Stick to blogging Burgess

On my Soap Box -The Daily News published my ameteur rant-April 2012

I am writing in response to the article titled Happiness may be overrated, which I find preposterous and lacking in supporting evidence.  The article states that a number of studies disprove the perception that a lot of happiness is good for us.  Firstly it says that too much happiness can make you gullible.  Do they mean too open minded and less cynical? How typical a thing to say in a world where cynicism is a staple diet.  The article then proceeds to list behaviours provoked by too much happiness namely risk taking, excessive alcohol and drug consumption and binge eating. Where do you draw the line, when every other research study is listing the very same behaviour above as signs of severe depression? The contradiction is bewildering and frankly socially irresponsible.  It then mentions that an analysis revealed that those who reported a higher level of happiness in their early lives later reported lower income, and those who felt less happy in their youth, later earned a higher income.  The psychologist “suggests” that people who do not experience much sadness or anxiety are rarely dissatisfied with their jobs and consequently are less motivated to do better. This statement is therefore based solely on the premise that higher income makes you happier?  So if you choose to cultivate relationships over slaving it at the office, you’re assumed unhappy and a subject of psychological analysis. The one that really makes me laugh is the claim that sad people are attentive to details while happy people tend to make snap judgements. This backward sentence offers no substance, and is too open to interpretation to profess to be anything of a concrete psychology find.

This type of unsubstantiated psychobabble wastes time and ink, and definitely makes you think twice about believing everything you read.