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Jon Gertner, "The Futile Pursuit of Happiness" and:

For more assignment ideas involving this essay, please visit the Gertner link-o-mat.

Happiness, Wisdom, and Work (Assignment 1)

Gilbert refers to happiness as “the thing that all human action is directed towards,” even as he argues that one cannot predict the emotional consequences in our drive toward achieving happiness (170). American culture also assumes that ‘the pursuit of happiness’ is one of our unalienable rights.

Is the assumption that the pursuit of happiness is fundamental to our lives valid? Is it simply an American way of thinking or can it be applied universally?

Your answer must use Gertner’s essay to support your own project. (do not simply summarize Gertner) You should also incorporate quotes in your essay and have proper citations.

Questions to ponder: ( You do not need to use these questions to answer the assignment. These are just a few questions to help you think about the reading.)

  • What does ‘happiness’ mean to you?
  • If fewer choices would make people happier –are dictatorships better alternatives for society?
  • Would scientists in other counties raise the same questions as the psychologists discussed in the reading? If not, why would Americans be more interested in happiness than other nations?
  • Can the study on happiness increase the quality of our lives?
  • What are social and political implications of such studies?
  • Why do you make decisions? Think about the last few you made and what drove you? What expectations did you have?

Alla Gaydukova, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Happiness, Wisdom, and Work.

The Declaration of Independence argues that fundamental to participation in American culture is the ability to enjoy ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ In contrast, Jon Gertner argues that the pursuit of happiness is often a futile one because “when it comes to predicting how you will feel in the future, you are most likely wrong” (1).

How important should the ideal of happiness be to contemporary American culture?

Write an essay in which you take a position on the impact of the ideal of happiness on American culture. Strengthen your argument by using evidence from the text to show how Gertner confirms, contradicts, or complicates your position.

One way to begin answering this question is to choose a particular aspect of American culture to address (i.e. family life, the workplace, the American economy, etc.). You may want to compare your idea of what American culture should be like to what you think it currently is.

Jennifer Garrison, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Ideal of Happiness in American Society.

The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence (Assignment 1)

The impact bias, as researched by Gilbert and Wilson, is a psychological phenomenon that is responsible for a significant number of errors in our predictions of our own future feelings. Its main effect is to cause us to overestimate the intensity of our emotional responses to both positive and negative circumstances. The empathy gap, as researched by Loewenstein, is a different sort of predictive error in which the individual in a “hot” state has difficulty envisioning how he or she will respond to various choices once the “hot” state turns “cold” and vice versa. While the existence of each of these effects has apparently been substantiated by scientific research, they are not widely appreciated by those who commonly fall victim to their influence.

Question: How can an understanding of the impact bias and the empathy gap explain the behavior of one of the following: a drug addict, an elitist snob, or a disgruntled spouse in an unhappy marriage?

Consider the typical decisions and events in which one of these people would be involved. Illustrate how Gertner’s discussion sheds light on their likely motivations and behaviors. Make certain to draw on Gertner’s essay when writing your paper. Show how passages from “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness” confirm, contradict, or complicate your explanation.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from the text.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary.

Jeff Glick, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence.

The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition (Assignment 1)

Jon Gertner, a journalist, describes the research of scientists who are studying “happiness” and our ability to predict what will make us happy. Their research undermines a number of assumptions that we typically make about human behavior and decision-making in our pursuit of happiness. These scientists – like biologists and astronomers – label their analyses with terms like (1) “impact bias,” (2) forecasting errors, (3) “empathy gap,” (4) “affective forecasting,” (5) “psychological immune system,” and (6) “hot and cold states.” (Be sure you understand these terms). In response to Gertner’s questions, the scientists provide examples from their research and lives to support their theories and discuss their practical application.

Your essay assignment: Describe one or more experiences in your own life when you made important decisions in the pursuit of happiness or a goal and discuss whether the outcomes confirm or refute the scientists’ findings. Your thesis statement should make your position clear. Obviously, you do not have to accept their findings, which are based on a sampling of people who participated in their research, but you must use the scientists’ terms to discuss your experiences. Do not merely provide definitions of these terms or a summary of their research; integrate the terms into your description and interpretation of your own experience.

Judith E. Glass, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition.

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Happiness, Wisdom, and Work (Assignment 2)

In “Wisdom” Robert Thurman argues that the ideals of Buddhism, which are fundamentally different from the western emphasis on the individual self, can help us achieve our best potential. In “Futile Pursuit of Happiness” Gertner examines the work of psychologists who study our predictions of happiness.

How do the ideas in Gertner’s article confirm, complicate or contradict Thurman’s belief that it is possible to achieve happiness by transcending the concept of ‘self’? Would our society benefit if we could go beyond the ‘self’?

Your answer must use both Gertner’s and Thurman’s essays to support your own project. (do not simply compare and contrast Gertner and Thurman) You should also incorporate quotes in your essay and have proper citations. (MLA Style – see Easy Access p197)

In this paper I want to see that:

  • you considered the ideas in both texts and put them into conversation with each other
  • you have your own project that goes beyond the ideas in Thurman and Gertner
  • you are choosing relevant quotations and examples, and you are explaining the connections between this evidence and your larger project (each paragraph should try to have quotes from both writers)
  • you are proofreading your essay carefully for grammar and spelling errors

Alla Gaydukova, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Happiness, Wisdom, and Work.

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Happiness, Wisdom, and Work (Assignment 3)

How can the individuals in our society effectively overcome years of social indoctrination into ‘’master-servant relationship’ in the workplace without compromising their right to individual happiness? How are Greider’s reforms, based on collective happiness, possible in view of the ideas of Thurman and Gertner?

If you think that the individuals do not need to overcome years of social indoctrination you will need to explain in detail the reasons behind this conclusion. You must use all three texts to support your ideas.

Your answer must use Greider’s, Gertner’s and Thurman’s essays to support your own project. You do not need to pay the same amount of attention to all the three essays, but you should use and refer to all of them (at least once each) in your paper.

You should also incorporate quotes in your essay and have proper citations.

In this paper I want to see that:

  • you considered the ideas in all three texts and put them into conversation with each other
  • you have your own project that goes beyond the ideas in Greider, Thurman and Gertner
  • you are choosing relevant quotations and examples, and you are explaining the connections between this evidence and your larger project
  • you state your project and the way you will achieve it (road map) at the end of your introduction. (your project and road map can be a couple of sentences long)
  • you are using effective topic sentences
  • you are proofreading your essay carefully for grammar and spelling errors

Alla Gaydukova, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Happiness, Wisdom, and Work.

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Something Mysterious and Inexplicable (Assignment 1)

[T]he controversy concerning identity is not merely a dispute of words. For when we attribute identity, in an improper sense, to variable or interrupted objects, our mistake is not confined to the expression, but is commonly attended with a fiction, either of something invariable and interrupted, or of something mysterious and inexplicable, or at least with a propensity to such fictions

—David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Book I, Part IV

Writing Prompt and Question:

The “empathy gap” in Gertner and the “power of context” in Gladwell, respectively emphasize the emotional and social conditions that influence our decisions and actions. Gladwell argues at one point that “[c]haracter is more like a bundle of habits and tendencies and interest, loosely bound together and dependent, at certain times, on circumstance and context.” In what ways do the ideas in Gertner, complicate, complement or contradict Gladwell’s statement? How do social and emotional contexts determine and limit individual agency and choice in both essays? How do these contexts change our understanding of an individual’s agency in and responsibility for the commission of crimes and acts of violence?

Getting Started:

  • When developing your project, keep in mind the important differences between the two essays. In particular, you might consider what difference it makes that Gertner emphasizes the impact of emotional states (rather than social conditions) on decision making. Does the category of individual identity remain relatively intact in Gertner?
  • What type of agency, if any, does the individual have in each essay?

Carrie Hyde, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From Something Mysterious and Inexplicable.

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The Ideal of Happiness in American Society (Assignment 2)

In the first paper, we examined the impact of one ideal on the health of American culture. In the second paper, we will discuss the role of perception in establishing healthy social relations. In “Work Rules,” William Greider argues that although Americans may think they live in a democratic and free society, this belief is a false one that stems from the workplace’s “socialization of powerlessness” (52). Central to his essay is the idea that Americans ought to become aware of the exploitative, feudal nature of their social environment. In contrast, Jon Gertner’s essay speculates that a more accurate perception of one’s place in society may be detrimental to social health.

In what ways is an accurate perception of oneself and one’s place in society important to the health of a society as a whole?

Write an essay in which you take a position on the importance of self-knowledge to societal health. Strengthen your argument by using evidence from both Gertner and Greider to confirm, contradict, or complicate your position.

Jennifer Garrison, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Ideal of Happiness in American Society.

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The Ideal of Happiness in American Society (Assignment 3)

In the first two papers, we examined the effect of ideals and perceptions on society. In the third paper, we will examine the effect of spiritual belief on American societal health. In “Does God Have a Future?” Karen Armstrong argues that “the prevalence of fundamentalism, apocalypticism and ‘instant’ charismatic forms of religiosity in America” suggests that America is not a “spiritually healthy society” (90).

In what way does religious belief contribute to or detract from America’s societal health?

Drawing on Gertner’s and Greider’s discussions of societal health, write an essay in which you take a position on the value of religious belief to American society. Strengthen your argument by using evidence from Armstrong, Gertner, and Greider to show how they confirm, contradict, or complicate your position.

Jennifer Garrison, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Ideal of Happiness in American Society.

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The Master-Servant Divide and Forecasting Errors in Faith (Assignment 6)

The happiness researchers in Jon Gertner’s “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness” suggest that “a life without forecasting errors would most likely be a better, happier life” (174). But we continually make the mistake of overestimating happiness, and choosing things that we think will improve our lives, when in fact, they don’t. One researcher, George Loewenstein, says, “’If you had a deep understanding of the impact bias and you acted on it…, you would tend to invest your resources in the things that would make you happy’” (Gertner 174). What exactly are the things we should “invest [our] resources in”? In looking at Karen Armstrong’s “Does God Have a Future?” and Amy Chua’s essay “A World on the Edge,” think about the various “resources” that people devote to being happy. Are there ever instances of “miswanting” (Gertner 165) in how countries strive to achieve free-market democracy? Do religious believers sometimes make “forecasting errors” (Gertner 173) in choosing a particular God and way of practicing a faith? Make an argument about what exactly in life should be pursued to make people happy, and how to avoid miswanting and forecasting errors in people’s quest for contentment.

Aim to be as specific as possible in citing certain examples of things to be cultivated for well-being, and why those particular elements will help bring joy into people’s lives. The more precise you can be in this essay, rather than being general and vague, the better.

Danis Banks, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Master-Servant Divide and Forecasting Errors in Faith.

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The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence (Assignment 2)

In “Selections from The Ape and the Sushi Master”, Frans de Waal discusses the possibility of viewing altruism as a natural product of evolutionary processes rather than a contrived invention by intelligent human beings. He details several cases in which various non-human members of the animal kingdom violate the historically well-accepted view that nature encourages organisms to act in a self-centered manner.

Question: What ramifications does the evidence for the impact bias and the empathy gap have for the thesis that altruism is a natural component of evolutionary adaptation?

Deploy the concepts discussed in Gertner’s article to either confirm, contradict, or complicate the arguments in de Waal’s paper. Consider how Gertner’s discussion can cause difficulty for the theses advanced by de Waal. Also consider how Gertner’s discussion may actually help us understand, explain, or expand on the conclusions that De Waal advances. Make certain to draw on both selections in your essay.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from both texts.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s and de Waal’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary. Look for points of connection between the two texts.

Jeff Glick, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence.

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The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence (Assignment 3)

Much of “The Myth of the Ant Queen” is devoted to exploring the ways that intelligence manifests itself. One feature of seemingly intelligent systems, like an ant colony or a computer program, is that they do not always have a unifying and organizing controller which directs the movements and inputs of all the components of the system. Instead, the intelligent effects emerge from the combination and interaction of otherwise unintelligent parts as a result of long processes of adaptation.

Question: What role does happiness play in our understanding of how intelligence is manifested?

You should consider what one might mean by the words ‘happiness’ and ‘intelligence’. Could altruistic actions be construed as intelligent behavior in virtue of their positive overall effects? Or are we perhaps more like the ant colony where any organizational advantages which seem to display intelligence are merely the byproducts of an unintelligent evolutionary process fraught with cognitive errors? Are the effects of an action on an individual’s happiness a good measure of whether the action is intelligent? If so, why? If not, then why not? Make certain to draw from all three articles in your essay.

Your paper should:

1. Frequently introduce and discuss key concepts from all three texts.

2. Clearly indicate where Gertner’s, de Waal’s, and Johnson’s words and ideas end and your own begin.

3. Explore a project that you have devised. The paper should be an analysis rather than a summary. Look for overlapping concerns and points of connection between all three texts. Use the conclusions of each text to shed light on the others in the context of advancing your project.

Jeff Glick, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Impact Bias, Altruism, and Human Intelligence.

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The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition (Assignment 2)

In trying to understand Chris McCandless’s journey into the Alaskan wilderness, Jon Krakauer interviews people who knew or met Chris along the way, as well as others who shared his desire to take risks and test themselves in the wilderness. Re-read p. 303 to the end of the excerpt and come to your own conclusions about Chris’journey. Then, think of his journey in terms of the Gertner essay and the findings of the scientists.

Essay Question: Discuss Chris McCandless’s expedition and his motives in terms of the Gertner essay. Using the terms the scientists use, does McCandless’ expedition confirm or contradict their findings? Did McCandless find happiness? Would it make any difference if his death had been caused by a car accident? If he had known about the scientists’ research, would he still have embarked on his quest for happiness?

Judith E. Glass, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition.

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The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition (Assignment 3)

Annie Dillard’s remarkable essay, “The Wreck of Time,” weaves stunning facts, statistics, and poetic images into an unstructured essay about human existence, life, and death. While the essay may seem simply depressing on first reading, there are messages and insights that go beyond the inevitability and finality of death. Once we acknowledge the billions who have died and will die, we are left with her question, “How can an individual count?” (123).

Essay Question: How can an individual count? Discuss the question by crafting a thesis statement that answers Dillard’s question, (123). This is not a personal essay. Your answer must be based on the three readings to date. You could begin by imagining how you think the scientists in the Gertner essay would answer the question and then how Chris McCandless or Jon Krakauer might answer it. You must then weave the three essays together.

After brainstorming the question, develop an outline around quotations from each of the three readings that can serve as the bases for your analyses. It might also help to develop topic sentences that explore varying aspects of the question.You don’t have to devote equal time to each, but your paper must include all three.

Your conclusion should do more than summarize. It should reflect a thoughtful response to the question and perhaps a lesson for others.

Judith E. Glass, Rutgers University, Fall 2005

From The Pursuit of Happiness: Perception and Definition.

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