A lot of people trudge through life scowling at the world like there’s a prize for the deepest frown. People are competitively unhappy, most comfortable when their own chagrin surpasses that of their present company. When we hear that someone had a bad day our first instinct is often not to comfort with kindness and compassion. Rather there is a knee-jerk reaction to someone else’s bad news which makes us want to prove how ours is worse. We are hardwired with a one-up mentality which has stunted our ability to actually solve problems. 

Imagine if it went the other way. Imagine if people were programmed to be stubbornly happy and compelled to drag others along in their unquenchable bliss. What if people devoted themselves to the pursuit of happiness with the same enthusiasm with which they boast their tales of terrible woe? What a fantastic world that would be.