Summary Of Immune To Reality By Daniel Gilbert

As humans, we often assume that our sole purpose in life is to be happy at all times. Consequently narratives such as our physiological system, experience and culture systems on have taken advantage of this assumption and marketed happiness to vulnerable people who desire to attain happiness. In the article, “Immune to Reality” by Daniel Gilbert, the author discusses with the readers how our psychological system markets positive thoughts during negative situations in order to make us happy. Also, Evan Watters, the author of “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan” explores how pharmaceutical companies market happiness through the sale of pills in Japan. Furthermore, the marketing of happiness through the culture on Ivy League …show more content…
According to Gilbert “when experiences make us feel sufficiently unhappy, the psychological immune system cooks facts and shifts blame in order to offer us a more positive view”. Gilbert illustrates and insinuates in this quote that human’s constant need to be happy triggers our psychological narrative to shift unhappy experiences that can make us grow as individuals into positive experiences. The reason for this trigger is due to the constant pressure from society to be happy at all times. The psychological pursuit of happiness even in unhappy situations or experiences doesn’t allow individuals to deal with negative situation independently, hence ushering them into a constant dependence on the “psychological immune system” narrative notion of happiness. Unhappy experiences, such as the kind Ivy League students experience throughout their time in Investment banking, as a result of choosing a career they do not desire. As Ho states, “That forces that push these college students toward investment banking are obviously multiple: the particular college environment…”(170). Through this quote Ho blames the career choices of students which leads them into unhappy situations and experiences on the culture on college campuses. The “psychological immune system” narrative triggers Ho to blame the culture on campus in order to justify the career choices made by Ivy League students. Eventually the “cooked facts” presented by Ho, encourages Ivy League students in Investment banking to have a positive view even in a negative situation. Moreover, the “cooked facts” and the pressure from society become a catalyst in achieving f the psychological narrative definition of happiness during an unhappy