Myth 50: 50 Great Myths Of Popular Psychology

In the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology, myth 24 is that “Happiness is Determined Mostly by our External Circumstances”(Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio,& Beyerstein 122). The myth is that to be happy we need to have lots of money, a gorgeous house, a great job, and plenty of pleasurable events in our lives(Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio,& Beyerstein 123). This myth came to belief mainly by word of mouth. Due to the fact that from birth a child is lead to believe by society's standards that if you have a well paying job and a good family everything will be perfect and you will achieve happiness. This relates to word of mouth because from generation to generation children and young adults are told that our happiness depends on our external circumstances (Hale). But thankfully this myth is completely false. Martha Washington once said “The …show more content…
By spreading awareness that you decided your happiness by how you handle situations more and more people would experience a more fulfilling life. A way society could spread the truth about this myth is through social media and magazines. Due to the fact that social media is one of the primary forms of communication. I also recommended magazines to spread the word because a lot of people read them and take what they say into consideration. Before reading the myth I didn’t think that my happiness was based off of my situation. This is because as a child I didn’t have everything I always wanted but yet I was content with my situation because I learned to make the best of my situations. Now after reading the book I have a deeper understanding as to why this myth is completely false and why. Especially when it comes to money and being able to adjust to a situation and not letting it get the best of me. Therefor happiness isn't determined by external circumstances, it’s determined by how you view the