In the modern pursuit of well-being, we have increasingly succumbed to the "instrumentalization" of existence—the tendency to view every action not as an end in itself, but as a tool for achieving a specific, often utilitarian, outcome. Writing for *The Guardian*, philosopher Julian Baggini reflects on this shift, noting how the intrinsic value of our experiences is being hollowed out by a relentless focus on function.
The most striking example of this trend appears in the literature of self-optimization. Baggini recalls a passage from Gretchen Rubin’s *The Happiness Project*, in which a moment of marital reconciliation is reduced to a biological transaction. Rubin describes hugging her husband for at least six seconds—not solely out of spontaneous affection, but because she knew that duration was the \"minimum time necessary\" to trigger the release of oxytocin and serotonin.
This framing transforms a human connection into a chemical delivery system. When we hug to modulate our hormones or exercise solely to boost productivity, we treat our own lives as a series of inputs designed to yield a predictable emotional return on investment. It is a clinical approach to living that suggests we are no longer capable of valuing a moment unless it serves a measurable purpose.
The danger of this mindset is that it leaves no room for the "end in itself." By viewing life as a project to be managed and optimized, we risk losing the very thing we are trying to improve: the unmediated experience of being alive. If every gesture is a means to an end, the "end" becomes a moving target, forever out of reach, buried under the weight of our own metrics.
With reporting from 3 Quarks Daily.
Source · 3 Quarks Daily