Sunday, September 22, 2013
Want to be happier? Stay in the moment...Post 3
When are humans most happy? To gather data on this question, Matt Killingsworth built an app, Track Your Happiness, that let people report their feelings in real time. Among the surprising results: We're often happiest when we're lost in the moment. And the flip side: The more our mind wanders, the less happy we can be. Watch the TED Talk and take notes that you can then use to answer the following question: How could this TED Talk benefit Holden and Chris? You must include a properly embedded and cited quotation from the novel you are currently reading AND refer specifically to the novel you read over the summer (no quotation needed). Please respond to another classmate's post. Ted Talk Link
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Most people are happier when their mind stays in the present and doesn't wander, unless it's something pleasant. (Although I personally disagree with that assertion.) Holden's and McCandless's minds tend to wander quite a bit. In Into the Wild, McCandless's mind often wanders to his failures, or the failures of his parents, or to his future visit to Alaska. One of his friends even said that after a bad score at a track meet, he'd go off on his own and beat himself up. Holden's mind wanders even more. When he walked to the Museum of Natural History, he reminisced about his childhood visits to there, and how he felt during them; he felt "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move...The only thing that would be different would be you" (Salinger 121). He's thinking about the past, not the moment. The scientist in the Ted Talk would argue that these thoughts are what make Holden unhappy, and if he thought about the present more, he'd be happier overall. Perhaps that is true. But mind-wandering is what makes Holden and McCandless relatable. Human beings do many things on autopilot, such as breathing. Since everyone is always breathing, it could be argued that the mind is always wandering, unless they spend every minute of their lives thinking about breathing. What kind or a life would that be? Part of being human is dreaming of being happy, and those dreams in and of themselves can sometimes bring a smile to a person's face. Has this scientist never looked forward to talking with a loved one when he gets home? Worrying about the future, though negative, can be helpful too. It is how human beings make decisions, because they have the time to weigh all of the possible consequences. Thinking about the past, another form of mind wandering, allows you to reflect on your actions for next time, or attempt to understand a book you just read.
ReplyDeleteI do have one question about the scientist's study. If the study has a participant who is a historian, and they are thinking about history, would that be mind wandering or not? Their mind isn't on the moment-or is it?
I like what you said about the mind wandering making the characters relatable. I never thought of it that way, but now that I think of it, had the characters only been focused on what was happening right then, I would have lost interest very quickly.
DeleteI agree with what you said about how when Holden was in the Museum it made him a little upset because he was focusing more on the past and how he used to remember things being in the Museum, than how they were now. Instead of enjoying what he was seeing and experiencing in the present, he was too focused on the past.
DeleteI agree with what you said because when Holden was in the museum, it did make him unhappy because he was too busy thinking about the past to actually be happy in the present.
DeleteAccording to this TED Talk, humans are happiest when they are focused on their present activity and their minds are not wandering. Holden and Chris are rarely focused on the present activity as they are both always thinking about the next leg of their journey. They are both, as chance (or science) may have it, unhappy a lot of the time. This could have something to do with what the TED Talk was saying. If they focused more on the present and what they were doing right then, they might end up being happier! For example, when Chris was working with Westerberg for the final time, he made some wonderful friends and became close with many of the people around the area. Upon departing, Borah, Westerberg's girlfriend reports that she "noticed he was crying. That frightened [her]" (Krakauer, online). The fact that he cried when he left this place that he had grown to love speaks to the fact that he must of enjoyed being there. This means that if he had kept his mind in the present, he would have been happy. Holden had similar experiences. He would think about what he was going to do next or about his not-so-great childhood. For example, when he was in the Natural History Museum, he comments on how nothing ever changes. This should make him happy, but instead he thinks about all the times he went there as a child and is not happy. Had Holden and Chris known about the science behind happiness when they embarked on their journeys, they might have been able to make better use of their thinking. They may have kept their mind in the present and been able to be happy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Chris might have found true happiness if he had stayed with Westerberg and built up those relationships he had made, he did seem to grow to love that area. I also agree with that fact that Holden was thinking about the past, and how he seemed to be longing for it or just to be in a time that everything was like the Museum. Both would have benefited from just focusing on the time period they are in instead of jumping around.
DeleteWhen you are focusing on what you are doing it tends to make you happier, unless you are thinking of something happy and pleasant and this TED talk proves this point to be correct. Holden and Chris could both benefit from this TED talk because I think they are both known for sort of spacing out and wandering off when it comes to staying focused on what they are doing, especially Holden. Although Chris’ mind tends to wander a bit, it isn’t nearly as much as Holden. When Holden is dancing with the girls in the bar he is constantly letting his mind wander off and distract him from what he is doing and what is going on around him. He would think of something and then go off on a tangent about that specific thing whether it be talking to the girl he was dancing with or if he was just thinking about something. “She wasn’t listening. So I ignored her for a while. We just danced. God, could that dopey girl dance. Buddy Singer and his stinking band was playing “Just One of Those Things’ and even they couldn’t ruin it entirely” (Salinger 71). Holden then continues to talk about music and the way people dance. If he had just stayed focused on the girl he was dancing with an kept a conversation with her without constantly going off, he may have enjoyed it more and been a little bit happier by the time they were done dancing and the girls had to leave. The boys really could have benefited from hearing this TED talk because then they would know that if they just stayed focused and payed attention to what they were doing, they would be a whole lot happier.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Holden gets off track easily or lets his mind wander to other things, and he would lead a happier life if he had payed more attention to what he was doing.
DeleteHolden and Chris can both relate to this TED talk because it is about the wandering mind, something that they both endure. Holden would be able to relate to the TED talk more easily because there are examples of when Holden is talking to someone or about something where his mind wanders off to something that could relate to what his original thoughts were, or just something completely unrelated. On the other hand, it is harder to see Chris's wandering mind in action because how the book is written, not from his own perspective, but someone else's. An observation about Chris's thoughts is that, “sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often.” (Krakauer, online). From this, I can conclude that most people are happier when they are more focused on themselves and making themselves happy, not trying to figure out why the bad things in the world happen, or why people do bad things. This could also apply to Holden because he was always pointing out the "phoniness" in people and questioned peoples motives, good doings, etc. If he had focused on himself and not other peoples flaws he could have figured out how to be happy.
ReplyDeleteBoth Chris and Holden can relate to this TED talk on happiness. In the TED talk, the guy talks about how in order to be happy, you have to keep your mind focused on the present and not let it wander. This can relate to both Chris and Holden because they always seem to be unhappy with their lives. Chris McCandless is always thinking about his past and how he thinks of himself and his parents as a failure. When Chris isn’t thinking about the past, he is thinking of his future when he is in the woods of Alaska. Similar to Chris, Holden is also always thinking about his past. In a lot of parts of the book, Holden is thinking about his little sister Phoebe and all the fun times he had with her or all the good times he had with his brother Allie before he died. Another example is when he is searching the park for Phoebe and is directed towards the museum. When he gets to the museum he allows his mind to wander and think about all the weekly visits he had to the museum. “The best thing though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was,” (Stalinger121). This part in the book shows Holden unhappy because he becomes sad at the thought of this being in his past rather than his present. So, both Holden and Chris can relate to this TED talk since they both are unhappy a lot in the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree for the most part, but I think that Chris is probably happier than Holden, simply based on the fact that he does seem to live in the moment. Besides when he is writing his journal entries, he tends to be pushing himself to the limit constantly - something that requires a lot of focus and a limit on mind-wandering - such as when he decides to canoe down the Colorado River.
DeleteIn this ted talk, it is explained that when our minds wander we are much unhappy than if we are concentrating on what we are doing. This ted talk could benefit both Chris and Holden because let their minds wander and they could be much happier if they concentrated on what they were doing. In Holden's case, he is almost always thinking of something else, for example, when he was telling his former history teacher how good of a teacher he was, he was letting his mind wander. Also he thinks of his dead kid brother a lot during his day, especially when he is depressed, he says he talks to his brother saying "grab your bike and meet me...". I am sure that if he had focus more on his studies he could have gone further and have been happier. With McCandless it was different, he had to be more on top of things or he would have met his demise sooner, but he did let his mind wander sometimes like when he was by himself with no one or nothing to talk to. If they had stayed focused more they would have better succeeded in life and would have been happier.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you mentioned that Holden thinks about his dead brother a lot during the day. Although this is an example of mind wandering and is considered to be bad, I think that thinking about things like this is necessary, because mind wandering allows us to sometimes remember bad thoughts instead of keeping them boiling up inside. This allows people to express their emotions instead of hiding feelings from themselves and others.
DeleteI agree with you on how they could be happier however I think it is because they need to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the present.
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ReplyDeleteThis TED Talk gives us a better understanding about what effects Holden’s and Chris’s happiness. In the TED Talk it talks to us about how someone’s focus on the present task can have an impact on their happiness. If someone was to have their mind wander, they are most likely going to think about unpleasant things. These unpleasant things can consist of failures, regrets, and other tasks that have to be accomplished. All of these overall is very overwhelming and can result in stress and anxiety. This can relate to both Holden and Chris because while they are mostly focused on a single goal their minds tend to wander about other things, which never the less overcomplicates the situation. Such as how Holden is hard on himself about his past failures to interact with people instead of thinking about the current task. Although all of these things weigh down and can give anxiety. sometimes it is needed to keep us alert to what is happening around us, allowing us to remember things that need to be taken care of. Sometimes people tend not to worry about it and have a more “go with the flow” lifestyle. Chris McCandless tends to follow a similar principle to life; he thinks that “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”. This shows us that he tends to focus on the everything to make up his happiness. If his mind did not wander he would feel discontent with the overall experience of his life. Although he believes focusing on the road in front of him would give him joy and happiness, his mind ended up wandering anyway and eventually impacted the role of his death. Some people think that mind wandering is unnecessary and choose to be focused on current events, but mind wandering is a human tendency and can not be avoided.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy how you explained mind wandering as a human tendency that cannot be avoided. This takes a little off of Holden and Chris's shoulders. I do and do not agree with Chris having a "go with the flow attitude". Although he found joy with his endlessly changing horizon, he looked towards his future constantly. I also liked how you mention over complication through mind wandering. Holden really liked to do that, especially with cab drivers.
DeleteChris and Holden could both benefit from watching this TED talk. Holden wasn't happy because he was focusing on the past and other people rather than himself. Holden mind-wandered all the time and wasn't happy as the result of it. Holden was happy in the end when he was with Phoebe and focused on spending time with her. He could benefit from this TED talk because he would focus more on the present. Chris could benefit from this TED talk by focusing on work and his friends in the different states rather than his trip to Alaska. He doesn't believe settling down in a family and having a semi-normal life will bring him happiness. He even tells Mr. Franz that he "(thinks) careers are a 20th century invention and...doesn't want one." Watching this TED talk could encourage him to focus on the present rather than the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Holden was focusing on the past and what people thought of him. He was "changing" himself to be happy, but that wasn't what was going to make him happy. He needed to work on himself. I also agree with you on the Chris one because he just wants to be alone and I don't think that will help him in life if he doesn't become a social person. He's going to get bored of it rather quickly and wished he made connections in the past.
Delete“We like companionship, see, but we can't stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell out again.” (Chris) This is exactly what Chris does he goes out and doesn't try to be social. He doesn't like being around people and that's not going to help him out in life. He can benefit from this TED talk because it will show him the things he needs to be happy. You can't be alone your whole life. I also think that Holden can benefit from this TED talk because he wasn't doing things that made him happy. Like in NYC when he wanted to have sex with Sunny he kept talking to her, and thought that sex was going to be the best thing, but he realized that that wasn't what he was looking for he just needed people to talk to. He is shown that he can't be alone; the TED talk shows him the things he needs in his life to truly make him happy rather then thinking that doing something is going to make him a better person or happier.
ReplyDeleteThis TED Talk was all about how living in the present and focusing on what you are doing at that exact moment, will actually bring you more happiness then if you let your mind wander. When you wander, unpleasant thoughts can arouse; worries and regrets. Holden benefit from this TED Talk because he is all about thinking of different events at random times. When Holden went into the Museum, he thought about his past and how he loved it there because everything stayed the same. This has great possibility to be a sad thought, to make him unhappy, because it makes him not like the world he is in or the changes that are happening around him all day. Chris seems to be mind wandering all the time about his trip to Alaska and how that is really what he wants to do. This causes him to only want the future and never really divulge himself in the present. At the end of the book Chris has an realization “HAPPINESS IS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED” (Krakauer 189). If only Chris had not let his mind wander to his trip, he could have focused on everything around him and really found his happiness. Both Holden and Chris could benefit from this TED talk because they might be able to focus on the present, instead of jumping around to the past and future.
ReplyDeleteIn this TED talk, it discussed how being in the moment and focusing on whats happening can lead to more happiness than going off into your thoughts and being distracted. This was apparent in Holden. When he was in the moment, he generally seemed to be happier. The second he'd start to drift away from reality, he would mention things that made him upset, like the loss of his brother. If he was able to stay in the present more, then I believe he would have been happier. In his journal, Chris says, "Day 100! Made it!...Death looms as a serious threat" (Krakauer, 195). In the moment, Chris is ecstatic that he's survived and made it so far. However, when his mind wanders to the future, his happiness dwindles away because he realizes that his current health may(will) lead to death. Instead of really being happy and proud of how far he came, he reminds himself that death is approaching, ruining his happiness and excitement. If both Holden and Chris had been able to watch this TED talk, I think they would have been in better control of their thoughts. Holden may have been able to handle his brother's death better, and possibly not end up being hospitalized. Although I think Chris truly was appreciative of what he did, I think he could have made it farther, or been more successful than he already was, if he focused more on living in the present and not worrying about what was coming in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with and really liked what you said about Chris not focusing on what he had already accomplished. He looked at his fate rather than thinking about what he just did. Just focusing on everything both characters dealt with could have improved both of their situations. I absolutely agree Holden could have coped with Allie's death better and Chris probably could have made it out of Alaska alive.
DeleteThe TED Talk defined an important variable in the equation of happiness, which is mind-wandering. Data shows that when people think about the past or future instead of focusing on the task at hand, they are substantially less happy. If only Chris and Holden could have seen this. Holden spent most of his time caught up in his past. He would constantly remind himself of either Allie (his dead brother) or Jane (his old girlfriend). Neither of these are pleasant thoughts. Rarely was Holden ever immersed in the present or a specific task. He would tie in different experiences of his life to everything he did. When on a date with Sally, he did not enjoy himself with the beautiful girl but rather tried to plan the future. Chris on the other hand usually looked into the future. He admits that he has “been thinking more and more that I shall always be a lone wanderer of the wilderness” (91 Krakauer). His mind wandered constantly to what would happen in the future, instead of focusing on the present. Chris abandoned his normal life because he was obviously unhappy, but even being alone in the wilderness, his mind wanders, a sign of unhappiness. If Holden or Chris had lived in the present instead of looking toward the future or back into the past, they could have been happier before being sent to a mental hospital or dying alone in the frozen Alaskan tundra.
ReplyDeleteThe TED Talk displayed how influential mind-wandering is to our unhappiness rather than when we focus on the moment. The data shown lets us know that Mind Wandering leads to unhappiness because when we do this, we focus in on our anxieties, regrets, and mostly other unpleasant things. This information would benefit Chris and Holden because throughout their stories, they both have the tendency to Mind Wander, causing them more unhappiness then need be. For Chris, he has trekked out to Alaska and reports "Day 100! Made it!...Death looms as a serious threat" (Krakauer, 195). At first, Chris seems to be focusing in on the present and the accomplishment of surviving until Day 100, but reading further we see that his mind wanders to the fear of death, later causing him unhappiness. The same thing happens for Holden when he's talking with Stradtler about Jane Gallagher. Holden discovers that Stradtler is going on a date with Jane and is at first happy on hearing that Stradtler is going out with a friend of his and that he is hearing Jane's name again. But, soon after his mind begins to wander and he remembers how Stradtler treats girls and how wonderful Jane is, he knows Stradtler is not good for her. This begins to upset Holden and he cannot move on from the fact, which is why he would need this information from the TED Talk.
ReplyDeleteThis TED talk discusses mind-wandering and its link to happiness or rather, unhappiness. Matt Killingsworth figured out that when our minds wander, we become unhappy. Mind-wandering is a cause rather than an effect. Typically when people aren't focusing on the task at hand, they are thinking of stresses, anxieties and other unpleasant things which in turn make us unhappy. In Catcher, Holden is constantly dwelling on the past. Holden talks about Allie's death and other events from his childhood that are all upsetting. When Gail Borah was recalling her encounter with Chris she said he would talk about "Serious stuff, like he was baring his soul, kind of." and that "You could see something was gnawing at him." (Krakauer, 63) When memories gnaw at you, they are definitely not happy memories. Viewing this TED talk would cause both characters to realize that in order to be happy, you need to let the past go. It would greatly benefit both of them. Holden wouldn't be so cynical and Chris wouldn't be so alone.
ReplyDeleteHumans are most happy when they are living in the moment and doing what they enjoy. While Holden and Chris both seem to act in the moment, their mind wanders almost constantly. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden is almost always thinking about something other than what he is doing. For example, as he walks past the Museum of Natural History, he thinks about how great it is that everything inside the museum never changes and then goes on to begin thinking about Phoebe and Jane and everybody else that maybe he could call up or go and visit. As the TED Talk suggests, mind-wandering might be part of the reason that Holden repeatedly admits that he feels depressed and lonely. Maybe if he lived a little bit more in the moment and focused on what he was doing, then he would have an easier time finding happiness. Chris is very similar, although because Into the Wild is written in third person, it is hard to tell exactly how much Chris’s mind wanders or even what he might be thinking about during his journey through the west. However, based on the journal entries that Chris wrote, it’s clear to me that his mind wanders often. Despite this, Chris seems to have truly enjoyed the way in which he chose to live during his later years. In one of his journals, he writes, “Can this be the same Alex that set out in July, 1990? Malnutrition and the road have taken their toll on his body. Over 25 pounds lost. But his spirit is soaring” (Krakauer 37). So, although Chris mind-wanders, his decision to live for the moment seems to have improved his happiness, supporting the claims of the TED Talk.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Holden's mind is almost always wandering, which makes it difficult for him to be happy. He's usually dwelling on the sadness of the past, like his brother's death, or he's thinking about who to call and hangout with. Throughout the book he even admits that he's "depressed." Likewise, I also agree with you that Chris does seem more happy even though he's getting lost in the moment.
DeleteI think that Chris and Holden are both excellent examples of how people are happiest when they're lost in the moment, yet the more their minds wander the less happy they can be. Chris clearly shows that people can be happiest when they're lost in the moment, because his hitchhiking adventure to Alaska is about getting lost in the moment. He chooses to give away his money and ditch his car so that he can get lost in the moment and truly be happy. He's wasn't satisfied with possessions, and desired an adventure. One particular adventure on his trip in Alaska was when he climbed the mountainside of the "Thumb." You can tell he truly got lost in the moment because he wrote, "All that held me to the mountainside, all that held me to the world, were two thin spikes of chrome molybdenum stuck half an inch into a smear of frozen water, yet the higher I climbed, the more comfortable I became" (Krakauer 142). Chris became more comfortable as he continued climbing, because he was able to get lost in the moment of climbing for his life. Holden, on the other hand, shows us how the more people's minds wander the less happy they can be. This is because he is constantly bringing up unpleasant events of the past and then becoming "depressed" thinking about them. For instance, he frequently mentions his brother Allies death, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is affecting his happiness. He can't look to his future because he's too busy thinking about how his brother never got the chance to have a future. Therefore, Chris exemplifies how you can be happy while your lost in the moment, whereas Holden shows how mind wandering can really affect a person's potential happiness.
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