The Fear of Happiness



It sounds peculiar but many of us are, beneath the surface, surprisingly scared of the one thing we all say we want: happiness. We can be remarkably skilled at dodging an emotion that is scary because it feels so unfamiliar and so illegal (for us). We should – of course – learn to outgrow our inhibition and give happiness the place it deserves in our lives.
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“Given how much we all long to be happy, we might presume that accepting the possibility of happiness in our lives would be an uncomplicated, serene and automatic process. But for many of us, however theoretically attached we might be to the notion of being happy, the possibility of actually being so is liable to trigger deep ambivalence and fear. We would – it appears – often prefer to be worried and sad rather than attempt take on the risks surreptitiously connected in our minds with positive moods. We may – however paradoxical it sounds – be nothing less than afraid to be happy…”

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CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

David Crisp

Title animation produced in collaboration with

Vale Productions

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