“When I first wrote Unlocking Happiness at Work, it was really centered around individual mindset and psychological fitness, and that we could, through certain efforts of our own, be able to choose happiness,” Moss tells Fortune.
Her 2016 book resonated at the time—before the pandemic and the rise of remote work, when burnout, mental health, and loneliness were not conversations dominating the zeitgeist.
But years of research—and her own dissatisfaction despite using scientifically sound tools to improve her mindset—proved there is much more to the happiness equation. “Quick fixes,” as she calls self-care practices, such as bathing or listening to rain sounds before bed, didn’t do the trick. Relying on self-care alone is shortsighted, Moss says, who released a revised version of the book last month.
“For a female being in front of venture capitalists that continue to refuse you for all these reasons that are just based on bias … you can’t just gratitude your way out of that,” Moss says.
“We have to dig even deeper, asking questions around happiness,” Moss says.
Individual measures to improve happiness are not moving the needle. Moss points to more collective, community-forward ways to boost happiness. Here’s a new framework:
Global issues, economic uncertainty, and politics affect emotional health. When there isn’t much you can control, it can leave you feeling powerless.
However, engaging locally can make a powerful difference, whether advocating for better work policies or taking on an elected or unelected leadership role to serve your neighbors on a mission you care about.
For example, Moss asks us to think about how we speak to our colleagues, and even how our social media activity may influence others in positive or negative ways that we can control.
“When we are so individually focused on attainment, but not doing any of those things to affect our communities or society, it ends up just sort of living in this vacuum,” Moss says. “The more we think about the rest of society and improving happiness for others, the more we get the kickback of happiness in our lives.”
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