One of the most significant ideas that John Gertner makes in his work called, The Futile Pursuit of Happiness, is that people often overestimate how happy they think they'll be when they buy or receive something that they want. A passage in the reading said by Daniel Gilbert states, "Things that happen to you or that you buy or own- as much as you think they make a difference in your happiness, you're wrong by a certain amount. You're overestimating how much of a difference they make. None of them make the difference you think. And that's true of positive and negative events." One event that John Gertner mentions that most people think will make them happier, is winning the lottery. However, over time those who are lottery winners have them same amount of happiness as those who have not won. I recall numerous times when I thought something would make me extremely happy, but I ended up not being as excited when it actually happened. Like getting a new phone for instance. The thrill of getting having a new phone fades away after a few days, making me want a new one all over again.
These ideas are important because they help show that no matter what comes to play in life, you will eventually move on and get over it. As mentioned, happiness from an object or thing only lasts for a period of time. The same goes for a death of a close friend or family member; no matter how hard it may be, time will pass and you will mostly likely move on.
I definitely agree with you that this idea of happiness shows that life goes on and we move on. I never thought of it specifically that way, so I find it interesting that you put it that way. That really sums up the idea of synthesized happiness, as we should more desire natural happiness. Before reading this article, were you seeking synthesized happiness or natural? For me, after I read this, I realized that I had been seeking synthesized-the wrong type of happiness-and should rather be aiming for natural happiness.
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