Use the “Four Cs” to Boost Your Happiness and Relieve Mental Clutter
If you’ve ever found yourself compulsively updating Twitter in anticipation of the latest dire news – or falling into a vicious circle for your non-negotiable afternoon treat – we’re sorry we’re bringing bad news, but you’ve got a hack in your mind. …
On the recent Lifehacker podcast, The Renewal, we spoke with Dr. Robert Lustig about his new book , Hacking the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Hijacking of Our Body and Brain.
In short, everyone from corporate food chains to advertisers and app developers have found clever ways to induce something akin to an addiction reaction in us; update Instagram for the millionth time or drink another bowl of raisin sugar bran and you will probably experience a little dopamine rush, but feel worse than in the beginning.
Grim, yes, but there are ways to defend yourself against the constant onslaught of capitalist invasions, Lustig says, and most of them are blissfully simple. All you need to remember are the “four Cs” which are as follows:
Connect: It’s simple, but easy to ignore when you’re constantly communicating via text messages, Facebook, or direct messages. Face-to-face communication with friends or loved ones stimulates neurons that increase empathy, which in turn raises serotonin levels, Lustig said. (For all of these points, the goal is to increase serotonin, not dopamine, as the former works wonders for your long-term happiness, while the latter only provides a temporary rush of pleasure.) Take time each day to chat with someone you love, for example by phone.
Contribute: As Lustig put it, this article is about “Contributing to the betterment of your family, friends, the world at large […] by doing something that makes the world a better place.” (Note: This is different from doing something that gets patted on the back, the adult equivalent of receiving Boy Scout badges.) This can be anything from volunteering to donating to charity (spending helping others increases happiness, in while spending does not affect yourself), or, depending on what you do for a living (public school teacher? social worker?), even your job may, for example, help increase your contribution.
Cop: ” Cope with the situation” is a pretty common term, but for the purposes of the Four Cs, it means three things: proper sleep (and, ideally, putting screens in the room); increase your attentiveness and reduce multitasking, which none of us can do; and exercise, which is another way to boost the production of this essential serotonin.
Cook: It’s a public health mantra that cooking for yourself is much better than eating out all the time, and for good reason: in addition to being a soothing way to unwind at the end of the day, cooking yourself means you know what’s in them. happens and helps you avoid the hidden add-ons (namely fructose) that not only make you gain weight, but also rob you of your happiness.
For more wit and wisdom on how to prevent corporations from taking over your brain and undermining your well-being, check out the full interview with Dr. Lustig here.