“The whole universe is change and life itself is but what you deem it.” [Marcus Aurelius]

 “Events in the world affect us only through our interpretations of them…so if we can control our interpretations, we can control our world.” [Haidt]

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When you begin to feel sorry for yourself…recall the story or Anicius Boethius, his The Consolation of Philosophy, and how his wonderful life – with Fortune “smiling” upon him – turned “sour” with the betrayal of friends, supporters, etc.  Lady Philosophy comes to him late in his life, now shunned, ostracized, imprisoned; and reframes for Boethius his life arguing that change is normal and consequently Fortune’s right (to be Fortune and change his[her?] mind).

 

Affective Priming (Haidt’s “Like-o-Meter”)

 

The most important words in the elephant’s language are “like” and “dislike” (and embodied in behavioral terms as “approach” and “withdraw”).  The subtle (i.e., can be conscious or un-) effect is always occurring in the automatic processing of the elephant; although sometimes the rider is (or becomes) aware of the feeling.  It  fuels the…“affects” – as in it being the driver for – both confirmation bias and the negativity bias (see below).

 

Put another way, affective priming explains how the rider can be clueless (as in conscious, vocal, adamant denial) of feelings that the elephant knows; i.e., it is possible (hell, it happens all the time) to bypass the rider and “talk directly” to the elephant…and what the elephant has to say (does say in often unrecognized – and unreconciled – ways) can be somewhat disturbing!

 

 

Most people’s elephant sees too many things as bad and not enough as good.  (Haidt: “Kinda makes sense – threats [bad] can kill you, whereas pleasures [good] may “kill you” [in the long run, like booze] too, but which is more urgent?)

 

One of the natural selection (i.e., evolution) design principles – called the negativity bias – is that bad is stronger than good.  “Responses to unpleasantness and especially threats are faster, stronger, and harder to inhibit than those reactions we have to opportunities and pleasures.”  E.g., 1) It’s fun to win at poker; yet it hurts more to lose.  2) A compliment is nice; whereas an insult can be devastating.  3) Anger inevitably overwhelms the calmer, kinder response.  4) We generally know when we don’t like someone before we know when we do.

 

Another “candidate” for a design principle of animal life: Opposing systems push against each other to reach a balance point…but the balance point is adjustable.  E.g., limb movement (extend/retract muscles always in tension but movement is the adjustable balance point); the sympathetic system prepares one for “fight vs flight” but the parasympathetic system “calms us down.”  Even our behavior is governed by the approach system (which triggers positive emotions, making one want to move forward or towards) and the withdrawal system (which triggers negative feelings, prompting one to pull back or away).  BTW, one reason the withdrawal system (a negativity bias tool) is so quick and compelling is that it gets first crack at all incoming information…(Haidt goes on to explain the brain’s amygdala processing.)

 

Negativity bias – bad is stronger and faster than good – is most conspicuous when “the elephant reacts before the rider even sees the snake on the path.  Although you can tell yourself that you are not afraid of snakes, if your elephant fears them and rears up, you’ll still likely be thrown.”

 

 

There is brainwave research evidence (relating to the frontal cortex activity) that one’s affective style – positive/negative, optimist/pessimist, emotional processing [rate of mood/attitude change] – is more “nature” than nurture; i.e., the hand you’re dealt.  (jmh: I guess there’s not much you can do about this – yet (meds, maybe?); but understanding the nature/nurture relationship in confronting this reality can probably only help…)

 

 

Without further discussion for now: Meditation, Cognitive Therapy, Prozac (pharmacology).  One or another may be more effective, depending; but all three should be considered and made available to people.

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“Life itself is but what you deem it, and you can – through meditation, cognitive therapy, and Prozac – redeem [as in re-deem] yourself.”

 

 

*Jonathan Haidt: The Happiness Hypothesis, 2006