You might assume that everyone aspires to more happiness—that is, given the choice, people would want to have the maximum amount possible of something good. But that view is a biased one, held by people who live in individualist societies such as Europe and North America. For people from collectivist and holistic societies—where contradiction, change, and context are emphasized—ideal states of being for the self are more moderate than in other cultures. This approach might be called the moderation principle, under which people impose mindful ceilings on how much of a good thing they aspire to
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