Why, even in the most difficult situations, we still find the strength to overcome difficulties, live on and feel happy? Psychologists explain: the stronger the stress, the stronger the defense builds our psyche.
The past year can hardly be called calm. Forecasts for the future also do not seem to inspire optimism. However, polls show that the level of happiness of Russians is growing. 61% of respondents consider themselves happy, while a year earlier there were almost half as many*. Why is this happening? Do the majority simply not notice the problems and live in a state of self-deception?
In fact, our psyche has an amazing ability to absorb strong shocks. Moreover, the stronger the shock, the more actively our internal resources are mobilized. This mechanism was described by psychologist Daniel Gilbert, who called it “the paradox of the Beta region.” He explains why sometimes severe stress or shock is easier for us than ordinary life difficulties. Gilbert described the operation of the paradox with the help of a metaphor. Suppose a certain person lives two or three miles from his work. It’s not too far and he likes to walk to work – provided it doesn’t take more than 20 minutes. But when he needs to get somewhere else and he knows that he will spend 2 times more time on the road, he prefers to ride a bicycle. Gilbert presented the situation in the form of a graph, which indicates the increase in travel time depending on the distance – until the moment when a person decides to change to the wheel of a bicycle. From this point on, the travel time decreases sharply. Gilbert designated this moment as point Beta**. “Region Beta” (if we return to psychology) denotes a situation in which our experiences become dangerous for our personality. At this point, stronger psychological defenses are activated that mitigate psychological trauma. Daniel Gilbert gives a more mundane example: a wife who has been cheated on by her beloved husband may rationalize and convince herself that “this is a crisis that we need to get through in order to strengthen our relationship.” The same thing happens when a person loses savings or a job, faces injustice or betrayal. Our psyche is looking for its analogue of the “bicycle”, which can take us out of the crisis with the least losses. And perhaps even bring new meaning to life.
* Published on the website of the Romir research holding on February 3, 2015.
** Psychological Science, 2004, vol. 15, № 1.