09/09/2024

Neuroscience Says to Be Happier, Stop Thinking About Happiness

Focusing too much on happiness actually makes you less happy

If you studied economics or business, you might be familiar with Goodhart's Law. Named after British economist Charles Goodhart, it states "when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

At work, this law can look like salespeople offering unprofitable deals at the end of the month just to make their quotas, or call center workers being deliberately unhelpful to meet targets for short call times.

But Goodhart's law can pop up in unexpected contexts, too -- for instance, a new study published in the journal Emotion shows that when you make happiness a target and begin consciously measuring your progress, you actually end up less happy.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.