Theodore Rubin's Competition And Happiness

In “Competition and Happiness”, Theodore Rubin, analyzes how competition in American culture degrades happiness from the lives of people. The author claims that Americans try their hardest at what they do, that often trying too hard results in misery because the expectations of others are put first than one’s personal needs. Behaving to societal expectations then leads individuals to go “out” of their reach which brings out the worst in them, the ugly side. When competition is motivating, supportive, and builds character, it is good. Although considering the example given by the author about the medical students that attended school in Switzerland, good relationships and friendships were terminated by the instincts of competition. The Americans cheated and sabotaged fellow students by creating bets and rumors leading everyone becoming enemies. This unhealthy behavior later proved to be “stressful and isolating” to the Americans because competition had already evoked their happiness, satisfaction and pride. Competition can be a form of

Competition can allow people to set their mind to a certain goal until it is accomplished, then it becomes part of one’s knowledge and then they set their mind to another goal. This cycle may motivate people to improve their performances, seeking to better ourselves. Yet in “Competition and Happiness” Theodore Rubin analyzes the negative effects of competition and how it damages the lives of people into trying to outdo one another. Competitiveness causes more harm than benefit because it bring out the worse in people due to the set list of arbitrary rules of what is right or wrong. I believe we need to learn how to cooperate and accept ourselves because it consumes our motivation to truly ask ourselves what we what. Collaboration is the key that relates how we can bring out the best in others and thus