![]() ![]() You don’t have to pursue anything ever again / It’s over / You’re free.” Lines from Tony Hoagland’s poem “Disappointment” capture the moment when “he didn’t get the job,- / or her father died before she told him / that one, most important thing- / and everything got still. Even giving up on a failing scientific research project can be exhilarating if it opens new opportunities to conduct more interesting studies. After a divorce, initial despair is often followed by realizing that better relationships are possible. ![]() Some people come home after losing a job and quickly realize they have been freed from what would have been decades of drudgery. ![]() Why don’t life’s reverses make us more optimistic? More daring? Why mope alone on the couch? Risk taking and enthusiasm would seem more likely to lead to a successful new strategy. But low mood tends to spread to the rest of life. If no alternative seems viable, motivation turns off and we look for other things to do. Low mood seems useless, but when progress toward a major goal is slowing or stopped, lower motivation can give us time to consider alternative strategies and to wait for better times. ![]()
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