Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:20:52 +0100

A lot has been said about happiness, but very little is said about the love connection and its impact on happiness.In contemporary society, with nuclear lifestyles issues of 'falling in love', and forming that connection is an everyday issue for many particularly when it involves surmounting layers of social norms amd restrictions.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:58:20 +0100

Me, I think that happiness is a state of mind that we don't have enough words for. Words are rational symbols and as such language is reason-biased. Happiness is very emotionally involved and feeling-based. Any highly rational depiction of the mechanics of happiness tends to address a restricted aspect of the process. This is what I see in Dan's Video above.

As the emotional objective for a million different rational life strategies, I imagine that finding happiness is very different from one person to the next. The state of mind may be the same, defining what makes each of us happy is difficult because we don't have the language that describes how many insanely different ways there are to feel like what we are satisfying some neuro-biological survival imperative.

Happiness for a child is different from an adult, for a woman different than a man, for a athlete different than an accountant, for an ambitious person different than a couch potato. To generalize requires addressing a purely emotional state and how it might differ from the various strategies of arriving at that state.

The Sam Harris video on the nature of the emotional state that is broadly perceived as happiness is remarkably applicable for a very wide range of human circumstances.

http://www.bigthink.com/love-happiness/6508

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:09:58 +0100

well, happiness can be a number of different things. But i think it is just many a feeling of completion, achievement and understanding that all is well. Happiness is hard to describe though, because it isn't an object.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:15:52 +0100

Wow...now this is intersting. But..is it real? By that, I mean, is what Dan is saying relevant or bizarre. Digression: Are you as frustrated as I am about the difficulty in typing one's response?!

To the point, Dan has created his own little world...his own concept...consequently, whatever he says 'goes.' In today's world, when you do that, you have arrived!

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:43:31 +0100

It's hard to change what the human brain is desined to do, but theoreticly possibal, no? Can someone be happy without happiness?
Or can they change the way their brain responds to what would normaly make one happy inorder to create a truely unique
personality?

Can the human brain addapt so well that achieving happiness doesn't require normal triggers?

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:37:07 +0100

Happiness, I believe involves discipline and commitment. One does not choose to be happy or not, but we all choose to behave in ways that will bring eventually, long term benefits for our well-being. When we don�t, we try to get back on track. Repeating inadequate patterns of conduct only lead to destruction (even if they momentarily produce "satisfaction")

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:35:27 +0100

This is the best explanation of happiness I've ever heard with one caveat. I'm not sure I agree with the part about our brain selecting the most positive view or situation. It sounds like we constantly kid ourselves over and over. Like we trick ourselves in order to feel better.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:32:59 +0100

The it seems many of the critics to this point of view are basing their arguments on case studies. example: Queen Victoria.

I'm guessing that this person puts too much stock in their relationships and needs to either be single for a while or read more books Maslow's Hierarchy.

As far as mental masturbation goes. It's obvious that some of haven't been to Harvard.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:11:14 +0100

RE: Losing a spouse...

Ooooh Kaaay. Tell that to Queen Victoria, who lived in black mourning clothing every day since the loss of her beloved Albert.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:51:27 +0100

Happiness is the time between unhappiness. When it is present in your life, say thank you and enjoy it while it lasts.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:27:05 +0100

I feel happy after I achieve something or after I overcome a pain that usual people can't overcome.
Happiness, to me, is an achievement.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:56:52 +0100

when he discussed his "spouse" he got a 'leeetle' specific if you ask me lol.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:24:57 +0100

Wow -- break out the Soma.
What if happiness is really the absence of unhappiness? Wwhat is so wrong with just being content with our place in this world?

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 01:37:17 +0100

I tend to agree with the Buddhist (though it's likely elsewhere) notion of happiness as absence of suffering. Circumstances around us change and have an impact on us, there may be pain, but dealing with our subconscious, we choose whether and how much we suffer. Under these terms, I'm not entirely sure about forecasting what may make someone happy, but considering the natural psychological tendencies we have, it does make some sense and could contribute to more preventative maintenance of our mental health. Interesting stuff.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:03:02 +0100

I think happiness is a natural phenomenon. It is a big mistake to create it superficially. I'd rather look into the sources of unhappiness and resolve those. Of course, one can not expect to be happy all the time (in that case happiness looses its meaning). But I mean chronic unhappiness probably have some real sources. Many times those are unrealistic expectations. I heard a story that they were looking all over the place to find the happiest person on earth. When they found him, he was a darvish who had no belonging and had no expectation in life!

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:16:10 +0100

What a lot of crap!
How can anyone tell or"predict"how we can be happy?
Happiness cannot be rationalized that way,it is an exercise of mental masturbation that ends nowhere.
Wow!!this is what is being taught at Harvard!!?

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:38:36 +0100

I agree with this completely. Those that say that happiness is a state of mind and you make situations a pleasant one or unpleasant one, perhapse you have forgotten about those that live in place like Burma, Rwanda, or Darfur. It's hard to be happy when life around you seems deminished. Happiness can be found in people that love and need you.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:36:26 +0100

He puts up a very good argument because he backs up his ideas and thoughts with evidence on how the human mind really does work. People know that we make decisions every day, but Mr. Gilbert actually thinks about why our brains make these decisions and how our brains sort the good decisions from the bad. His theories have plenty of facts for support, and you can tell that he has studied up on this subject matter for a long time. I agree with everything that he has to say about how we make ourselves happy.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:18:34 +0100

I think happiness is about hope. When we have faith/hope that the future is going to be happy then we feel happy in the present. When we have reason to believe the future is not going to be happy then it is hard to feel happy in the present.

Comment on: Re: What is happiness?

Bigthink — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:44:02 +0100

I have trouble with the idea of choosing that which makes me most happy in a particular moment. I think that what makes me most happy is that which helps me grow in one way or the other. That usually means in a moment of choice choosing against what would make me most happy at that time such as going for a run rather than hanging out with a friend. I think happiness is the only reason to live but it's short-lived if we only look towards each individual choice that would make us happy. One needs a whole system for their decision making to make oneself continually happy.