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I think it's simpler than this. Happiness is an emotion which is an acute phenomenon. It is impossible to sustain just like anger or surprise. Satisfaction is
by solarmist 4y ago
I think it's simpler than this. Happiness is an emotion which is an acute phenomenon. It is impossible to sustain just like anger or surprise.
Satisfaction is what I think most people mean by "happiness." And when you start thinking of it that way there are very actionable things you can do to improve this directly.
- respondo2134 4y agoI definitely think that it's relative, or as in Vanilla Sky "The sweet just ain't as sweet without the sour". I consciously recognize (and even appreciate?) the bad times because the best times in my life depend on comparing them to the rougher periods. It's the exceptions that make me most joyful, not some constant state of happy.
- solarmist 4y agoSure, but I mean it literally. For things like this there is a lot of conflation of words like happy, joy, satisfied, etc. But the natural state of the brain is neutral, so it can react when needed. To create an emotion the brain alters brain chemistry as a way to send signals which we interpret as emotions. It would be problematic if they could just be switched on without turning off.
- ChildOfChaos 4y agoI think this is basically similar to the ideas of Stoicism. Happiness itself is fleeting, it will come and go, you can't really aim for it, we are awful predictors of it and as you state it's an emotion so it comes an goes. However we can strive to achieve a certain comfort, or tranquillity from knowing that we did our best, that we did what we could and what we should and gain a certain satisfaction from that. That is much more rounded, it's more achievable and stops you from being at whim to the randomness of the world and your own moods.