"Why do we care about who we are? After all, as I argue in my latest book, there's not much we can do about it. No matter how much we try to modify our behaviors and habits, and whether we succeed, we will still inevitably end up being us, even if that comes with the capacity to feel that we are not being ourselves, that we are changing, or becoming a better version of ourselves."
"His estimate was anecdotal rather than factual. Actual empirical research suggests that about half of our waking time, which, for a typical adult in the developed world, equates to around eight hours per day, is devoted to thinking about what we are actually doing there and then, and a big chunk of the remaining time is devoted to not thinking that much at all."
"To be sure, our hunter-gatherer ancestors were far less bothered about who they were 'deep down' or trying to find themselves, let alone a job that was a good fit for their core values or provided them with a stronger sense of calling or purpose. After all, their major life goals were limited to survival: eat what you catch, avoid being eaten, pass on your genes, repeat as often as you can, then die (unless you can avoid it, but you won't)."
Authenticity has deep philosophical foundations and offers no single objective answer about who someone is 'deep down'. Behavioral and habit changes can alter actions without guaranteeing a fixed inner self, and people can feel both inauthentic and in the process of becoming. Empirical research indicates roughly half of waking time is occupied by self-focused thought. Hunter-gatherer life imposed minimal concern for personal identity beyond survival, while pre-modern hierarchical societies largely conferred reputation by class and status. Attention is more productively directed toward developing better versions of oneself than toward discovering a definitive true self.
Read at Psychology Today
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