Why Finding Pleasure in Life is a Painful Journey | Paul Bloom

<p>Why do people train for a marathon? Listen to sad music? Eat really spicy food? All of these activities induce a painful response, yet they also bring us pleasure. We often set ourselves up for negative experiences because it primes us for positive ones further down the line. There is a balance, a sweet spot if you will, between the amount of pleasure we experience and the suffering that it takes to get us there.</p> <p>World-renowned psychologist and author Paul Bloom, joins us on this episode to discuss his most recent book The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (<a href='https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh'>https://amzn.to/3Kmpweh</a>). He challenges our definition of a fulfilling life, and why we actually NEED suffering to be part of it.</p> <p>We are so conditioned in our culture to only seek out pleasure that even the notion of reading about suffering was not particularly appealing to us, well to Tim - it turns out Kurt might be somewhat of a benign masochist! But from the get-go, Paul’s compelling narrative convinced us that suffering can be motivating. Listen in and tell us if you think there is a sweet spot, and then reach out to us on email (<a href='mailto:info@behavioralgrooves.com'>info@behavioralgrooves.com</a>), on Twitter (<a href='https://twitter.com/behavioralgroov'>@behavioralgroov</a>) or write us a quick review about the show (<a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112'>https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behavioral-grooves-podcast/id1303870112</a>). Thanks!</p> <p> </p> Topics  <p>(4:40) Welcome and speed round questions.</p> <p>(7:24) Why do we choose suffering?</p> <p>(11:24) Do we really only seek pleasure?</p> <p>(13:40) We often have mistaken ideas about what we want.</p> <p>(16:16) Looking beyond happiness; what we actually pursue for a meaningful life.</p> <p>(22:24) How can suffering help pleasure?</p> <p>(24:59) How being in a state of flow explains the sweet spot.</p> <p>(28:27) Why are people