Self-Deception Won't Make You Happy (Critical Essay‪)‬

1. Introduction An influential literature in psychology claims that self-deception is characteristic of mental health. Most notably, Shelley Taylor, in a series of works that touches three decades, argues that "positive illusions" contribute to the production of better mood, better popularity, better ability to care for others, creativity, productivity, resilience from stress, and ultimately happiness. (1) So Taylor is enamored of the "adaptiveness" of human positive illusions. (2) Not having them is the hallmark of depression. Having them is a great boon (with a few qualifiers for when they get too extreme). Her work is not explicitly normative, but it seems to me to have the implication that many illusions she discusses are to be encouraged. Fully realistic assessments of oneself are not prized.