## The Happiness We Decide
◇The Happiness We Decide/Arthur C. Brooks et al., translated by Park Da-som/356 pages/19,800 won/RH Korea
“There is only one thing that cannot be taken away from a human being: the freedom to choose one’s attitude in any given situation, the freedom to choose one’s own path.”
This is what Dr. Viktor Frankl, who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and survived dramatically, wrote in his memoir (‘Man’s Search for Meaning‘). In the face of the unavoidable tragedy of losing his family and being in danger of being killed himself, he did not dwell on resentment and curses. Instead, he found the reason for his existence and continued living by helping other inmates.
The author, a professor of policy studies at Harvard University and a researcher of happiness, explains that Dr. Frankl was able to make this choice because he was able to separate his emotions from his actions and have ‘meta-cognition’. For example, a construction worker who cannot do construction when it rains can blame the sky, but he can never change the reality of the inevitability. At this time, he needs to ‘act’ by making a plan to prepare for bad weather rather than just dwelling on negative emotions. The results of brain science research that emotions are just signals sent by the brain and subsequent actions can be changed through learning also support this.
So, what is the way to practice metacognition in daily life? The method the author introduces is simple. Suppress the emotions that boil over momentarily and look at your current self for 10 seconds. It is not as easy as it sounds because it goes against the instinct to recognize external stress as a threat and react immediately. However, the author concludes that this is the most effective means to happiness and a way to maintain health.
Reporter Kim Sang-woon [email protected]
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