I learned about the book Life in Three Dimensions on the Happiness Lab podcast. I was fascinated by the idea of psychological richness. A psychologically rich life is one with interesting, varied and perspective changing experiences.
Oishi argues this is the missing dimension of what it means to live a good life. Distinct from happiness (pleasure and contentment) and meaning (purpose and contribution).
This struck a chord with me. While my life in many ways is happier since 2020 (aka since I stopped travelling constantly), I’ve been feeling the absence of something that I might have characterized as novelty. Psychological richness is a better term, and it’s clearer to me now what I want more of, and that while airplanes help, they aren’t a hard requirement.
Throughout the book Oishi contrasts his life as a migrant and a professor, with his father’s life of stability and contentment. His father’s life becomes something of the definition of happiness and contentment, whilst Oishi talks about his own desire for more, even when that makes things hard. The three dimensions are not mutually exclusive, but I think psychological richness and happiness might be the hardest pair to combine.
All in all, I found this a really interesting and helpful read. Recommend.