Interview: Dr Dr Hans-Otto Thomashoff on satisfaction

Is contentment the new happiness? In his new book "Ich sucht das Glück und fand die Zufriedenheit" (I sought happiness and found contentment), the Viennese psychotherapist, doctor and art historian Dr Dr Hans-Otto Thomashoff explains what happiness really is (contentment!) and how each of us can become a little more content.
Biomazing interviewed the author about his new book and questions relating to satisfaction.

Biomazing is giving away a copy of the book "Ich sucht das Glück und fand die Zufriedenheit", the conditions of participation can be found at the end of this article.

 

Biomazing: Mr Thomashoff, your latest book is entitled "Ich sucht das Happiness and found contentment". Is contentment the new happiness? Why?

Thomashoff: Everyone wants to be happy and is under a misconception: It's not happiness that makes you happy, but contentment. Contentment is the real happiness. Everyday experience and brain research confirm this: happiness is fleeting, Satisfaction on the other hand, is constant. And yet, driven by Hollywood and the colourful advertising machine, we are all striving for happiness through consumerism, gambling, drugs and relationship perfectionism - and in doing so, we no longer find time to live our lives. We don't even realise how behind every goal there is already another one lurking to be achieved, chasing from more beautiful to slimmer to smarter and yet only becoming more and more frustrated.

 

Biomazing: What are the concrete building blocks for being "happily satisfied"?

Thomashoff: Two forces determine our existence: our relationships with other people and our ability to achieve something ourselves, the so-called effectiveness. All of our psychological needs are in the
The tension between relationship and achievement, between the search for security and the curiosity to keep doing new things. We must always find a balance between the two in order to be satisfied: Recognising, controlling and using feelings in a targeted way, the ability to wait for rewards and to act independently instead of being a passive spectator.

 

Biomazing: And that applies to all people? Aren't we all very different, as you yourself write in your book?

Thomashoff: Yes, that applies to each of us, each with our own specialities. The structure of our brain is a marvellous illustration of how they develop, i.e. why we have become the way we are. It always builds itself - based on its genetic make-up - in constant interaction with the environment and thus creates the psyche. By understanding how we become who we are, we can also specifically
work towards a contented life.

 

Biomazing: Now we know what makes us happy. What specifically makes us unhappy/dissatisfied?

Thomashoff: This is usually due to permanent stress factors that rob us of sleep and inner peace. These are primarily unresolved conflicts, whether conscious or unconscious, and unprocessed psychological traumas, i.e. experiences that were so painful that the associated feelings could not be processed and therefore keep pushing their way to the surface. Both can be overcome. But first you have to recognise them in the first place. The good news is that our brain remains adaptable and flexible throughout our lives.

 

Biomazing: Let's assume we are all basically happy. Should we look for moments of happiness
search?

Thomashoff: Definitely. Especially recommended: sex. Together with our partner, we utilise the power of our mirror cells - the book explains what they are in detail - to spur each other on. In this way, curiosity from the reward system merges with the relationship power of our love hormone oxytocin. Regular exercise in other ways also provides us with more satisfaction. Flow experiences are particularly easy to achieve in sport: The lasting feeling of elation when anticipation and reward for what has been achieved merge into one another and thus cheer yourself on. The important thing is to do it right: This means jogging or swimming with a heart rate of 70 to 80 per cent of your maximum performance. This is easily calculated using the following formula: 220 minus your age. And then 80%.

 

Biomazing: So we want to consciously make a difference. Biomazing supports many small farmers, producers, cooperatives and projects. Does the conscious consumption of fair products not only help these people, but does it also make us happier because we are making a difference?

Thomashoff: Above all, it's about fairness. For society as a whole, fairness increases well-being. This does not mean that everyone is treated completely equally. Anyone who feels underpaid or has to watch how the pay of others goes beyond the bounds of fairness becomes dissatisfied. The simple basic formula that is perceived as fair is: those who can, must be allowed to perform and must be paid for it.
are rewarded appropriately. It is therefore not surprising that the inhabitants of Switzerland or the Scandinavian countries consider themselves to be more satisfied than average. They regularly occupy the top places in global surveys on their own well-being.

 

Biomazing: What does mindfulness (awareness) have to do with satisfaction?

Thomashoff: A lot, because it is precisely recognising, controlling and using our feelings in a targeted way that allows us to consciously shape our lives towards greater contentment. This is especially true for people who were not born with contentment, who were not taught how to be content from an early age.

 

Biomazing: Do you see a connection between beauty and personal care on the one hand and satisfaction on the other?

Thomashoff: It certainly exists. If you consciously take care of yourself, you will also consciously make sure that you do your body good. And since everything in the brain tends to be self-reinforcing, it's not just a healthy body that harbours a
A healthy mind is not just a healthy mind, but also the other way round - a healthy mind ensures that your body is doing well.

 

Biomazing: In the day-to-day business of Biomazing, we notice time and again that the the happier and healthier someone is, the better they take care of themselves and their health. the better he looks after himself and his skin. Does the reverse also apply, that someone who takes better care of herself, makes herself pretty and uses beautiful products for cares, becomes happier as a result?

Thomashoff: Exactly, as just explained. Nevertheless, the most important source of our satisfaction is the quality of our relationships. We humans are embedded in our relationships and only become who we are through them. The current state of our relationships shapes and colours our view of our entire life. As in a sequence from the Woody Allen film Celebrity: "That guy in the back is a famous film critic. He hated every film. And then he married a young woman. And he's loved every film ever since."


Biomazing: Finally, why don't you give us a little tip? What can we simply do every day that makes us happier?

Thomashoff: In addition to recognising, controlling and using feelings in a targeted way, there are of course also the many little tricks in everyday life: managing stress well, cultivating anticipation, enjoying the pleasures of life.
savour and alternate, use intuition, use your own strengths, avoid weaknesses and much more. More about this in detail in the book.

 

The book on the subject has been published by Ariston Verlag.
Hans-Otto Thomashoff: I sought happiness and found contentment. Fr: 26.90,-

 

Conditions of participation for the prize draw:

1. subscribe to our Biomazing Newsletter

2. write us an E - Mail to service@biomazing.ch why it makes you personally particularly happy to buy sustainable and organic products.participation until 18 October

The winner will be drawn by us and then notified by e-mail.

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

kgüakgadoükgaoüa

fmaslgmsaas

kgaslkglasgksa

jglasgasüags

mgklösamgas

.