Originally posted by Catwoman
Quote:
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...why are we not happy when expectation and reality do not match?
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When the unexpected happens, sometimes we are not happy, sometimes we are
very happy and sometimes we don't feel affected by it.
If I expect to win the lotter but don't then I'm pissed. Why did I think I had a shot of winning it in the first place? Because the commercial (aimed at people in denial about the true odds of winning) told me all my dreams would come true?
If, on the other hand, knowing the true odds but playing anyway (the other lottery commercial aimed at those who won't play because of the poor odds said that money goes to a good cause) and winning shatters my expectations in a good way!
If, on the third hand, if I don't play then I really don't care who wins (i.e., no expectation at all).
So, on one level, your question appears to be about expectations and how they got there in the first place. Funny question coming from you
I bolded the "we" in your orig quote because not everyone is made unhappy when reality and expectations don't intersect. Some people metaThink and realize that their expectations were wrong and accept it. Those people salve themselves with the idea that as they climb up the enlightenment ladder, it will happen less and less often.
To just drill to the core, I'd say the answer to your question is highly correlated with one's "self-importance." Enlightened folk distance themselves from the self and take responsibility for disappointment while those who cannot (or choose not to) escape the self greet unfulfilled expectations as a "problem" with reality. After all, it's all about ME, right?!?!? :-)