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Why You’re Never Going to Be Satisfied With Life
The surprising psychology of why dissatisfaction is hardwired … a good thing!
Why are we perpetually restless and unsatisfied? We live in the safest, healthiest, most well-educated, most democratic time in history — and yet, some part of the human psyche causes us to constantly look for an escape from things stirring inside us.
As the eighteenth-century poet Samuel Johnson said, “My life is one long escape from myself.” Me too, brother. Me too.
The truth is, we’re not wired to feel content or satisfied. Ever.
There’s a simple reason for that: as expressed by researchers for the Review of General Psychology, “If satisfaction and pleasure were permanent, there might be little incentive to continue seeking further benefits or advances.”
In other words, feeling contented wasn’t good for the species.
Our ancestors worked harder and strove further because they evolved to be perpetually perturbed, and so we remain today.
The Four Components of Dissatisfaction
Four psychological factors make satisfaction temporary.
