[Happiness] Why Chasing Happiness Only Leaves You Feeling Unhappier

 

 

Why Chasing Happiness Only Leaves You Feeling Unhappier

 

원문 링크 : https://www.lifehack.org/887326/chasing-happiness

Why Chasing Happiness Only Leaves You Feeling Unhappier - LifeHack

 

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0. Introduction

 

 

At first glance, we would think that chasing happiness should make us happy.

at first glance : 처음에는

 

 

After all, we're all actively in search of what would bring joy to our lives.

after all : 결국에는
in search of : ~을 찾아서

 

 

There is a familiar feeling that accompanies the chase for happiness.

accompany : 동반되다
chase : 좇음

 

 

You end up feeling overwhelemed and anxious.

end up ~ing : 결국 ~하게 되다

 

 

That pressure to be happy all the time could take a toll on you.

toll : 대가

 

 

Societal misunderstandings have fed us with a lot of pressure and anxiety surrounding discussions about happiness.

societal : 사회의
misunderstanding : 오해
feed with : ~를 제공하다
surround : 둘러싸다

 

 

This results in chasing happiness out of our lives, instead of letting this blissful feeling in.

result in : 결과적으로 ~를 야기하다
out of : ~에서
blissful : 더없이 행복한

 

 

These societal misunderstandings are myths surrounding happiness that we have accepted for far too long.

myth : 근거 없는 믿음
accept : 믿다, 받아들이다

 

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1. Myths About Happiness

 

 

As unbelievable as it may sound, you can laugh and smile all day but still not be happy.

sound : ~처럼 들리다

 

 

You don't have to be numb to negative feelings to be truly happy.

numb : 감각이 없는

 

 

If you wish to hone your ability to thrive and survive in today's world, then you need to let go of this myth about happiness being the absence of of negative emotions.

hone : 연마하다
thrive : 성공하다

 

 

These negative feelings serve as an alert system to let you know the things that are wrong and how you can correct them.

serve as : ~의 역할을 하다
alert : 경보

 

 

Now more than ever, we live in a society that is becoming more obsessed with success as each day passes.

more than ever : 여느 때보다도 더

 

 

You may have that sense of achievement that comes with winning.

sense of achievement : 성취감

 

 

People who experience more happiness and overall well-being also tend to experience more success - not the other way around.

not the other way around : 그 반대가 아니라

 

 

It's simple : what makes you happy is not the same thing that makes the next person happy.

next : 옆의

 

 

People erroneously assume that we all want the same things in life to be happy.

erroneously : 잘못되게

 

 

However, while moving a little above the poverty line increases happiness, it has no correlation to happiness beyond that.

poverty : 빈곤

 

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2. Why You Shouldn't Be Chasing Happiness

 

 

Chasing happiness will only leave you as disgruntled and discontent as a lot of other people.

disgruntled : 불만스러워 하는, 시무룩한
discontent : 불만이 있는, 만족스럽지 않은

 

 

You may be trying so hard to convince yourself that you're genuinely happy.

convince : 납득시키다
genuinely : 진정으로

 

 

If you want to live a happy life, you need to embrace all expriences fully.

embrace : 받아들이다, 수용하다

 

 

Chasing happiness is only an attempt to block out the unpleasant aspects of life, and you can never sustain this.

block out : 차단하다
unpleasant : 불쾌한, 기분 나쁜

 

 

A life well-lived will contain both horrors and wondrous moments.

horror : 참혹한 경험
wondrous : 경이로운, 경탄스러운

 

 

Instaead of sheltering yourself from pain, use it as a tool to learn and grow.

shelter : 보호하다
shelter from : ~로부터 보호하다

 

 

Furthermore, the statement that chasing happiness only leaves you feeling unhappier is backed by scientists.

back : 지지하다

 

 

From this study, we can see that time seems to vanish while we actively pursue happiness as a goal rather than just enjoying the moment.

vanish : 사라지다

 

 

Life would be incredibly dull if we had to live from one blissful moment to the other.

dull : 따분한
blissful : 더없이 행복한

 

 

So, rather than getting lost while chasing happiness, live a happier life by engaging in activities that allow the flow of happiness to you.

get lost : 길을 잃다
engage in : ~에 참여하다

 

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3. How to Achieve True Happiness

 

 

When you're able to answer these questions truthfully and work towards being actively involved in what you love, then you will be gravitating towards joy and satisfaction instead of constantly chasing happiness.

truthfully : 진실하게
gravitate : ~에 자연히 끌리다

 

 

What happens next is that you have a euphoric response where you're doing something you genuinely love.

euphoric : 행복한

 

 

You can live an enjoyable life when you think more about enjoying each moment as it comes.

enjoyable : 즐거운

 

 

Focus on your immediate surroundings and what you can be grateful for.

immediate : 바로 옆에 있는
surrounding : 환경

 

 

However, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive to have a pleasant one.

strive to : 분투하다
pleasant : 즐거운

 

 

However, this becomes a problem when our achievements are deeply woven with how happy we feel.

weave : 엮다

 

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4. Final Thoughts

 

 

"Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels."

heel : 발뒤꿈치

 

 

 

 

 

* 본문 이미지 출처 : Lifehack (https://www.lifehack.org/)

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