THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS

TEiP DEEP 36

MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY

SPOILER ALERT

Here is the Thought Experiment that we’ll discuss at TEiP DEEP.

It is broken into three chapters.

I recommend waiting to read the chapters sequentially at the event

…but if you’d like to know what they are ahead of time, here you go… :-)

CHAPTER 1

You come across a new reality TV show. It’s called “MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY”.

Contestants are assigned to ‘unhappy people’.

The ‘unhappy people’ are individuals who self-identify as “in a rut”, “depressed”, or “uninspired by the world”. They are not at the most extreme end of unhappiness, but they’re definitely not happy.

Contestants are given three weeks to see whether they can make their assigned ‘unhappy person’ happy. They have the following resources:

Access to two nice AirBnBs: one in central London and one in the countryside (separate AirBnBs for each pair)
A credit card for expenses (£200 limit per day)
A directory of therapists, coaches, holistic healers, personal trainers, etc.
A list of “What’s On” in central London
Two phones with unlimited data

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

What do you think of this new show?
Would you watch it?
What might you learn from it?
Are there any ethical issues with this show?
Suppose you were a contestant, how would you approach the challenge?

CHAPTER 2

After watching the first season of the show, you call your sister to tell her about it. You chat with her for about an hour.

The following week, your sister calls you. She says,

“After our call I did a crazy thing and nominated you to be one of the contestants for the next series of MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY….and you got in! Sorry! But you had some good ideas and I think you’ll win. You might also make a big difference in someone’s life.”

You arrive at the studio where filming is due to start. You’re in a waiting room with the other contestants. A host arrives to introduce you to one another and explain the premise of the show. They say, in a bouncy, upbeat, presenter’s voice:

“Welcome, welcome! Thank you so much for coming. We are creating unprecedented TV here. It is TV that helps people, that uplifts people, that makes people happy! And I’m so glad you’re going to be part of it.

Before we start I’ll invite you to do a little meditation with me.”

The host’s voice changes and becomes calm and peaceful. They say:

“Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Tune in to the rhythm of your breathing.

I’m about to introduce you to a character. Before I do that, I invite you to let go of your known wisdom. Let go of your theories and paradigms. Approach this person with a beginner’s mind, with no assumptions and no judgement.

I’ll pause for you to take a few breaths and with each breath out, let go.

There are a few moments of silence and then the host speaks again.

Now I’m going to introduce you to this character. They are a person. They have a unique story. To get to this point in life, they have navigated challenges and found inner resources. They have experienced both joy and sorrow. At the moment they are in a dark place, a deep hole, stormy weather.

You meet them during this dark night of the soul. You will have three weeks with them. Use your resources, and their resources to help guide them to a brighter, calmer, more level place.”

The host rings a bell and you open your eyes. Their voice returns to the bouncy, presenter tone:

“And you’ll be doing it all on TV for the world to see! Share the experience, share the inspiration, share the love! Best of luck to all of you. I’ll be back in 5 minutes to welcome you onto the set.”

You feel a little bamboozled. When in presenter mode, the host seemed very superficial, but during the meditation, they were very earnest and thoughtful. You’re really not sure what to make of this whole thing…

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

How would you feel in this situation?
What are your thoughts about the host?
What about the little meditation exercise they facilitated?
How do you think you might approach the challenge of “making your person happy”?
Is it possible to approach this challenge with a ‘beginner’s mind’, as suggested by the host?
How much of an effect do you think the meditation will have on the TV show?

CHAPTER 3

While waiting to go on set, the contestants get chatting. You learn the following:

Margaret describes herself as a ‘mental health practitioner’. She says she has a lot of experience diagnosing issues and helping people with treatment in order to achieve healthier outcomes in their lives. She is a big believer in talk therapy and at times, medication.
Roshi is a zen monk. He says: “Life is suffering. To be free, we must accept the suffering and cry all our tears.”
Paula has experienced several bereavements in her life. She says that in order to be happy again after these periods of sadness, she just needed to allow time to pass. She is not sure whether three weeks will be enough time for her assigned ‘unhappy person’, but she hopes so.
Bianca says she is inspired by the following quote from a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide, paraphrased by Andrew Solomon. She reads out the quote:

"[After the genocide,] we had a lot of trouble with Western mental health workers... They came and their practice did not involve being outside in the sun... there was no music or drumming... there was no sense that everyone had taken the day off so that the entire community could come together... Instead they would take people one at a time into these dingy little rooms... We had to ask them to leave." (Solomon, as cited in Abramowitz, 2015).

Bianca says she plans to find opportunities for her assigned ‘unhappy person’ to meet others and go dancing.

Ed tells the group that he is a nutritionist and believes that happiness starts with gut health. He intends to ask his assigned ‘unhappy person’ about their diet first of all.

The host re-enters the room. It’s showtime.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Do any of your fellow contestants’ approaches resonate with you?
Why do you think they are so different? What led these different people to these different approaches?
Who do you think is most likely to win the competition?
Who would you prefer to be assigned to if you were an ‘unhappy person’?
If asked to work together in pairs, how might you arrange these contestants for maximum harmonious collaboration?
How might you arrange them if you were a producer seeking to cause the most drama, intrigue, and strife in a reality TV show?!

SOURCES:

Thought Experiment by BA, TEiP Group Member. You can read more of her writing here.

Abramowitz, S. A. (2015, February 5). The talking cure? Psychotherapy and the humanitarian tradition. The Guardian.