Don’t chase happiness. Become antifragile | Tal Ben-Shahar | Big Think

Antifragility takes this idea a step further. You put pressure on a system. It actually grows bigger, stronger. We see antifragile systems all around us and within us. For example, our muscular system, we go to the gym and we lift weights. We're putting pressure on our muscles.

PTG, post traumatic growth. So where post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, is about breaking down, post traumatic growth is about growing stronger as a result of pressure of stress. It's antifragility.

The role of the science of happiness is to teach us what conditions we can put in place to increase the likelihood of growing from hardship. Now, there is a paradox when it comes to pursuing happiness. (bright music) On the one hand, we know that happiness is a good thing, whether in and of itself, or as a means toward other ends.

When it comes to physical wellbeing, The most important idea to look at is stress, the silent killer. In the United States, more than half of the employees do not use up their vacation time. And even those that do, close to half are still tethered to their work.

It can be text, a work of art, even nature. Relational wellbeing is very important. The number one predictor of happiness is quality time we spend with people we care about and who care about us.