All that glitters is not gold

The appearance of positive psychology at the turn of the century was a game changer. Gardner’s inspirational sermons no longer appeared to be mere mottoes about the power of individuals to lift themselves up, but rather, a scientific truth. Positive psychologists indeed provided the lofty legitimacy of science to powerful institutions, Forbes Top 100 multinational companies, and a multibillion global industry widely interested in promoting and selling the same simple idea that Gardner touts in his talks: anyone can reinvent their life and become the best version of themselves by simply adopting a more positive outlook on themselves and the surrounding world. To many, the pursuit of happiness had become a serious issue whose scientific approach would yield enormous social and psychological benefits. To many others, however, the science behind all these rosy promises of personal realization and social amelioration, both in theory and in practice, cast too much of a shadow over many of its most apologetic claims, disquieting uses and contentious effects.

3 thoughts on “All that glitters is not gold

  1. shinichi Post author

    Thanks to positive psychology, happiness was no longer considered a nebulous concept, a utopian goal or an inaccessible personal luxury. Instead, it became a universal objective, a measurable concept around which these scientists claimed to have finally spotted the psychological features that defined the healthy, successful and optimally functioning individual. It turned out, though, and to a great extent unsurprisingly, that these features almost perfectly matched those embodied by people like Gardner himself. According to positive psychologists, high levels of emotional intelligence, autonomy, self-esteem, optimism, resilience and self-motivation were the typical psychological features of self-managed, authentic and flourishing people who displayed higher levels of happiness, health, and personal success. Indeed, the profile of the happy individual bears such close resemblance to Gardner’s that it was claimed that the movie qualified as a high-quality positive psychological film.

    The appearance of positive psychology at the turn of the century was a game changer. Gardner’s inspirational sermons no longer appeared to be mere mottoes about the power of individuals to lift themselves up, but rather, a scientific truth. Positive psychologists indeed provided the lofty legitimacy of science to powerful institutions, Forbes Top 100 multinational companies, and a multibillion global industry widely interested in promoting and selling the same simple idea that Gardner touts in his talks: anyone can reinvent their life and become the best version of themselves by simply adopting a more positive outlook on themselves and the surrounding world. To many, the pursuit of happiness had become a serious issue whose scientific approach would yield enormous social and psychological benefits. To many others, however, the science behind all these rosy promises of personal realization and social amelioration, both in theory and in practice, cast too much of a shadow over many of its most apologetic claims, disquieting uses and contentious effects.

    Time has proved the sceptics and critics right: sure enough, all that glitters in happiness is not gold, so we should approach its science and enticing promises with caution.

    All that glitters is not gold: misgivings and disbeliefs

    The question then arises: is happiness the most important goal we should all strive towards? Perhaps. But, if we consider the discourse of happiness scientists, then we must remail critical.

    Reply
  2. shinichi Post author

    Manufacturing Happy Citizens: How the Science and Industry of Happiness Control our Lives

    by Edgar Cabanas, Eva Illouz

    The imperative of happiness dictates the conduct and direction of our lives. There is no escape from the tyranny of positivity. But is happiness the supreme good that all of us should pursue? So says a new breed of so-called happiness experts, with positive psychologists, happiness economists and self-development gurus at the forefront. With the support of influential institutions and multinational corporations, these self-proclaimed experts now tell us what governmental policies to apply, what educational interventions to make and what changes we must undertake in order to lead more successful, more meaningful and healthier lives.

    With a healthy scepticism, this book documents the powerful social impact of the science and industry of happiness, arguing that the neoliberal alliance between psychologists, economists and self-development gurus has given rise to a new and oppressive form of government and control in which happiness has been woven into the very fabric of power.

    Reply
  3. shinichi Post author

    ハッピークラシー――「幸せ」願望に支配される日常

    by エドガー・カバナスエヴァ・イルーズ

    translated by 高里ひろ

    「幸せの追求はじつのところ、アメリカ文化のもっとも特徴的な輸出品かつ重要な政治的地平であり、自己啓発本の著者、コーチ、[…]心理学者をはじめとするさまざまな非政治的な関係者らの力によって広められ、推進されてきた。だが幸せの追求がアメリカの政治的地平にとどまらず、経験科学とともに(それを共犯者として)機能するグローバル産業へと成長したのは最近のことだ」(「序」より)。
    ここで言及される経験科学とは、90年代末に創設されたポジティブ心理学である。「幸せの科学」を謳うこの心理学については、過去にも批判的指摘が数多くなされてきた。本書はそれらをふまえつつ、心理学者と社会学者の共著によって問題を多元的にとらえた先駆的研究である。
    「ハッピークラシー」は「幸せHappy」による「支配-cracy」を意味する造語。誰もが「幸せ」をめざすべき、「幸せ」なことが大事――社会に溢れるこうしたメッセージは、人びとを際限のない自己啓発、自分らしさ探し、自己管理に向かわせ、問題の解決をつねに自己の内面に求めさせる。それは社会構造的な問題から目を逸らさせる装置としても働き、怒りなどの感情はネガティブ=悪と退けられ、ポジティブであることが善とされる。新自由主義経済と自己責任社会に好都合なこの「幸せ」の興隆は、いかにして作られてきたのか。フランス発ベストセラー待望の翻訳。

    Reply

Leave a Reply to shinichi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *