La felicidad está sobrevalorada

Todos queremos ser felices, ¿verdad? Pero, ¿qué significa realmente la felicidad?

You might think that happiness is a simple and obvious goal, but it turns out that it’s not. Chasing happiness can actually make us miserable.

That’s what psychiatrist Rafa Euba learned from his clinical work with patients who suffer from depression and bipolar disorder. He saw how some of them pursued happiness in unhealthy and unrealistic ways, such as seeking manic highs or idealising perfect lives. But these strategies never worked. They only led to disappointment, frustration, and more pain.

So what’s the alternative? Euba suggests that we should stop chasing happiness and aim for something more attainable and satisfying: contentment. Contentment is a state of reasonable satisfaction with one’s life, with occasional joy and pain. Contentment is not based on unrealistic expectations or constant excitement but on acceptance and self-compassion.

Euba también sostiene que, además de satisfacción, también necesitamos sentido. El sentido es la sensación de finalidad y valor que obtenemos de nuestras acciones y relaciones. El sentido nos da una razón para vivir y una motivación para crecer, y no es algo que encontremos, sino algo que creamos.

¿Cómo creamos sentido? Alineando nuestras acciones con nuestros valores, contribuyendo a algo más grande que nosotros mismos, conectando con otras personas que comparten nuestra visión y aprendiendo de nuestros retos y fracasos.

So, don’t chase happiness if you want to live a better life. Chase meaning and contentment instead. They are more realistic, more fulfilling, and more sustainable. And they might just make you happier in the long run.