Heaven’s Reward Fallacy | Do You Also Suffer ?
Do you ever feel like the universe does not give what you desire for? That no matter how much you sacrifice or put good deeds, that outcome you yearn for still don’t come? Do you find yourself expecting Karma or some other divine force to repay you immediately? You’re not alone. But it turns out that this thinking pattern is called “Heaven’s Reward Fallacy,” which negatively impacts your life in many ways. And, is considered as one among most popular cognitive disorders ( List https://www.mindmypeelings.com/blog/cognitive-distortions).
What is the Heaven’s Reward Fallacy?
In simple words, The Heaven’s Reward Fallacy is the irrational presumption that you must get rewards for all your good work and sacrifices. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy distortion is based on the reasoning that you should be completely rewarded based on how hard you work. While in reality, not all effort or hard work gets rewarded in actual depending upon various considerations.
But each and every one of us knows lots of examples of when hard work and sacrifice did not pay off. Reality is that sometimes no matter how hard we work or how much we sacrifice, we will not achieve what we hope to achieve. To think otherwise is a potentially damaging pattern of thought that can result in disappointment, frustration, anger, and even depression when the awaited reward does not materialize, at least not in this world.
Examples of This Fallacy :
You were expecting to get a promotion this year because of your hard work. However, there could have been many reasons why they were promoted over you, hard work isn’t the only consideration.
Being a law-abiding model citizen will guarantee a life full of prosperity. Thinking that following the rules 100% guarantees social benefits is a fallacy because quality of life ,social connections & social benefits depend on many factors that are beyond one’s control.
Denying yourself pleasurable activities like watching shows to earn great grades. Abstaining from something you love like watching a lot of Netflix does not guarantee an excellent career or improved grades.
Expecting that your effort into a relationship is always returned. Making sacrifices for a relationship won’t make your partner shower you with rewards. People’s capacity to give is limited in unique ways.
Dangers of This Fallacy | How does Heaven’s Reward Fallacy affect you?
People who fall into this fallacy tend to think in extremes and do not see a balanced ground between “all” or “nothing.” If you suffer with this fallacy, you may experience resentment about the lack of payoff for your efforts. This frustration may lead to avoidance of tasks that aren’t rewarding. You also have an extremely hard time seeing things through other people’s perspectives. Because your focus is solely on your rewards or desires. What ends up happening is a vicious cycle of self-sabotage through sacrifice that reinforces this cognitive distortion and depression.
How to Overcome Heaven’s Reward Fallacy?
Do things that you want to do because it makes you feel good. And not because you have some scorecard in your head where you are keeping tally marks. Also, instead of doing things because you have ulterior motives influencing you, do the right thing just for the sake of doing the right thing with no strings attached. Keeping realistic expectations about your hard work would help in beating this fallacy. If you don’t want to do something because it feels like too much of a sacrifice for you to make, then simply say “No”. Don’t be hundred percent goal-oriented. Be more process-oriented. This way you can do things for the joy of doing them, not for anticipated rewards.
Final takeaway
The irrational belief that all your sacrifices will somehow be rewarded by the universe may seem like a comforting thought. It can promise hope about positive consequences. But not all sacrifices will entitle you to a reward. Your fallacy may a comforting thought but can lead to disappointment and judgments like “life is too unfair.” Being realistic and flexible about expectations and future rewards will help and make the effort more worth it.
Read also : 5 Natural Ways to Increase Dopamine ( https://thebrightdelights.com/5-natural-ways-to-increase-dopamine/ )