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I think there's a big difference between being happy and being satisfied. There's some evidence that certain people are just happier than others, in the same wa
by jeffreyrogers 9y ago
I think there's a big difference between being happy and being satisfied. There's some evidence that certain people are just happier than others, in the same way that the distribution of extroversion, intelligence, etc. vary across society. There's things you can do to remove unhappiness, but I think in most cases that's all you're doing, bringing people to their baseline if everything else is taken care of.
In any case, it seems like we should be more focused on helping people find meaning in their lives rather than making people happier. People are happier when doing fun things, but these things don't lead to any lasting achievement that people can look back on and view as giving their life a purpose.
- ForRealsies 9y agoIt's 2018, on an article dealing with happiness/fulfillment and no one dropped a Peterson video yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdu6iN0CM3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdu6iN0CM3s
- supernovae 9y agoI find the opposite true - when people seek out meaning they're often miserable :) I know i have one life to live, so i choose to experience and see what I can and that brings me much happiness - but in a way, it's not all from happiness. There is lots of suffering and sacrifice. I love hiking mountains but its no walk in the park and requires lots of willpower to keep climbing when everything is telling you to turn around. Making it to the top the first time is an accomplishment but further summits are more about the experience, beauty, and wonder of being alive and being able to explore this planet by foot. Not looking for answers as if there is a purpose, but experiencing life with purpose - to see it and live it. To me, thats vastly different than purpose through meaning.
- jeffreyrogers 9y agoI think we're trying to get at the same thing but describing it in different ways. I don't mean that people should be looking for the meaning of life. But you should be doing things that you find meaningful. That can be climbing high mountains, raising a kid, running a business that employs other people, etc. I don't think it matters very much what it is, but you should have something you're directing your efforts towards rather than just aimlessly seeking experience that make you feel happy.
- tj-teej 9y ago"I love hiking mountains but its no walk in the park" Not to be pedantic, but... :)