Many of us go to great lengths to be happy. But is our singular focus on feeling good actually making us miserable? This week, psychologist Jordi Quoidbach explores what happens when we try to live in an emotional monoculture, and makes a case for letting it all in — the ups ... and the downs.
This is Hidden Brain.
I'm shankar vedanta.
In 1863, a terrible plague descended on the famed vineyards of France.
Tiny SAP sucking insects attacked the roots and leaves of grapevines.
The pests destroy thousands of acres.
What turned a problem into a calamity was that French vineyards were mainly planted with a monoculture, a single species of grape that had little natural resistance to the insect hordes.
It turns out that there are other kinds of species, for example, in the US that were not so affected, that developed natural resistance to that pest.
But that was not the case of the French vineyard.
This is researcher Jordi Quodbach.
He said the destruction continued for years and threatened the very existence of the French wine industry.
Eventually, though, French winemakers found a solution, adding diversity to the grapevines under cultivation.
They started grafting their native vines onto American plants, which had evolved to resist the insects.
By increasing the biological variety of the plants, the French wine industry rose again.
To me, the takeaway of this story is that by introducing more diversity, you're actually making your environment more resilient and more likely to succeed in the long run.
Today, we extend this idea from ecology to the world of psychology.
Specifically, we examine the effects of having a variety of emotions in our daily lives.
This episode is part of our Emotions 2.0 series.
We've previously explored the power of collective emotions, the complicated psychology of pride, and the benefits of mixed emotions.
If you missed any of those episodes, please listen to them in this podcast feed.
This week on Hidden Brain, many of us go to great lengths to be happy reading books, devouring podcasts, even joining cults that promise to set us on the path to joy and fulfillment.