In Daniel Gilbert’s “Reporting Live from Tomorrow,” chapter eleven of Stumbling on Happiness, Gilbert discusses surrogates and how they benefit everyone. Surrogates, utilized as a part of the book, implies that an individual such as our parents, teachers, friends, counselors etc. who have gone through a personal experience and is able to tell other people on how they felt or what their experience was like. Daniel Gilbert suggest that people should base their future on the reports of surrogates, as opposed to their own because surrogates have a better understanding of what the future would look like. Surrogates, used in everyday life, has a large role in our society. Gilbert’s theory of having a surrogate is effective because when observing
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Unfortunately, imagination can take someone far from reality. Gilbert portrays three shortcomings of imagination. The first of Gilbert’s shortcomings of imagination states,“Imagination’s first shortcoming is its tendency to fill in and leave out without telling us” (Gilbert 247). When imagination takes over, if one does not seek a surrogate, the mind will fill in pieces of false information with reality and will tend to give that person a falsified view of that situation. For instance, as a kid, I had always dreamt of being a teacher. I did not rely on a surrogate so I had pictured myself to do the fun and cool activities but when I hit college, I observed my surrogate, Mr. Kols and found out that there is more work involved and there is no time to play around. My imagination got my hopes up but with the help of my surrogate, I saw the pros and cons of becoming a teacher. The second shortcoming is, “Imagination’s second shortcoming is its tendency to project the present onto the future” (Gilbert 250). For instance, if my parents and friends told me that I would become a great teacher because of the qualities they see in me, it will impact on how I would feel later on. The third shortcoming of imagination is, “Its failure to recognize that things will look different once they happen—in particular, that bad things will look a whole lot better” (Gilbert 250). When we imagine doing …show more content…
This will not only maintain an assuring feeling, but will also help in more confident and happy about the decision they make. It helps to talk to someone else about problems one may be facing because it helps make one feel better about themself. It makes them feel as if they are not the only person going through the certain situation, and in return, leaving them reassured. Surrogates aid in keeping people happier because they allow people to learn from others’
Unfortunately, imagination can take someone far from reality. Gilbert portrays three shortcomings of imagination. The first of Gilbert’s shortcomings of imagination states,“Imagination’s first shortcoming is its tendency to fill in and leave out without telling us” (Gilbert 247). When imagination takes over, if one does not seek a surrogate, the mind will fill in pieces of false information with reality and will tend to give that person a falsified view of that situation. For instance, as a kid, I had always dreamt of being a teacher. I did not rely on a surrogate so I had pictured myself to do the fun and cool activities but when I hit college, I observed my surrogate, Mr. Kols and found out that there is more work involved and there is no time to play around. My imagination got my hopes up but with the help of my surrogate, I saw the pros and cons of becoming a teacher. The second shortcoming is, “Imagination’s second shortcoming is its tendency to project the present onto the future” (Gilbert 250). For instance, if my parents and friends told me that I would become a great teacher because of the qualities they see in me, it will impact on how I would feel later on. The third shortcoming of imagination is, “Its failure to recognize that things will look different once they happen—in particular, that bad things will look a whole lot better” (Gilbert 250). When we imagine doing …show more content…
This will not only maintain an assuring feeling, but will also help in more confident and happy about the decision they make. It helps to talk to someone else about problems one may be facing because it helps make one feel better about themself. It makes them feel as if they are not the only person going through the certain situation, and in return, leaving them reassured. Surrogates aid in keeping people happier because they allow people to learn from others’