Brenna
-
“Gratuitous Gratitude”: Is It Possible to Be Too Thankful?
I find gratitude surprisingly confusing. It’s been described as a duty, an emotion, a mindset – whatever you call it, the research supporting its effectiveness is overwhelming. But beyond therapeutic solutions like gratitude journals and saying “thank you”, there is a vexing question: how do you reconcile being grateful with being detached from anything beyond…
-
The False Choice Between Work and Fun
One of the most misunderstood words in existence is “happiness.” Not far behind that is the word “work.” Most of us, young or old, define work as something you do in exchange for money. This is only partly true. Because so many of us dislike or merely tolerate our jobs, we view work as a…
-
The Vampire Problem: How to Make Big Choices When You Can’t See the Future
How do we make big life choices when we don’t know the outcome? One solution is to decide based on “how you want to discover you will become.”
-
The Dilemma of Social Comparison
Social comparison is not a shameful indulgence, but a human instinct – and a tool for understanding ourselves better.
-
Bitter Grapes: How Do We Know What We Really Want?
As a kid, I read Aesop’s fables. I found most of them depressing, but there is one story that sticks out in my memory: the tale of the fox and the grapes. You’re probably familiar with it, but here’s a summary just in case: A hungry fox one day notices some delicious-looking grapes hanging overhead.…
-
The Strange and Comforting Power of Memory
Not only do our memories have the power to be a joy and a comfort to us, they help form our identity, and they are safe from ever being lost.
-
Why Solitude Is a Skill
Solitude, far from being the same thing as loneliness, is a skill we must cultivate if we’re to mentally thrive.
-
No, $75,000 Isn’t “Enough.” But Money Still Can’t Buy Happiness
A landmark 2010 study suggests that our emotional well-being peaks at $75,000. A closer look at the data reveals deeper philosophical insights.
-
The Awful Nearness of Marriage
“Marriage is so unlike anything else. There is something even awful in the nearness it brings.” These words are from Dorothea Brooke, the protagonist of Middlemarch, and I agree with her. Marriage is like nothing else. It will either make you or break you. There’s not much room in between. Why do we enter into…
-
In Praise of Laundry and Dishes
I do a lot of dishes and laundry. These two activities – unless you live in a nude colony and always eat out – are inescapable facts of life. Unlike training for a marathon or writing a novel, there are no compounded returns. There’s no muscle being toned. No skill being polished. You wash the…
