NationStates Jolt Archive

It's something I've been pondering for a while now.

My thoughts (in no particular order) ...

Interesting, challenging and varied work

Something at which to excell

A loving partner

A network of friends

A belief in, and participation in, something bigger than the self. For religious people, that's easily filled - belief in God and attendance at Church/Mosque/Temple/Other.

Sense of belonging to a community


I'm offline for a coupla hours. When I get back, I'll look forward to reading how you feel on the subject of happiness.

Back later with a big :)

Cute Dangerous Animals

Porn

In the long run, what you said.
Lots of travel, too IMO.

A life of contemplation lived in accordance with virtue. Apparently.

Depends on the person.
For me it'd be, quite simply, people. Not all people - specific ones :p
And helping people in some way.

Obviously other things bring me happiness but that'd be the main one, the one that I need to be at all happy in the long run.

A life of contemplation lived in accordance with virtue. Apparently.
So, those aren't your words? They very well have been thought of at the same time by you and someone else.
If yes, I will refer you to the authorities. Not really.

Meds;)

What brings happiness ???

fuck knows. not much tbh. love helps

amy helps.

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

Porn
Seconded.

Sex and drugs. Preferably combined.

Well, that all depends on the person, because no 2 people are going to be 100% alike.

People are definently one of the main things for me. My family, my friends, my significant other. Travel, and life experiences are also something that contributes to my happiness.

Seconded.


I'm suprised it took so long for someone to second it. Zero I can always count on you though.

Sex and drugs. Preferably combined.

I recommend dating a pharmacist.

DHomme brings happiness.

No wait.

I bring doom, sorry about the confusion.

"What brings happiness ???"

Happiness, like love, is a decision. Whatever you decide makes you happy, will.

I recommend dating a pharmacist.

I don't know about that, but I did get "intimate" with a drug dealer on a few occasions. It was a win-win situation, because I wanted to have sex with him and he wanted to give me drugs for the sex. Sort of like prostitution, I guess, but the GOOD KIND.

He's in jail now. :(

love love love makes people happpy. love love love makes people free. love makes people do the things they know they ought to do.

Childrens Chistian music.

If I knew, I guess I'd be happy more often and could somehow make the feeling stay instead of vanishing completely for weeks at a time... ;)

Panthers bring happiness. Lovely fluffy panthers.

http://www.avon.k12.ma.us/midhighpages/PicIM%20Panther.jpg

People and understanding equally. If you can't understand people, you can't love them, and if you don't understand yourself, you can't find the people who will love you.

Gah, that hurt my manliness writing that.

I don't know about that, but I did get "intimate" with a drug dealer on a few occasions. It was a win-win situation, because I wanted to have sex with him and he wanted to give me drugs for the sex. Sort of like prostitution, I guess, but the GOOD KIND.

He's in jail now. :(
wow now that's a heart-warming story to curdle your... ears... or something... *trails off...*

This is a question that that we all need to struggle with. I believe it varies greatly from person to person. Love definitely helps. I feel happy when engaging in creative, cerebral work and when engaging in an intelligent, speculative discourse. My greatest happiness comes with great accomplishments. I also find happiness sometimes when engaged in meditation or serene contemplation (two very different things) in peaceful, beautiful, natural settings.

For sex and drugs (and good food can be thrown in here); there is a difference between pleasure and happiness (though some people do find happiness in pleasue; I am not one of them). There are some areas though where these merge. Sex usually only brings pleasure; but sex with a loved one can bring happiness as well. Most drugs (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, narcotics) only bring pleasure; but ecstacy (which also brings pleasure) and psychedelics (LSD, mushrooms, mescaline, various research chemicals) can bring happiness if done in the right setting with the right mind set.

To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.
Huzah.

Oh and sex... and PWNing n00bs, though never at the same time. That's just weird.

no really

its porn

Huzah.

Oh and sex... and PWNing n00bs, though never at the same time. That's just weird.

I will second this comment.

What brings happiness? The realization that the only thing one needs to be happy is to be happy.

Yeah, it's easier said than done.

What brings happiness? The realization that the only thing one needs to be happy is to be happy.

Yeah, it's easier said than done.

That is the same as asserting that the only thing one needs to have a car is a car. It is undeniably true but it gets one no closer to obtaining a car (or happiness).

i dont believe that you can achieve happienes in a councious state therefore you must be happy when you are not in a concious state; sleep, drugs, or death

i dont believe that you can achieve happienes in a councious state therefore you must be happy when you are not in a concious state; sleep, drugs, or death

If you aren't concious you aren't happy (or feeling any emotion) and you are concious when you are on drugs.

Huzah.

Oh and sex... and PWNing n00bs, though never at the same time. That's just weird.
Accually, if you are able to pwn a n00b while have sex, that has to be at least pwnage².

I vote money. They way we argue about economics and such, it has to be the only thing in life that counts.

"What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome." - Nietzsche
More or less my view on it, though having power is also nifty.

love!

Cookies.
and :fluffle:'s.
Lots of them.
:fluffle: :fluffle: :fluffle:
:fluffle: :fluffle: :fluffle:
:fluffle: :fluffle: :fluffle:

Right now I can think of one thing (outside of the Secnd Coming :)) that'd make me truly happy... but after this weekend I can definitely say that she's not interested, so that's not gonna happen.

Various poor substitues would be... severe pwnage (consistently) on Live - although that'd be more like satisfaction - a complete turnaround of modern society, resulting in my never having to get a job or anything, and would be able to relax and have a great time entirely free from onerous responsibilities, and that's about it at the moment.

I vote money. They way we argue about economics and such, it has to be the only thing in life that counts.
I agree. Money buys happiness. Money = Power. Power brings freedom; people like freedom. Money buys status; chicks are attracted to status (Trump did not get his wives due to a sexy combover). Money buys food; I like food. Money buys drugs and drugs bring happiness according to previous posters. Money buys creature comforts like massages and hot tubs and those are nice. Money buys revenge, OJ got away with murder didn't he? Money buys porno.

The answer has to be lots and lots of money!!!! Money can buy just about anything!!

Not much brings happiness. There are plenty of things that could bring happiness, but they never happen.

Well I've come up with two ideas.

Not knowing how anything works and not caring. Not beng curious s to why we are. NO false expectations about why we are alive.

Or:

Little pink fairies bring happines and fly up our noses, and into our hearts, carrying all of god's precious fluffy love.

I prefer the top one. Because you can be really happy if you don't know why, and if you don't want to know why.

What brings happiness?
1. Xbox
2. Thanksgiving Dinner
3. Spending time with your best friend

Endorphins.
:)

Endorphins.
:)

Serotonin is the happiness chemical (though of course that is a vast oversimplification and ignores the many other things controlled by that amazing neurotransmitter). Endorphins lead to (among other things) the release of dopamine which is (among other things) the pleasure chemical.

What brings Happiness ???


dopamine and serotonin

What brings happiness? The realization that the only thing one needs to be happy is to be happy.

Yeah, it's easier said than done.
You are not far from wisdom, Grasshopper! :)
"What brings happiness ???"

Happiness, like love, is a decision. Whatever you decide makes you happy, will.

Serotonin is the happiness chemical (though of course that is a vast oversimplification and ignores the many other things controlled by that amazing neurotransmitter). Endorphins lead to (among other things) the release of dopamine which is (among other things) the pleasure chemical.

I AM a med student going into neuroendocrinology. I do know that. ;)

EDIT: Might I ask what it is you do career wise or school wise?

I AM a med student going into neuroendocrinology. I do know that. ;)

EDIT: Might I ask what it is you do career wise or school wise?

I apologize; I had no idea what you had knowledge of and just jumped at an opportunity to address something I have knowledge of. I am double majoring in anthropology and philosophy (which is obviously unconnected to my post) but I've had an interest in pyschopharmacology for the past few years which has given me a fair amount of knowledge on neurotransmitters and the sort.

I apologize; I had no idea what you had knowledge of and just jumped at an opportunity to address something I have knowledge of. I am double majoring in anthropology and philosophy (which is obviously unconnected to my post) but I've had an interest in pyschopharmacology for the past few years which has given me a fair amount of knowledge on neurotransmitters and the sort.

Not a problem. You know us medical kids, always tryin' to show everyone else how much we know ;).

:fluffle:

Serotonin is the happiness chemical (though of course that is a vast oversimplification and ignores the many other things controlled by that amazing neurotransmitter). Endorphins lead to (among other things) the release of dopamine which is (among other things) the pleasure chemical.

I don't know about that; it seems that Seretonin has a correlation with happiness, not a direct 1-to-1 relationship with it.

As for my own answer, I would say faith, love, and hope brought about through a life of virtue.

What brings happiness? First we must ask what is happiness? Happiness is joy and contentment. If you experience happiness with out being content then it is just exultation not true happiness. It is only when joy is coupled with satisfaction that it is happiness.

Stimulates only make you happy as long as you feel them, once they are over you want more. Also, stimulates have an everlasting appetite. Once you have tasted something you like you want more; more sex, more money, more pizza no matter what the stimulus you will not be satisfied and therefore not experience happiness. If you accept that happiness is not possible with being content, then it eliminates a variety avenues such as power, sex, drugs, and other good feeling stimulus. Remember good feelings is not happiness. If you are not content the good feelings soon fade and there is no lasting happiness.

So what pursuits have positive feelings and leave you content so that you can experience happiness? Exterior purposes. They are goals that lie outside of yourself. When you live for another (person or purpose) you are not concerned with yourself. If you are not concerned with yourself then you will not experience a desire for more and you will be content. For when you live for others (person or purpose) you can be content because you can put everything into your purpose. Some people have already defined it as family, friends, a lover, or service. You need to live for a purpose.

If you define your purpose as loving another or serving another then you can experience happiness as long as you devote your self to the purpose without stopping. As soon as you stop you lose your purpose and cannot be content and cannot experience happiness. We have seen people try to find an external source of joy that is eternal through marriage, "till death do us part". Others have devoted their life to service of others and experienced joy, Mother Theresa. Others still have found happiness in the pursuit of The Devine.

Some would say that an external purpose is not necessary. Some would say that there lives are simple they do not need much to be satisfied and it makes them happy. They can satisfy internally and be content. It could be a cottage in the woods, playing video games, or having sex weekly. However, I must ask them when they get old will they still be satisfied? I would contend that their notions of satisfaction are only ignorance or a barrier. Either they do not know of a better world or they are hiding themselves from the world.

Of course I have my ideas about which pursuits bring the most joy but it is useless to tell someone because to believe in a purpose you need to discover it for yourself. Once you have discovered your purpose, and life to fulfill it, you will be happy.


“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Porn

Amen brother.

For me it's helping people, knowing that what i'm doing is making a difference, no matter how small.

"What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome." - Nietzsche
More or less my view on it, though having power is also nifty.


You must be careful when quoting Nietzsche. A mojor there to his writings was dominating the self, establishing self-control. In his book Will to Power he focuses on exert one's will in self-overcoming. Most of his quotes related to power are focused on the internal struggle and gaining power. In the quote above it is the satisfaction of gaining control over yourself.
Misinterpretations of his writing were used as the philosophical backbone of the Nazi party.

holding my own

What brings happiness ???
Metaphor.

Happiness. Well, we expect to find happiness in knowledge. But when we get the knowledge, we're still unsatisfied because we have more questions than answers.

Curiosity is unhappiness.
Caring is unhappiness.
Knowledge is unhappiness.
Wisdom is unhappiness.

Basically to be happy, you don't need to know, or want to know, anything. You don't need to care, because caring is an enlightened version of worrying, and worrying is unhappiness.

Basically to be truly happy, you don't need to know, you don't need to want to know, you need to care.

Happiness is never achievable. Drugs are. Quick fix or eternal hunger? You decide.

Happiness, like love, is a decision. Whatever you decide makes you happy, will.
Depression makes me happy. :( = :)

Yeah, a loving, compatible partner and a close circle of friends would be the main things to make me happy (apart from Prozac). Also knowledge and world understanding in my case. I'd also have to argue money; in order to stop worrying about debts and how to pay bills, I'd need to be comfortably off. But I certainly don't need filthy riches either.

In the short-term? Lager, football, fast cars and video games.

A tennis ball and a flat wall.

~To Earth is to All

Soma.

Depression makes me happy. :( = :)
Perhaps, but you're just ... strange that way. :D

Soma.
Oh, thank you, Aldus! Any other words of wisdom? :D

Of course I have my ideas about which pursuits bring the most joy but it is useless to tell someone because to believe in a purpose you need to discover it for yourself. Once you have discovered your purpose, and life to fulfill it, you will be happy.
"Purpose" is vastly overrated as a source of happiness, although it works for those who decide that is what makes them happy.

As I have been at pains to point out, happiness is a state of mind under the control of the individual. You can decide to be happy at any given point in time with whatever you choose to believe makes you happy. After all, it's your mind, your feelings, your choice. For some people, acquisition brings happiness, but for me that is a never-ending process: in order to be happy, you have to endlessly acquire, whether material possessions, money, or a long list of lovers. Service to other people is one source of happiness for many people, but others would find that deadly.

It's all about your choices, Grasshopper! :D

If you aren't concious you aren't happy (or feeling any emotion)

if you are not concious then you cannot be unhappy or feel any emotion that stops you from being happy such as hatred or despair