The Office: The Secret to Michael Scott's Happiness
by Jeremy Clyman
Psychology Today blog: Reel Therapy
Sept. 20, 2009
Why happiness happens to those who should be unhappy
This past Thursday "The Office" aired the premiere of its sixth season. As I watched the episode and observed Michael's endearing yet pervasive social ineptitude for the hundredth time, I found myself asking a familiar question: How does he stay so happy?
Think about it. He's had the same job forever. He has no clear character strengths or accomplishments. He can't make friends. He's middle-aged and is only getting fatter and balder. Further, he is crazy. He is narcissistic or, rather, a caricature of narcissism. This means that virtually every thought, feeling and behavior he produces is in the service of attaining the one thing he is doomed to forever distance himself from: the attention and admiration of others.
This psychological laundry list of weaknesses and problems should predict a miserable existence. Just imagine the consequences for happiness if Michael were to see himself through the eyes of, say, surly Stanley, creeped out Pam or perturbed Jim. If realistic social feedback ever penetrated Michael's defenses his interpersonal aloofness would surely tip into intrapersonal hatred. What saves him is something called an optimistic explanatory style. Explanatory style is how one explains the causes of bad events. People who do this in a circumscribed way - with external, unstable and specific causes - are optimistic. For example, if I fail a test it is the teacher's fault, which means that this kind of failure is unlikely to happen again. Plus, one test score can never encapsulate the uniqueness of me anyway.
In mental health, this kind of explanatory style is the difference between hopefulness and hopelessness. When stress hits, this explanatory style filters the impact determining whether a glancing blow or knockout punch is delivered. It is a game changer in the arena of happiness. Someone who has everything - wealth, opportunity, popularity - can be miserable if life is perceived with a pessimistic explanatory style. For instance, an internal, stable and global explanatory style interprets a failed test in school as the result of being "stupid." When the culprit of bad events is always "me" then the world becomes a scary and haunted place in which bad events are doomed to occur often and forever, and there is nothing I can do about it, AND it's all my fault. All you will find in this world is depression, as what I've just described is the learned helplessness model, one of the most long-standing and prominent recipes for depression in modern psychology.
Although the mechanisms of optimism are less well-understood than the mechanisms of pessimism, emerging research is beginning to confirm suspicions. Since we know that pessimism causes mental health deficits, wouldn't it make sense that optimism, the flip side of the coin, predicts mental health enhancement? The surprisingly intact sense of happiness that Michael Scott experiences can be viewed from a researcher's point of view as early anecdotal evidence.
In last week's episode, as in most, Michael does something socially stupid. In this case he spreads a true but deadly rumor that Stanley is cheating on his wife. The outcome of his drive to be the adored gossip blinds him from the other, inadvertent outcome: Stanley's life could be ruined: betrayal- divorce - loneliness - self-loathing - self-destruction - irreversible despair. The domino effect unfolds and it's even worse than expected. Not only does he incite anger from Stanley (for disrupting his marriage), but from most everyone else in the office as well (for being victimized by negative and false rumors that Michael spreads in the hopes that the Stanley rumor will be retroactively discredited). This is not good and if the meaning of this outcome were to be seen through the lens of pessimism then Michael would be last seen running down the street in tears. Instead, the interpersonal damage is blunted with an its-everyone-and-anything-but-me explanation. Instead of running away he is last seen with a peaceful smile on his face. When faced with the options of suicidal depression or aw-shucks obliviousness, his mind automatically chooses the latter.
Optimism not only protects Michael from the harsh reality of being himself but it indirectly protects his social status as well. Ask yourself what's worse, being cornered at a dinner party by that guy who won't stop talking about himself, or that guy who can't stop complaining about the world? You'd choose the former, because there is something contagious and endearing about the silver lining of optimism, even if it's within a dark cloud of pathology like narcissism. Michael is the energizer bunny of positivity, remaining upbeat about the world and his place in it well after he's been trounced by the rejection and failure of another misguided and fumbled social pursuit. This hopefulness compels us to root for him even when we know he can't possibly exceed and it helps explain the conundrum that Stanly, Pam, Jim and others remain amused and entertained by him instead of alienated and hostile.
As a final note, I'd like to point out that critics of optimism as a force for mental health cite the fact that optimism distorts reality: future calamities are underestimated, current problems are misperceived. Logic implies that happiness and distorted thinking could not co-exist. The problem with this argument is that it rests on the faulty assumption that a not-so-accurate reality is a problem. In fact, a not-so-accurate reality that is skewed toward butterflies and roses can actually be a solution to life stress and adversity, not a problem. Optimism is not merely some kind of fantastical happiness bubble to hide within as reality crumbles all around. It can actually have concrete advantageous effects on reality. Optimism leads to hopefulness and engagement, which leads to greater social success and confidence, which, in turn, leads to happiness - real or perceived (as far as our happiness is concerned there is no difference). This is consistent with research on optimism that demonstrates a clear and present association with life outcomes of less stress and more success, what Martin Seligman deems "the good life."
It is truly odd how an explanatory style, a single cognitive factor within a psychological world of many cognitive, emotional and behavioral processes can be a game changer. And yet it makes sense. An optimistic explanatory style means you never fail to find a way to love and accept yourself. Now if only Michael could learn to elicit love and respect from others...
Jeremy Clyman is pursuing his doctorate in clinical psychology at Yeshiva University.
Related:
Explanatory style - Wikipedia
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/psycholo...l-health/10893-why-we-need-to-lighten-up.html
by Jeremy Clyman
Psychology Today blog: Reel Therapy
Sept. 20, 2009
Why happiness happens to those who should be unhappy
This past Thursday "The Office" aired the premiere of its sixth season. As I watched the episode and observed Michael's endearing yet pervasive social ineptitude for the hundredth time, I found myself asking a familiar question: How does he stay so happy?
Think about it. He's had the same job forever. He has no clear character strengths or accomplishments. He can't make friends. He's middle-aged and is only getting fatter and balder. Further, he is crazy. He is narcissistic or, rather, a caricature of narcissism. This means that virtually every thought, feeling and behavior he produces is in the service of attaining the one thing he is doomed to forever distance himself from: the attention and admiration of others.
This psychological laundry list of weaknesses and problems should predict a miserable existence. Just imagine the consequences for happiness if Michael were to see himself through the eyes of, say, surly Stanley, creeped out Pam or perturbed Jim. If realistic social feedback ever penetrated Michael's defenses his interpersonal aloofness would surely tip into intrapersonal hatred. What saves him is something called an optimistic explanatory style. Explanatory style is how one explains the causes of bad events. People who do this in a circumscribed way - with external, unstable and specific causes - are optimistic. For example, if I fail a test it is the teacher's fault, which means that this kind of failure is unlikely to happen again. Plus, one test score can never encapsulate the uniqueness of me anyway.
In mental health, this kind of explanatory style is the difference between hopefulness and hopelessness. When stress hits, this explanatory style filters the impact determining whether a glancing blow or knockout punch is delivered. It is a game changer in the arena of happiness. Someone who has everything - wealth, opportunity, popularity - can be miserable if life is perceived with a pessimistic explanatory style. For instance, an internal, stable and global explanatory style interprets a failed test in school as the result of being "stupid." When the culprit of bad events is always "me" then the world becomes a scary and haunted place in which bad events are doomed to occur often and forever, and there is nothing I can do about it, AND it's all my fault. All you will find in this world is depression, as what I've just described is the learned helplessness model, one of the most long-standing and prominent recipes for depression in modern psychology.
Although the mechanisms of optimism are less well-understood than the mechanisms of pessimism, emerging research is beginning to confirm suspicions. Since we know that pessimism causes mental health deficits, wouldn't it make sense that optimism, the flip side of the coin, predicts mental health enhancement? The surprisingly intact sense of happiness that Michael Scott experiences can be viewed from a researcher's point of view as early anecdotal evidence.
In last week's episode, as in most, Michael does something socially stupid. In this case he spreads a true but deadly rumor that Stanley is cheating on his wife. The outcome of his drive to be the adored gossip blinds him from the other, inadvertent outcome: Stanley's life could be ruined: betrayal- divorce - loneliness - self-loathing - self-destruction - irreversible despair. The domino effect unfolds and it's even worse than expected. Not only does he incite anger from Stanley (for disrupting his marriage), but from most everyone else in the office as well (for being victimized by negative and false rumors that Michael spreads in the hopes that the Stanley rumor will be retroactively discredited). This is not good and if the meaning of this outcome were to be seen through the lens of pessimism then Michael would be last seen running down the street in tears. Instead, the interpersonal damage is blunted with an its-everyone-and-anything-but-me explanation. Instead of running away he is last seen with a peaceful smile on his face. When faced with the options of suicidal depression or aw-shucks obliviousness, his mind automatically chooses the latter.
Optimism not only protects Michael from the harsh reality of being himself but it indirectly protects his social status as well. Ask yourself what's worse, being cornered at a dinner party by that guy who won't stop talking about himself, or that guy who can't stop complaining about the world? You'd choose the former, because there is something contagious and endearing about the silver lining of optimism, even if it's within a dark cloud of pathology like narcissism. Michael is the energizer bunny of positivity, remaining upbeat about the world and his place in it well after he's been trounced by the rejection and failure of another misguided and fumbled social pursuit. This hopefulness compels us to root for him even when we know he can't possibly exceed and it helps explain the conundrum that Stanly, Pam, Jim and others remain amused and entertained by him instead of alienated and hostile.
As a final note, I'd like to point out that critics of optimism as a force for mental health cite the fact that optimism distorts reality: future calamities are underestimated, current problems are misperceived. Logic implies that happiness and distorted thinking could not co-exist. The problem with this argument is that it rests on the faulty assumption that a not-so-accurate reality is a problem. In fact, a not-so-accurate reality that is skewed toward butterflies and roses can actually be a solution to life stress and adversity, not a problem. Optimism is not merely some kind of fantastical happiness bubble to hide within as reality crumbles all around. It can actually have concrete advantageous effects on reality. Optimism leads to hopefulness and engagement, which leads to greater social success and confidence, which, in turn, leads to happiness - real or perceived (as far as our happiness is concerned there is no difference). This is consistent with research on optimism that demonstrates a clear and present association with life outcomes of less stress and more success, what Martin Seligman deems "the good life."
It is truly odd how an explanatory style, a single cognitive factor within a psychological world of many cognitive, emotional and behavioral processes can be a game changer. And yet it makes sense. An optimistic explanatory style means you never fail to find a way to love and accept yourself. Now if only Michael could learn to elicit love and respect from others...
Jeremy Clyman is pursuing his doctorate in clinical psychology at Yeshiva University.
Related:
Explanatory style - Wikipedia
http://forum.psychlinks.ca/psycholo...l-health/10893-why-we-need-to-lighten-up.html
