Why Our Brain Doesn't Always Know What Makes Us Happy

A Brain Designed for Survival, Not Happiness

One of the most puzzling realities of being human is that our natural instincts do not always guide us toward happiness.

The reason for this apparent contradiction lies in our evolutionary history.

Our brain was not designed in an environment of abundance and security, but in the African savannah, a world full of dangers and scarcity.

Its main purpose was not to make us happy, but to keep us alive and ensure the propagation of our genes.

Therefore, the "operating system" of our brain is optimized for survival, not for well-being in the complex modern world.

Many of the impulses and biases that helped us survive as hunter-gatherers are now counterproductive to our quest for a full and satisfying life.

If we simply follow our "autopilot," we will often find ourselves making choices that lead us away from the happiness we desire.

Primitive Instincts in a Modern World: Food and Money

Two clear examples of this evolutionary mismatch are our relationship with food and money.

Our brains are programmed to desire foods rich in fats and sugars.

For our ancestors, finding a high-calorie source was a lucky break that could mean the difference between life and death.

In today's world, with supermarkets on every corner, this same instinct leads us to over-consume unhealthy foods, harming our well-being.

Similarly, our brain associates the accumulation of resources with security.

In the past, accumulating furs or tools increased the chances of survival.

Today, this instinct translates into the belief that more money will make us happier and more secure. However, as we have already seen, this quest often proves fruitless.

Another survival instinct is selfishness: the brain tells us to hoard our resources.

But modern research shows that we are happiest when we are generous and spend on others.

Negativity Bias and Laziness: Counterproductive Survival Mechanisms

Our brain also has a strong negativity bias. It is designed to pay much more attention to threats and problems than to positive things.

For a caveman, ignoring a potential predator had far more serious consequences than ignoring a pretty flower.

This mechanism kept us safe, but in the modern world, it predisposes us to constant worry and rumination about what could go wrong, generating anxiety and reducing our happiness.

Another survival instinct is the conservation of energy, which translates into a natural tendency to laziness. Avoiding effort was a good strategy when calories were scarce.

Today, however, this tendency toward inaction prevents us from engaging in challenging but deeply satisfying activities, such as exercise or learning new skills, that are crucial to our long-term well-being.

The Need to Override Autopilot with Mindfulness

The bottom line of all this is that we cannot blindly rely on our instincts to guide us to happiness.

Following what we naturally "feel like" often means overeating, being lazy, worrying unnecessarily, and pursuing material goals that don't satisfy us.

Achieving lasting well-being in the modern world requires an act of conscious override.

We need to use our prefrontal cortex