He’s Explaining Why People Are So Greedy
Have you ever watched someone snatch up the last slice of pizza without giving a second thought to anyone else who might want it? Or maybe you’ve seen a billionaire hoard wealth while many others in the world are left without?
Greed is everywhere, from boardrooms to buffets. It has been driving human behavior for centuries. But why does greed exist in the first place? Is it just in our nature, or were we taught by society to always strive for more even when we have enough?
Jeffrey Meltzer (@therapytothepoint) is a licensed mental health counselor based in Florida, and he’s on TikTok explaining why people can be so greedy.
According to the course at Yale University called The Science of Well-Being, taught by Laurie Santos, the more money you have, the happier you will be. But that happiness caps out at a certain point—it’s just that your brain doesn’t seem to get the message.
The human brain evolved to survive, not to make you happy. So, it’s wired to make you think that having more equates to more happiness, even though it really doesn’t.
This phenomenon is known as the hedonic treadmill. No matter how much you achieve, your brain continues to crave more to keep yourself feeling good.
“The problem is that your brain’s happy chemicals—dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins—aren’t designed to stay at high levels all the time. Their levels are supposed to rise and fall, but when those levels drop, we panic,” said Jeffrey.
“Instead of riding it out, we reach for the quickest fix, often chasing what worked before, like money, success, or stuff. And that’s how people get stuck in a cycle, always reaching for more to avoid feeling less.”
However, having more doesn’t fix the situation or make the bad feelings go away. It only delays you from experiencing the feeling.
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That’s why even people who seem like they have it all still feel like something is missing from their lives. It’s okay to feel negative emotions.
At the end of the day, more money will not solve the issue. Perhaps if we all practiced gratitude and shared more with each other, the world would be a much happier place!
More About:Human Interest
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