{"id":38016,"date":"2021-06-02T16:18:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T20:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=38016"},"modified":"2021-06-14T10:28:15","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T14:28:15","slug":"causes-of-unhappiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/causes-of-unhappiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Causes of Unhappiness: Csikszentmihalyi’s 2 Reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the main causes of unhappiness<\/a>? Why do you need to understand what causes unhappiness before you can be happy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Flow, <\/em>Csikszentmihalyi says that there are two main causes of unhappiness. First, our universe is a harsh place to live in\u2014we have to weather disasters, diseases, lack of resources, etc… On top of that, solving challenges doesn’t eradicate them forever\u2014something new will always come up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what Csikszentmihalyi says we need to understand about unhappiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Causes Unhappiness?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Understanding what happiness is requires understanding the causes of unhappiness. Csikszentmihalyi offers two reasons it\u2019s difficult to find happiness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The universe is a harsh place. <\/strong>Cold temperatures and darkness make the universe inhospitable to life. On Earth, disease, natural disasters, and famine have made survival challenging for millions of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To weather chaos, humans created myths, religions, and cultural norms. For example, as kids, we\u2019re taught how the world is, and we think living will be better and easier when we\u2019re adults. We also may think that struggle in the present will bring happiness in the future. For example, a teacher might reassure you that a boring class will help you land a job as an adult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discontent occurs when our reality doesn\u2019t match how we\u2019re told the world should be, making happiness feel difficult to achieve.<\/strong> This happens when people in an established, successful culture think their continued progress is inevitable, but they experience a setback. For example, the Chinese thought their culture would keep advancing until they were conquered by the Mongols. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realizing Reality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we realize life isn\u2019t as easy as we thought, we may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n