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Neither is going to make people happy. People are happy if they are healthy, well fed, see the people they care about are happy, don't live in anxiety all the

Neither is going to make people happy. People are happy if they are healthy, well fed, see the people they care about are happy, don't live in anxiety all the time, and feel what they do day for day has some kind of meaning. How that is achieved is secondary. If someone feels like a faceless drone and constantly has to worry about how to make it through life after retirement, neither a 3000$ gaming PC nor a trip to Bali is going to make them happy, both are just bandaids over the misery.

baq 3y ago
Healthy, well fed and not aware that other people are doing better, even if only subjectively…
- zamfi 3y ago
  > not aware that other people are doing better, even if only subjectively This is not actually a requirement for happiness, turns out.
  - jack_pp 3y ago
    Agree, you can be aware and just not compare yourself and focus on your own journey or just be grateful you're doing well enough even if your friends do better. Comparison is the thief of joy
  - alexvoda 3y ago
    What about "not aware that other people are doing far worse"? I think both options have an effect and whether that effect is positive or negative depends on the level of empathy vs. sociopathy.
    - blooalien 3y ago
      > What about "not aware that other people are doing far worse"? Exactly this! Because I was raised to have a shred of empathy for my fellow humans, I actually take joy from the happiness and success of others around me, and seeing (or knowing) the suffering of others really does me no favors at all.
  - svilen_dobrev 3y ago
    yep, just awareness is like agreeing with universe. What is "better" ? Now, comparing and then Competing will bring anxiety and all that..
  - fuzzfactor 3y ago
    With all the disasters I've been through, one of the things that makes me happy is the knowledge that at least other people on the average are doing much better in many ways, especially financially than myself. That's one of the things that inspires hope the most. Quite the opposite of Envy and others among the "Seven Vices".
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
badpun 3y ago
> If someone feels like a faceless drone and constantly has to worry about how to make it through life after retirement, neither a 3000$ gaming PC nor a trip to Bali is going to make them happy, both are just bandaids over the misery. Minor nitpick, but if "constantly worry how to make it", how can you afford to go to Bali?
- c22 3y ago
  "...through life after retirement" I guess you could make the argument that it's better to never go on vacation or buy a new computer and stash all that extra money in your 401k, but I don't think most people live this way.
slushh 3y ago
That's missing some levels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs How can people be happy without self-actualization? Happy and (making things) happen are related words.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  Maslow’s hierarchy is not some empirically proven truth FWIW. This is just one opinion that has a wiki article versus another opinion that doesn’t.
- 2-718-281-828 3y ago
  "... and feel what they _DO_ day for day has some kind of meaning."
  - slushh 3y ago
    Right. Still, meaning is not enough, or all health workers would be happy.
fmajid 3y ago
Then there is the hedonic treadmill, and there is some evidence that people born with a certain level of innate satisfaction with life that they keep reverting to.

baq 3y ago

Healthy, well fed and not aware that other people are doing better, even if only subjectively…

zamfi 3y ago
> not aware that other people are doing better, even if only subjectively This is not actually a requirement for happiness, turns out.
- jack_pp 3y ago
  Agree, you can be aware and just not compare yourself and focus on your own journey or just be grateful you're doing well enough even if your friends do better. Comparison is the thief of joy
- alexvoda 3y ago
  What about "not aware that other people are doing far worse"? I think both options have an effect and whether that effect is positive or negative depends on the level of empathy vs. sociopathy.
  - blooalien 3y ago
    > What about "not aware that other people are doing far worse"? Exactly this! Because I was raised to have a shred of empathy for my fellow humans, I actually take joy from the happiness and success of others around me, and seeing (or knowing) the suffering of others really does me no favors at all.
- svilen_dobrev 3y ago
  yep, just awareness is like agreeing with universe. What is "better" ? Now, comparing and then Competing will bring anxiety and all that..
- fuzzfactor 3y ago
  With all the disasters I've been through, one of the things that makes me happy is the knowledge that at least other people on the average are doing much better in many ways, especially financially than myself. That's one of the things that inspires hope the most. Quite the opposite of Envy and others among the "Seven Vices".
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

badpun 3y ago

> If someone feels like a faceless drone and constantly has to worry about how to make it through life after retirement, neither a 3000$ gaming PC nor a trip to Bali is going to make them happy, both are just bandaids over the misery. Minor nitpick, but if "constantly worry how to make it", how can you afford to go to Bali?

c22 3y ago
"...through life after retirement" I guess you could make the argument that it's better to never go on vacation or buy a new computer and stash all that extra money in your 401k, but I don't think most people live this way.

slushh 3y ago

That's missing some levels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs How can people be happy without self-actualization? Happy and (making things) happen are related words.

ethanbond 3y ago
Maslow’s hierarchy is not some empirically proven truth FWIW. This is just one opinion that has a wiki article versus another opinion that doesn’t.
2-718-281-828 3y ago
"... and feel what they _DO_ day for day has some kind of meaning."
- slushh 3y ago
  Right. Still, meaning is not enough, or all health workers would be happy.

fmajid 3y ago

Then there is the hedonic treadmill, and there is some evidence that people born with a certain level of innate satisfaction with life that they keep reverting to.