Questão 753553

The pursuit of happiness can end in pain

Maggie Mulqueen, psychologist

1 Focusing on happiness can lead to perfectionistic

tendencies as people try to sustain what is actually a brief

and elusive emotion. Instead of promoting happiness as

the elixir for life, our society needs to explore how

5 people can find contentment. Unlike happiness, a state of

contentment is long-lasting and provides a strong base

for mental health. Discovering what makes us feel

content and pursuing that help protect us from stress. The

pressure people feel to be happy can also be corrosive to

10 establishing a strong sense of self. A patient of mine

recently lost 75 pounds. Everyone who sees her

congratulates her and expects her to be happy about this

accomplishment. Rather than being supported by all

these compliments, she feels tremendous pressure to

15 present a happy face to the outside world. How gratifying

it ___________ for her if people asked “How do you

feel?” rather than stating “You must be so happy!”

Adapted from https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/suicide-student-

athletes-happiness-contentment-rcna27992.

According to the text, we can infer that