that is highly temporal in nature. That which makes us feel good about ourselves in the present has a negative effect on our future happiness, and may in fact actually produce a substantial amount of unhappiness in the future. This discovery has a number of ramifications for GenMe, which is being raised on unconditional, unabashed self-esteem to the point where its education and other key facets of use in the future has been considerably compromised. The only way, then, that GenMe can hope to find any sort of lasting felicity in the future when they are accomplished adults is to attempt to substitute the fleeting effects of self-esteem with a work ethic and dedication that resembles that of past generations to actually achieve some goal before it feels good about itself. Doing so will rid it of the propensity to be complacent and mediocre, and will actually allow it to utilize the inverse relationship between self-esteem and happiness to its advantage.

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By feeling less good about itself in the present, it will be able to work hard and make gains that should allow it to be pleased with the profits yielded in the future.

1.

Yes, GenMe should change its attitude about unhappiness and rejection and most things that result in low self-esteem for the present moment. It is through adversity that humans are able to summon their best efforts, and to that end, GenMe should strive to test itself and challenge itself to see the degree of felicity it can achieve through such trials. That's why a conversation about Risk would allow me to tell members of GenMe that it is essential to take risks in order to get the biggest rewards in happiness. However, they need to be aware that Gilbert's Psychological Immune System may be a synonym for complacency, and that there is nothing wrong with striving for better.

2.

The rejection by a Judge/Jury experiment teaches us that humans have an aggregate factor in measuring their unhappiness -- if the quantifiable aggregate is low (judge) then humans will not be as unhappy at rejection if the quantifiable aggregate is higher (jury). GenMe actually possess a distinct advantage in this sort of test, because it is taught to feel good no matter how many people reject it. So the implementation of its self-esteem would be beneficial. If GenMe did the photography experiment there are few changes it should make to its self-esteem, that would aid it in being happy with any picture selected. That aspect would advantage them.

3. Stout 482 "The amygdala receives…information…and attaches emotional significance to it." Both quotes need significance of event to understand experiences. Stout 398 "Because I want to know. …I want to live." Both quotes show how explanations help coping with experiments. Stout 397, "That's so sad." Both quotes show how understanding the full circumstances of something can lead to decreased happiness. Stout 382 "…in traumatic events a breakdown occurs." Unexplained events can be traumatic. Stout 390 "I thought I was crazy." Both quotes show the inadequacies of explanations. Stout 390 "I never really thought about it." Both quotes explain….....

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