In our NYU stress class we discover something so important that it can be life-changing.

That our brain is not programmed for happiness!  It’s been functioning in humans since the beginning of time for safety – to protect and warn us.

And, by the way, how social media pings us tends to trigger warnings not happiness is not nothing – it’s teasing the brain.

It’s almost a relief for some young people to discover this fact because it helps to reassure us that we are not doing something wrong if we wake up on a sunny day and don’t feel sunny.

So, the trick is to stop feeling bad about not feeling good.

There are workarounds – move on to something else, focus on someone different or simply just understand that your brain is doing its job and your job is to tap into the things in life that bring you happiness and pursue them.

Our brain’s #1 mission is survival—not mood optimization.

Your mind is a problem-solving machine.  But you are not a problem to be solved as psychologist Steven Hayes reminds us.

Such a powerful line — our brains scan for threats like we’re broken, when we’re just human.

I feel better already.

Feel free to share.