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There's quite a bit of evidence that meaning is what makes one happy. Pleasure is a very tiny component. Avoiding suffering doesn't guarantee you gain meaning.
by slowmovintarget 5y ago
There's quite a bit of evidence that meaning is what makes one happy. Pleasure is a very tiny component.
Avoiding suffering doesn't guarantee you gain meaning. Suffering can diminish happiness, but one can be happy while suffering. This is not because one enjoys suffering, but because one is able to see it as having a purpose.
Drug addiction and other addictive behaviors can be linked back to self-medicating processes that are attempts at avoiding the mental agony of purposelessness.
How one gains meaning and purpose is a much deeper discussion.
- twodave 5y agoSo true. I've experienced more than my share of addiction, and the dopamine hits, while intense, only bring momentary pleasure. Instead of happiness, feelings of shame are often the result. Fortunately there are many things out there that both bring happiness and pleasure. But the pleasure happens at the appropriate time and place. For instance. 1. The high one experiences during or after strenuous exercise. 2. The satisfaction of a job well done (whether physical labor or not). 3. The feeling of relief after going through a difficult time. 4. Even sex, when it results from genuine emotional/spiritual connection with a spouse. These things all involve a moderate-to-severe degree of pain. Yes, even the fourth one. It is hard to trust another person with our own personal darkness. Those things (drugs, eating, shopping, porn, etc.) that attempt to isolate and repeat just the reward/pleasure sensations experienced in life not only cheapen the experience, but limit our capacity to enjoy real life fully.