[World Reading Day (II)] Gleaning Book Club: Finding an Emotional Outlet in The Happiness Trap | Info

Release time：2025-04-23    

Original FISF MARCOM  April 23^rd 2025 11:01  Shanghai

On April 18^th, FISF “Gleaning Book Club” cooperated with “Epitome Book Club” of China Securities Museum and held an in-depth dialogue about “emotion freedom” at Victoria Hall of China Securities Museum. Lei Zhu, Professor in Accounting at FISF, attended as a distinguished guest while attendees engaged in a lucid journey of reading around The Happiness Trap.

Why are we always “tied up” by emotions?

“Misery is a required course in life, but we tend to get into deeper anxiety as we often choose to resist it.”

At the beginning, Professor Lei Zhu pointed out the emotional dilemma of modern people: when life grants us pressure, conflicts and uncertainties, our brain unconsciously “work out” countless negative plots - for example, a mistake in a meeting speech will instantly generate thoughts in our brain like “I’m going to lose my job” and “My life is over”. Such “catastrophic thinking” is just the core dilemma revealed in The Happiness Trap.

Two practical techniques to help you jump out of the emotional vortex

Professor Lei Zhu shared the two “emotional management formulas” presented in the book in combination with her own experience, which was both theoretically profound while being down to earth:

1. Be a “bystander” instead of “drama fan” of the brain

“The brain is like a director who likes to make up stories, and we should learn to be an audience.”

✔When negative thoughts appeared (such as “I screwed up”), say to yourself in silence: “Oh, my brain is airing a ‘disaster movie’ again.”

✔Don’t judge and don’t follow. Just observe how these thoughts flow, like watching clouds sailing round the sky.

An example given by the professor: Once I encountered a sudden questioning in teaching, and my brain “set the alarm” instantly. However, when I switched to ‘observer mode, I quickly pulled myself together and instead found a better way to communicate.

2. The method of breathing contemplation: give emotions an outlet to flow

“Emotions are like waves. The harder you resist, the rougher they become. It’s better if you ‘let it run through’.”

⬇Three-step practices:

1. Perceive: be aware of the existence of the emotion (like a tight chest and sweaty palms);
2. Breath: close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths, your abdomen undulating like a balloon;
3. Observe: position the emotion in the body from a third perspective (“right now the anger is stuck in the throat”), don’t analyze, don’t judge, just wait till it gradually fade away.

Key points: Deliberate practice is needed for the third step. Just like body building, you will gain stronger “emotional stability muscle” as you practice more.

On-site interaction: when financial people talk about emotional management

In the Q&A link, on-site audience raised questions like “how should financial practitioners deal with high pressure and anxiety”, Professor Lei Zhu skillfully drew an analogy:

“Investment needs risk control, and similarly emotional management also needs a ‘stop-loss point’. The ACT therapy in The Happiness Trap can help you build the ‘psychological hedging mechanism’, which means not resisting the negative emotions but restructure the mindset through perception and action.”

Key points: why is this book worth reading?

✔It’s not a motivational piece, but a “psychological toolbox”: providing practicable emotional management skills;

✔It’s suitable for people who have long been bothered by anxiety and mental drain as well as working people who want to improve their psychological resilience;

✔A golden sentence provided by professor: “The power of words lies in practice - reading 100 pages of theories is no better than doing 1 breathing practice.”

Not only did this activity attract old friends and new acquaintances of FISF to participate actively, it also gathered people from China Securities Museum with the same interest in books - a group of companions holding the belief of lifelong learning reaching out to each other through two-way efforts on a journey of spring light and shadow and spiritual nourishment on the banks of the Pujiang River. This cross-industry linkage injected vigorous kinetic energy into the increase of FISF’s brand influence and project value, allowing the ripples of thoughts to spread in the resonance of wisdom in a continuous way.