Summary: Research suggests that directly pursuing happiness may backfire during periods of uncertainty, while pursuing authenticity can provide more resilience.
Source: Lab of Misfits
Lab of Misfits, a perception-focused neuroscience creative studio led by Dr. Beau Lotto, recently carried out a “Looking Back” experiment to explore how people’s life goals were affected by a year of uncertainty. The study surveyed 400 participants and asked them to imagine themselves at the end of their lives and identify what they most wanted from life: joy, wealth, wisdom, meaning, success, authenticity, or something else.
Participants then reflected specifically on the year 2020 and how the uncertainty of that year influenced their ability to pursue those goals. Did 2020 change what they wanted out of life? Which goals suffered most, and which remained intact or even strengthened? The results highlight how different mindsets respond to uncertainty and suggest useful approaches as we move forward.
When asked “What do you hope your life’s purpose would have been?”, the single most common answer was happiness. Yet, among the same people who selected happiness as their primary purpose, many reported that 2020 had a distinctly negative impact. These respondents reported lower levels of joy, reduced feelings of fulfilment, and a decline in creativity during the year. They also experienced higher levels of stress, loneliness, and anxiety compared with other groups.
By contrast, participants who identified authenticity—living in accordance with their true selves—as their primary purpose generally responded more positively to the challenges of 2020. More than half of those who prioritized authenticity said they were living in ways that supported their purpose even more during the uncertain year. This group also tended to score higher on measures of extroversion, empathy, and openness, and lower on anxiety than average.
Those who prioritized happiness reported feeling less aligned with their goals, and the survey indicated they were more likely to describe themselves as disorganized, critical, less dependable, and more reserved. This pattern suggests that an external focus on happiness—waiting for certain events or conditions to make us happy—can leave people especially vulnerable when those external conditions are disrupted.
Why might a focus on happiness make people more prone to disappointment and anxiety during uncertain times? Neuroscience offers a clear mechanism. The brain constantly makes predictions: “I will be happy when X happens.” When those expectations are unmet, the result is disappointment. Neurobiologically, disappointment is registered as a form of pain; in some cases, the distress from unmet expectations can feel sharper than physical pain because of different neurochemical responses, including how endorphins and other systems react to actual physical injury versus emotional letdown. Repeated disappointment can accumulate and lead to chronic stress and anxiety.
In contrast, authenticity depends more on internal alignment and self-honesty than on external events. Honesty about one’s values and choices is a more controllable, internal mechanism. While happiness often depends on external sources—circumstances, achievements, or possessions—authenticity can be practiced and cultivated regardless of outside conditions. Because authenticity is rooted in internal consistency, it is less directly undermined by external uncertainty.
Beau Lotto shares a personal anecdote that highlights the value of authenticity: “I once asked my 87-year-old uncle the day before he went into a life-threatening surgery about what it means to be a ‘good person.’ His answer was ‘self-honesty.’” That answer points to a key idea from the experiment: authenticity is a practice, not a final destination. It requires ongoing self-examination and a willingness to accept uncertainty—“not-knowing”—and through that practice we gain understanding. Understanding, more than raw intelligence, allows us to see underlying principles and adapt effectively.
When people focus on authenticity rather than directly chasing happiness, they build adaptability. They rely less on external validation and more on consistent internal standards, which supports optimism and preparedness when circumstances change. This does not mean happiness disappears; rather, happiness may arise indirectly as a by-product of living authentically and adapting to challenges.
The main takeaway from the Looking Back experiment is that in times of uncertainty, the direct pursuit of happiness can be fragile and may not yield the intended benefits. Shifting attention toward authenticity—self-honesty and internal alignment—appears to offer greater resilience, reduce anxiety, and preserve a sense of purpose even when external conditions are unpredictable. Cultivating authenticity is a practical strategy for navigating uncertain times and may ultimately support deeper, more sustainable forms of well-being.
About this neuroscience research news
Neuroscience News would like to thank Amy Gentry for submitting this research for inclusion.
Source: Lab of Misfits
Contact: Amy Gentry – Lab of Misfits
Image: The image is in the public domain