Robinson Crusoe and Building A Psychologically Rich Life

Why Would You Do That, Robinson Crusoe?

“I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called – nay we call ourselves and write our name – Crusoe; and so my companions always called me.”

The classical story, published in 1719 by Daniel Dafoe, begins. Robinson Crusoe was a young man. As with most things young, he was inexperienced, which led to his ultimate demise. 

Crusoe was very insistent on setting sail on a ship to see what awaited him beyond the horizon. It was the thought of great romance and chivalry. All his thoughts would seem extinguished by the unwillingness of his mother to bid her young son farewell and his father being very objected to him leaving. His father was confident that the middle station was the best. Not worried about food and not burdened by the greed and pride that the high life presents. The middle station, the upper part of the low life, was best suited for happiness. 

Crusoe, of course, was not convinced. After some trivial encounters in town, especially at the local pub, Crusoe heard about a ship that would set sail very soon. He got on board and left, where, after a series of already traumatising events, he would be stranded on a remote island for over a decade before finally returning to Europe.

On the remote island, Crusoe encountered all sorts of challenges. He was starving, afraid of the elements, and lonely. I would personally opine that loneliness was the biggest obstacle he faced. 

If only Crusoe had known what would happen, he would have acted differently. 

Or would he?

We inevitably face difficulties in life. We often sigh in the face of tragedies and failures. Yet the question is: is a life of hurdles, a life not worth living?

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The Factors of the Good Life

First of all, one may ask: what makes a good life? The conventional factors for a good life were either having lived happily, called the hedonistic life, or having lived meaningfully, the eudaimonic life, which is the life advocated by Aristotle in his work The Nicomachean Ethics. 

A majority of us would call these two lives a good life.

A happy life would be associated with high socioeconomic status, extraversion, well-maintained interpersonal relationships, and a stable job.

A meaningful life would mean a life with a purpose—to satisfy the human urge to serve a greater good. These are all lives well lived, no doubt. But what about the case of Robinson Crusoe? 

At the end of the story, Robinson Crusoe does not specify his state of mind. Even though we can infer that he probably has had enough of life, judging by his volatile character, we could never know. The book ends with the following: “All these things, with some very surprising incidents in some new adventures of my own, for ten years more, I may perhaps give a further account of hereafter.” He does not say whether this is the final adventure. For the sake of the following argument, we will suppose that Robinson Crusoe did have the urge for future adventures. In this case, why? He knows it will not bring him happiness, as testified by his grievances on the faraway island. And he knows it will not bring him any particular sense of meaning to life, more so the opposite.

Introducing the Third Factor of the Good Life: A Psychologically Rich Life

Could there be a different kind of life that can be known as the Good Life? The psychologically rich life is one of them, proposed in this paper authored by Shigehiro Oishi and Erin C. Westgate.

Here are two distinct examples from the paper:

• Suppose this situation happens. Since young, Bob has always thought that musicals are lame and that only lame people watch musicals. Naturally, he has developed a preconceived bias toward musicals. However, his refusal only aroused more annoying effort from his friends to persuade him to watch a musical with them. In the end, he succumbed to them. The musical began, and Bob was utterly unimpressed by an actress on a flying carpet, calling it lame. As the music progressed, it emotionally pulled Bob in. He slowly starts experiencing emotions. Something felt wrong, he thought. No, he slowly realised something. From then on, musicals were no longer a cringe-worthy affair for him.
• Suppose another situation. You are at the reception of a hospital, waiting for your turn. Suddenly, a shirtless man storms out of the examination room. He shouts, “Aliens are real! Aliens are real!”. Then, he proceeds to jump on the coffee table, take out a bar of pure chocolate, and inhale the whole thing.

Both situations are novel, refreshing, and potentially mind-blowing. However, only the former case will add to the psychological richness. The second situation, however novel it may be, is not psychologically enriching. The difference between the two is that Bob changed his perspective and that your being at the examination reception did nothing for your current view.

When Crusoe set foot on his first ship, it was novel. But was it psychologically enriching? Not quite. The psychological richness comes after he has been stranded on the island, when he starts to view life differently, going from being a rebellious youth to a maturing adult.

Learn more about practicing mindfulness here.

How to Know that I Am Living a Psychologically Rich Life?

How can we know that the third factor is distinct from the other two factors and that this is not just a mere play of words?

In the paper, a questionnaire was imposed upon participants from various nations to describe their ideal life to test the theory; they were to use 15 features to narrate the Good Life. Words such as happy,  comfortable, and stable would be associated with a happy life; meaningful and fulfilling would be meaningful lives; and eventful and interested would correspond to a psychologically rich life.

The study shows that about 80–90 per cent of the populace split between a happy or meaningful life. Around 10 to 20 per cent of the population was inclined to a psychologically rich life.

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The Effects of Pursuing Psychological Richness

Having a life that is rich in psychological-rich, perspective-changing experiences can have a few benefits:

1. We can effectively deal with boredom

Psychological richness is a coping mechanism for boredom. The same study showed that “maladaptive responses to boredom are thought to spur several societal problems, including gang violence.” People who feel bored are likely to venture out and seek experience, regardless of whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. Activities such as after-school curricula, including sports and the arts, play an active role in reducing violence in a community.

2. We can better face tragedies and adversities

Victims of natural disasters face significant blows to their happiness. Tragedies like these contribute to financial and livelihood losses, often making people lose hope. However, this does not mean that the victims of such tragedies will live on for the rest of their lives unmotivated. Yes, they may feel sadness and despair, but many later become activists for such causes. The psychological richness of such experiences changes them and encourages them to spread the message. 

Malala miraculously survived a bullet to her face while on the school bus. Now, she dedicates her life to advocating for female education and rights. She may not necessarily have felt any happier or more meaningful. However, her experiences cajole us to say she lives a good life.

Seeking A Psychologically Rich Life in 3 Simple Steps

Psychologically rich experiences and a preference for it do not fall into our laps and are arguably also not necessarily inborn, meaning it is possible to seek psychologically rich experiences and reap the benefits of having such an outlook! Here are some suggestions: 

1. Do more.

Involve yourself in various activities. Take up a new hobby, travel to new places, and organise or participate in more events. Each new experience offers opportunities for growth and learning. 

Step out of your comfort zone. Always challenge yourself.

Most importantly, reflect. Whatever you have done, by the end of the day, sit down and think to yourself about what you have done and how you would have done what you did. Do not entrap yourself in the past. Think of it as free, do-it-yourself lessons.

Pro Tip: Don't forget to take a step back and slow down in life sometimes. Learn more about the art of slow living here.

2. Keep an open-minded attitude.

Stay sceptical but not judgmental. The difference between the two is that scepticality is not to be convinced of a matter due to reason; being judgmental is to reach a quick conclusion without reason. Due to our preconceived biases shaped by our environment, we reject things mindlessly without even trying to understand what they are about. A great example is the story of Bob going to a musical mentioned above.

Be curious. Ask questions, seek new information, and remain receptive to alternative perspectives.

3. Embrace epistemic humility.

Always remember that we are limited creatures. We have come very far and hopefully still have very far to go. We will never be sure of what we know. We have been wrong countless times in countless events in history. What is stopping that from happening again? We often look back to the Medieval Age and laugh at those against the Earth being round. A few decades later, we will look back at humanity and comment on our foolishness. We are foolish. And hopefully, we will continue to know ourselves to be foolish. To know that you were once and recently a fool is one of the best feelings, for it means growth.

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Final Thoughts

Note that the third factor, the psychologically rich life, is only another factor in a good life and there can be many others.  What matters, at the end of the day, is keeping an open mind to view and pursue a good life in different manners, be it from a happy, meaningful as well as a psychologically rich perspective.

We will end this article with some words from the man.

I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side.

Robinson Crusoe

Reference(s):

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/rev-rev0000317.pdf