Kjersten

“Like most analyses, my conception of a meaningful activity is centered around significance and impact.”
― Paul Bloom, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning

“Boredom is a cue that needs aren’t being met. It’s a signal that your environment lacks interest, variety, and newness. Just as the pain of a burn tells us where the damage is and motivates us to respond appropriately, boredom motivates us to seek out intellectual stimulation and social contact, to learn and engage and act. To be without boredom would be a curse.”
― Paul Bloom, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning

“How does one get into such a state? These are Goldilocks experiences: not too cold, not too hot. There is a sweet spot here: you have to be challenged to just the right extent, threading the needle between too easy (which leads to boredom) and too difficult (which causes stress and anxiety). Flow experiences typically involve clear goals with immediate feedback about your experiences. And so the first three criteria I listed immediately above—goal, sub-goals, and mastery—fit nicely into this analysis.”
― Paul Bloom, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning

“A meaningful life, at least to some extent, has to do with what one does and how one affects people.”
― Paul Bloom, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning