The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World's Happiest People (The Happiness Institute Series)

by Meik Wiking

More recently, psychologists at the New School for Social Research found that fiction books improve our ability to register and read others’ emotions and, according to an article in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, research also shows that literary fiction enhances our ability to reflect on our problems through reading about characters who are facing similar issues and problems. Basically, reading is free therapy.

To fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, we need to listen more and learn more. We need to end the misunderstanding and the prejudice. We need to end whispering about mental illnesses behind closed doors. We need to say the scary words out loud, so they lose their power, and so no one has to struggle on in silence.

“Some of the best decisions we make come from that inner voice that says, ‘Why not?’ That says, ‘Andiamo.’ So much disappointment arises from what is desired but not chosen.”

Helping people, listening to their stories, and getting involved in their hopes and dreams and struggles bring both sorrow and satisfaction. When we get to know people, we start to care more. We take part in their victories—and share their defeats. Life is messy, and relationships are hard. The outcome of helping may be a mixed bag. Getting involved also means that we can get hurt from time to time. But helping also brings a sense of purpose.

So, we may complain because we want to appear smarter, but we may also be hardwired to zoom in on negative or bad events for reasons of evolution. Species that are better at remembering incidents that have led to danger would be more likely to survive.