Alternative thinking

Listened to a BBC podcast ' The Happiness Lab'. A research carried out to study the facial expression of silver and bronze Olympian medalists found that silver medalists scored 4.8 compared to bronze medalists' 7.1 on a scale where 1 is agony and 10 is ecstasy. The results seem to imply that silver medalists felt the despair that they missed the all glorious Olympic Gold medal whilst the bronze medalists were thankful for getting at least a medal, being aware of the possibility of missing it altogether. It all boils down to the thought of alternatives.

This is the  power of comparison and we always use the people around us as reference points. In a study people were asked whether they would rather earn 1) $50k per annum where people around them earn $25k or 2) $100k where others earn $200k. It seems illogical that people will not want to double their salary but the result actually shows a 50/50 split among the respondents.

To promote happiness people are often asked to list 10 things they are thankful for upon waking up daily. In  a way this strategy uses a negative event reference. For example counting the blessing of good health contemplates the misfortune of illness. In doing so one avoids the natural tendency to be upset when comparing one's  achievements with that of others. It puts into perspective that we on our own are sufficient in many ways.

Fame and shame (sometimes also known as praise and blame) together with gain and loss are part of the 8 worldly winds which the Buddha spoke of that we encounter in our life. These winds are more acutely felt in cultures when social pressure is more pronounced. One needs to  be grateful for the good things in one's life and be more centered and aware of the real values that truly matter.