I think, in my case at least, Misplaced Life Dissatisfaction is the main cause of existential angst. I’ve noticed a strong positive correlation between how happy I am at a given moment and how satisfied I am with my purpose in life (or lack thereof). There is a causal link, but it works the opposite way from what I first assumed: sadness makes me angsty, not the other way around. This despite the fact that my logical reasons for being angsty were just as valid no matter whether I was feeling good or not.
As with all biases, identifying the problem doesn’t get rid of it, but it helps.
Strong agreement there—I’ve noticed that emotional state attracts or generates thoughts which are congruent with it at least as much at thoughts generate emotional state.
I think, in my case at least, Misplaced Life Dissatisfaction is the main cause of existential angst. I’ve noticed a strong positive correlation between how happy I am at a given moment and how satisfied I am with my purpose in life (or lack thereof). There is a causal link, but it works the opposite way from what I first assumed: sadness makes me angsty, not the other way around. This despite the fact that my logical reasons for being angsty were just as valid no matter whether I was feeling good or not.
As with all biases, identifying the problem doesn’t get rid of it, but it helps.
Strong agreement there—I’ve noticed that emotional state attracts or generates thoughts which are congruent with it at least as much at thoughts generate emotional state.