What does a good life look like to you? “For some, the phrase may conjure up images of a close-knit family, a steady job, and a Victorian house at the end of a street arched with oak trees. Others may focus on the goal of making a difference in the world, whether by working as a nurse or teacher, volunteering, or pouring their energy into environmental activism…
But a new paper, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Review, suggests there’s a another way to live a good life. It isn’t focused on happiness or purpose, but rather it’s a life that’s ‘psychologically rich.’ What is a psychologically rich life? …It’s one characterized by ‘interesting experiences in which novelty and/or complexity are accompanied by profound changes in perspective.'”
Do you need to be WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) to have a psychologically rich life? Certainly having adequate leisure time can facilitate psychological richness, but WEIRD people have a strange relationship with leisure. Some say the way we view free time is making us less happy.