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This has to be in the top 10 dumbest things I've read online, written by a professional of course. I studied psychology, sociology and I carried on reading on t
by Electro 19y ago
This has to be in the top 10 dumbest things I've read online, written by a professional of course. I studied psychology, sociology and I carried on reading on them both well past finishing my college courses on them. This article is flawed and the reasons are three-fold:
Firstly, they discuss hedonistic pleasure. This is essentially the pleasure of getting fat, lazy and dying of hardened arteries. It isn't happiness, it's a base instinct well below our consciousness that is designed to enjoy sugars, sex and laziness programmed into us as a survival mechanism. Essentially the more you eat, have sex and do nothing, the better chance you -had- of surviving; now not so much.
Secondly, they poorly evaluate the pleasure of accomplishment. Your higher brain is designed to dump a load of endorphins into your system, because some minor pain/discomfort has been rewarded. Breaking down into tears at your kids graduation ceremony is artificial, it isn't programmed into people like feeling happy when they see their kid. You get so overly joyed when your children accomplish something because it is something that is a hell of a lot better for you than all the hedonistic pleasures combined, hence why they -do- wipe out all the minor feelings that led up to the accomplishment, essentially because it was worth it!
Thirdly, heroin blocks endorphin (the happy chemical, as well as 3 other chemicals') production. This is completely the opposite of kids, who can amplify the production. Heroin is a drug that literally disables your ability to be happy, I somehow don't see the similarity to kids here. He's comparing delayed gratification with instant gratification and immense delayed suffering/death...
I believe my three points are sufficient, however I must add that hedonistic psychology is an amazing subject. Although that being said, it is fascinating in a way that should educate you to do everything -BUT- the hedonistic pleasures.
- david927 19y agoRead his book "Stumbling on Happiness". He addresses the first two of your concerns, and it's a fascinating book. (As for your third point, I think you missed what he was trying to say: that if you create a myopia around any one thing, it tends to exaggerate its effects.) And you're right that there's more to life than happiness, such as fulfillment and love. Being a Dad is, like the Marines, the hardest job you'll ever love. I wouldn't change it for the world.