Immune To Reality Daniel Gilbert Analysis

The physical immune system protects one’s body from external sickness. Similarly, the psychological immune system protects one’s mental health from unhappiness, a form of illness. In Daniel Gilbert’s “Immune to Reality,” Gilbert discusses how the brain acquires happiness. Furthermore, he demonstrates how the brain will keep one from achieving his or her true happiness. According to Robert Thurman’s “Wisdom,” the alternative method of obtaining happiness is through selflessness. Both Gilbert and Thurman illustrate throughout their essays that the more control one has on his or her environment and one’s brain, the less happiness he or she will experience. The ideas of how needing explanation, deliberating fabricating facts, and feeling regret proves that having control can lead to unhappiness. There is a famous …show more content…
With such negative connotations, it is evident that control can lead to unhappiness. When a person has knowledge, he or she can use it to create positive outcomes more often. With this, the pleasure of unpredictability dies down which can lead to unhappiness. Additionally, when a person has control over his or her brain and makes up false facts about a situation, he or she is deceiving oneself, which will also lead to unhappiness. Finally, thinking that one has control over a situation can make the person feel responsible for outcome. If the outcome is negative, the person will be regretful and if the outcome is positive, the person will have hubris. Both of these situations will lead to unhappiness. Through the three examples, it is evident that control can lead to unhappiness. However, the brain and people still desire control, which just takes a person away from happiness. People need to realize the truth about how the brain can deceive one and take him or her away from happiness. In realizing this, a person will easily be able to obtain eternal