How can we use our intelligence to be more happy (in a sense of being ok, content, at peace and able to constructively deal with any situation life throws at us)?
In my experience, being happy or not, mostly depends on my emotional responses to any given situation. For example, reading about highly accomplished people here on HN can make me feel envious and unsatisfied with my performance.
Intelligence makes it possible to understand facts like:
- There is a huge range of possible emotional responses to a single situation. Some are beneficial for me and some are not.
- How I react now is simply a habit. It is not something hard-coded in the situation itself. Instead of envy, I can be happy for these successful people, rejoice in their success. Feel inspired by their example. Doing that is being kind to myself. The more we work with our emotions, the more flexible they become. There is a lot of freedom here.
- The perceived space where my life is happening can be expanded by noticing that what I focus on (myself, my work, my family, my home...) is not the whole reality. There are other people, other countries, other beliefs, all the nature... and all of that is my world.
- Other people are just like me in wanting to be happy and avoiding pain. My happiness is not more important than their - but also not less. We are all doing our best. A kind of feeling of closeness comes through this insight.
Any of these facts will make our life better. And all are discovered through intelligent exploration, through using our smartness.
In my experience, being happy or not, mostly depends on my emotional responses to any given situation. For example, reading about highly accomplished people here on HN can make me feel envious and unsatisfied with my performance.
Intelligence makes it possible to understand facts like:
- There is a huge range of possible emotional responses to a single situation. Some are beneficial for me and some are not.
- How I react now is simply a habit. It is not something hard-coded in the situation itself. Instead of envy, I can be happy for these successful people, rejoice in their success. Feel inspired by their example. Doing that is being kind to myself. The more we work with our emotions, the more flexible they become. There is a lot of freedom here.
- The perceived space where my life is happening can be expanded by noticing that what I focus on (myself, my work, my family, my home...) is not the whole reality. There are other people, other countries, other beliefs, all the nature... and all of that is my world.
- Other people are just like me in wanting to be happy and avoiding pain. My happiness is not more important than their - but also not less. We are all doing our best. A kind of feeling of closeness comes through this insight.
Any of these facts will make our life better. And all are discovered through intelligent exploration, through using our smartness.