The Shiny Object Syndrome: How Do Humans Quickly Delude themselves?

We all the time have to deal with advertisements for products or philosophies that guarantee us happiness, especially in today's society. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find people who surrender completely to an ideology or relationship, even if it makes no sense. To understand more about this phenomenon, see now what is syndrome of the shiny object.

Read more: The Pursuit of Happiness: Does Self-Control Help or Hurt?

All that glitters is not gold

Have you ever found yourself in a situation of complete obsession with achieving a goal or dedication to a relationship and then realizing that it was all for nothing? Well then, know that you have probably developed the "Shiny Object Syndrome", which is the moment when we faithfully believe that the realization of a certain will will make us more happy.

However, it is worth saying that this idea that we will be happier when we achieve something we idealize is pure illusion. Second

study, by Dr. Teresa Pearson, from Stony Brook University, shows how we are hostages of messages that try to convince us to have a better life, even if it doesn't make much sense.

Still, we are all bombarded with this content. For example, the film industry convinces us that the secret to feeling good is the romantic love of Hollywood movies. As these messages are repeated in excess, there are many people who begin to faithfully believe that they will only be happy when they have the love of their life.

The role of social networks in the development of the Syndrome

Certainly, our generation is the most hostage to the Shiny Object Syndrome. In this sense, many social and psychology researchers believe that social networks play an important role in this dynamic. This is because, through networks, we are always thinking that other people have more than we do.

Therefore, we hold ideals of happiness that are very difficult to achieve, such as the desire to have the perfect body, the perfect house or the perfect job. However, experts warn about how the reality of comparison can lead to a terrible and permanent malaise, in order to cause a psychic illness.