Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead Us to the Good Life (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780190912963)

Many of our endeavors -- be it personal or communal, technological or artistic -- aim at eradicating all traces of dissatisfaction from our daily lives. They seek to cure us of our discontent in order to deliver us a fuller and flourishing existence. But what if ubiquitous pleasure and instant fulfilment make our lives worse, not better? What if discontent isn't an obstacle to the good life but one of its essential ingredients? In Propelled, Andreas Elpidorou makes a lively case for the value of discontent and illustrates how boredom, frustration, and anticipation are good for us.

Weaving together stories from sources as wide-ranging as classical literature, social and cognitive psychology, philosophy, art, and video games, Elpidorou shows that these psychological states aren't unpleasant accidents of our lives. Rather, they illuminate our desires and expectations, inform us when we find ourselves stuck in unpleasant and unfulfilling situations, and motivate us to furnish our lives with meaning, interest, and value. Boredom, frustration, and anticipation aren't obstacles to our goals--they are our guides, propelling us into lives that are truly our own.

Author: Andreas Elpidorou
ISBN-10: 0190912960
ISBN-13: 9780190912963
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 05/14/2020
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2020
Choice 03/01/2021