In a psychological experiment, participants had to identify threatening faces among neutral and friendly faces. Then, the mix of facial expressions was changed. As soon as angry faces appeared less frequently, many suddenly perceived neutral faces as frightening.
The scientists’ conclusion: “When problems become less frequent, we automatically see more situations as problematic.”
That’s why hardly anyone complains about lactose intolerance in areas where cholera is rampant.
We don’t have to make an effort to stay dissatisfied, as we have the gift of always seeing our world in a way that makes us unhappy.
This remains true even if you win the most awards and attend the best parties.
Then our dissatisfaction finds new motivations… the deceptive award circus, the limited customers, the incompetent colleagues, the even more incompetent boss, the ugly office chair, the disgusting coffee taste, the limited fruit selection, the rough toilet paper, the treacherous horse in the logo, or the ugly green color everywhere.
In the end, everything is terrible except for Mom.
The better things go, the more important it is to manage our own dissatisfaction: moving away from toilet paper, fruit selection, and colleagues, and towards ideas, meetings, and presentations.
Towards the things we can influence and that make us better.
Wishing you a truly dissatisfied week, Christian