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Course: Wireless Philosophy > Unit 9
Lesson 9: What does inner harmony look like?What does inner harmony look like?
In this wireless philosophy video, Tamar Gendler (Yale University) explores the ancient claim that a certain kind of inner harmony is the foundation of a happy life.
View our happiness learning module and other videos in this series here:
https://www.wi-phi.com/modules/happy/. Created by Gaurav Vazirani.
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Video transcript
[Music] Hi, I’m Dr. Tamar Gendler, Dean of
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Philosophy, Psychology,
and Cognitive Science at Yale University. In this video, I’ll be exploring
the idea that a certain kind of inner harmony is
the foundation of a happy life. Maya has been
considering the idea that unhappiness is often
the result of inner conflict. She has learned that her mind has
different parts, with different functions. When they work at cross purposes,
unhappiness is often the result. What does a mind
in harmony look like? Plato compared a soul
in harmony to a healthy body, where all the
parts are doing their jobs. If your heart isn’t performing its
function properly, you’re in trouble. The same goes for all your other
parts. When your organs aren’t doing what they should, that’s
usually bad news for your health. Likewise, Plato thought,
in a well-functioning soul, all the parts are doing
what they’re supposed to do. Following this metaphor, then,
understanding the idea of inner harmony requires knowing what
functions the different parts of the mind are
supposed to perform. Then we can see how
harmony supports happiness. Sophie reminds Maya that contemporary
psychologists divide the mind into two systems. System 1 produces immediate, automatic and
often unconscious thoughts and behaviors. It processes information with lightning
speed, enabling us to perform vital
tasks like recognizing faces, detecting danger, and making
split-second decisions with little effort. System 2 is conscious,
deliberate, and methodical. It’s how we plan, make deliberate
decisions, and assess evidence. It works slowly, requires our
attention, and requires sustained effort. But the effort is worth it. With System 2 we can
reflect on our circumstances, evaluate how things are going,
and decide to change course. In other words, System 2 can reason. System 1 can’t. It’s no good at
contextualizing information, and it can’t slow down and change course. So it might produce responses
that don’t fit the circumstances, sometimes to entertaining effect: think of the thrill you get when
you’rewatching a horror movie that you know perfectly
well is make-believe. Other times, System 1 pushes us to
act against our own long-term interests. Psychologist Walter
Mischel studied how well children were able
to delay gratification. He put a marshmallow in
front of them and left the room. If they could wait until
the experimenter returned, they could have two
marshmallows instead of just one. But if they ate it earlier,
that was all they got. On average, kids in
the original experiment lasted four minutes before
eating the marshmallow. But if the marshmallow
was hidden from view, they were able to wait
nearly twelve minutes. That’s a threefold increase in willpower,
just by changing what they were able to see! That’s because the marshmallow
activates System 1’s treat detector. It sees the marshmallow and can’t
stop yelling: YUMMY TREAT! EAT! EAT! System 2 says, “No: we’ll
get a better reward if we wait.” But sober reasoning
about future rewards doesn’t stand much of a chance
against a hyped-up treat detection module. When the marshmallow
is hidden, System 1 stops noticing it and moves
on to other things. It’s much easier for System 2 to run the
show when the treat detector is turned off. he marshmallow test is an example
of a kind of choice we face every day: whether to indulge now, or to delay
gratification for a better reward in the future. Researchers found that shorter
waiting times in the marshmallow task are correlated with a
number of other outcomes: lower scores on standardized
tests, higher rates of substance abuse, worse strategies for
coping with stress, and a number of other
long-term disadvantages. Which is better for our happiness? Delaying gratification for
a greater future reward? Or doing what feels
best in the moment? Maya thinks that if
something is really in her long-term interest, it’s
clearly better to do that. Even if she has less fun in the
moment, she knows it will be worth it. So it looks like System 2’s
job is to see the bigger picture, interpret what’s going on, and
decide what’s best for us to do. As Plato said, reason’s role is
to steer us in the right direction. Maya’s starting to see
how a harmonious soul can be the foundation
of a truly happy life. But something about the marshmallow
experiment still puzzles her. If System 2 can’t resist System
1, how can we put it in charge? It seems like hiding
the marshmallows is a better strategy than
expecting reason to rule! Sophie smiles. That’s right: reason doesn’t rule by
shouting orders at the rest of the soul. System 1 just doesn’t work that way.
It is outside System 2’s direct control. Rather, System 1’s responses are
shaped through repetition and association. It learns through habituation. And as Aristotle said, it’s
impossible to change by argument what has long
been absorbed through habit. System 1’s habits are
automatic and effortless. And System 1 doesn’t listen to reason. So, maybe putting reason
in charge looks like this: First, we think carefully about
what’s in our long-term interests. Then, we figure out how
to advance those interests. That means understanding
how our minds work, and figuring out how to get
and stay on the right path. System 1’s habits are powerful tools
for shaping our thoughts and actions. If we can form good habits that
further our long-term interests, we will be able to stay on
the right path — effortlessly. But, Maya wonders, how
do you form better habits? Well, Sophie says, at first
you need to act deliberately in a way that goes
against your current habits. But if you can keep
at it, System 1 will gradually absorb what
you’re trying to teach it. As it does, you’ll come to resemble
the kind of person you were aiming to be. Aristotle said, “We become builders
by building, harpists by playing the harp, just by doing just actions,
temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions.” In other words: if you
want to become something, you should act as if that
was what you already were. To be happy, then, you should start
by building the habits of a happy person. Are good habits the key to happiness? What do you think? [Music]