What is the Author Saying?
In the second chapter of Jane McGonigal’s Reality is Broken, she discusses the four secrets to making our own happiness. McGonigal begins by stating that there are many theories pertaining to happiness from the field of positive psychology, but they all agree on the fact that “we have to make our own happiness…”(pg. 45) She developes on this idea of making our own happiness by introducing the two separate ways to achieve the goal of being happy. First there is “extrinsic” rewards that include material goods, money, and status; second is “intrinsic” rewards which are considered to be the positive emotions, personal strengths, and social connections we create. While “extrinsic” rewards seem to be what individuals aim for, they have the capacity to become tolerant and leave us wanting more. The positive psychologists call the process of …show more content…
Throughout this chapter chunk, McGonigal’s tone shifts from informative and comprehensive to assertive when making the connection between happiness and participating in game play. She starts out by developing the idea of creating your own happiness, then uses studies that have been conducted in the field of positive psychology to give further insight. While introducing her ideas and the studies, McGonigal uses phrases such as, “we are”, “we can”, “we will” several times. This use of the word “we” allows the reader to connect more to the ideas being expressed and feel included.
In the end of the chapter chunk, Mcgonigal becomes much more assertive in her ideas and belief that gamers are proving the theories from positive psychology right. She does this by using powerful statements and shining light on the idea of games being “productive” and “...producing a higher quality of life.”(pg.51). By being assertive in how she views games, the audience is given little room to have differing opinions. This allows McGonigal to presume more confident in the argument she is
In the second chapter of Jane McGonigal’s Reality is Broken, she discusses the four secrets to making our own happiness. McGonigal begins by stating that there are many theories pertaining to happiness from the field of positive psychology, but they all agree on the fact that “we have to make our own happiness…”(pg. 45) She developes on this idea of making our own happiness by introducing the two separate ways to achieve the goal of being happy. First there is “extrinsic” rewards that include material goods, money, and status; second is “intrinsic” rewards which are considered to be the positive emotions, personal strengths, and social connections we create. While “extrinsic” rewards seem to be what individuals aim for, they have the capacity to become tolerant and leave us wanting more. The positive psychologists call the process of …show more content…
Throughout this chapter chunk, McGonigal’s tone shifts from informative and comprehensive to assertive when making the connection between happiness and participating in game play. She starts out by developing the idea of creating your own happiness, then uses studies that have been conducted in the field of positive psychology to give further insight. While introducing her ideas and the studies, McGonigal uses phrases such as, “we are”, “we can”, “we will” several times. This use of the word “we” allows the reader to connect more to the ideas being expressed and feel included.
In the end of the chapter chunk, Mcgonigal becomes much more assertive in her ideas and belief that gamers are proving the theories from positive psychology right. She does this by using powerful statements and shining light on the idea of games being “productive” and “...producing a higher quality of life.”(pg.51). By being assertive in how she views games, the audience is given little room to have differing opinions. This allows McGonigal to presume more confident in the argument she is