This post originally appeared onJames Clears blog.
In the summer of 2010, Rachelle Friedman was preparing for one of the best periods of her life.
She was recently engaged, surrounded by her best friends, and enjoying her bachelorette party.
Friedman floated slowly to the top of the pool until her face emerged.
It was immediately obvious that something was wrong.
This isnt a joke, she said.
Her head had struck the bottom of the pool and shattered two vertebrae.
She would never walk again.
She started by discussing some of the challenges you might expect.
It was hard to find a job that could accommodate her physical disabilities.
It could be frustrating and uncomfortable to deal with the nerve pain.
But she also shared a variety of surprisingly positive answers.
How is it possible to be happy when everything in life seems to go wrong?
When asked to describe the impact of such an event most people talk about how devastating it would be.
Some people even say they would rather be dead than never be able to walk again.
How can this be?
The Impact Bias
Traumatic events tend to trigger what Gilbert refers to as our psychological immune systems.
Our psychological immune systems promote our brains ability to deliver a positive outlook and happiness from an inescapable situation.
This is the opposite of what we would expect when we imagine such an event.
Thus, they mis-predict their own emotional reactions to misfortunes of different sizes.
This effect works in a similar way for extremely positive events.
For example, consider how it would feel to win the lottery.
Many people assume that winning the lottery would immediately deliver long-lasting happiness, but research has found the opposite.
You read that correctly.
We have a strong tendency to overestimate the impact that extreme events will have on our lives.
Where to Go From Here
There are two primary takeaways I have from the impact bias.
Well still feel grumpy if we dont get enough sleep.
We still have to wait in rush hour traffic.
We still have to workout if we want to stay in shape.
We still have to send in our taxes each year.
It will still hurt when we lose a loved one.
It will still feel nice to relax on the porch and watch the sunset.
We imagine the change, but we forget the things that stay the same.
These are all pieces of the good life you might enjoy with or without a leg.
Mobility issues represent but a small fraction of the experiences available to you.
Negative events can create task-specific challenges, but the human experience is broad and varied.
Image byHermin(Shutterstock).
