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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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How important is "happiness"?
#11523926 - 11/25/09 01:48 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Is happiness more important than love???
The point is simply this: emotions exist simply because of their tremendous survival value. And the ultimate emotion of all is happiness! Pain, discomfort, fear, and anxiety motivate human behavior, yes. But the ultimate aim of all human goals is to, hopefully, move us to a state of emotional happiness.
Over the centuries, philosophers and theologians have have pondered about the nature and meaning of happiness. Their conclusions have often been extraordinarily complicated and metaphysical. Not that such views are incorrect, but frankly, happiness has so much intrinsic survival value, complex explanations are hardly needed.
What then is the function of happiness?
Happiness is Nature's main reward in life. It is at the core of both the most basic, most primitive experiences in life as well as the experiences in life we consider the most self-actualizing, enriching, and insightful. It is what motivates the entire, seemingly infinite, range of human behavior, from the most primitive, animalistic survival urges to the most lofty of artistic and scientific achievements. It is the spark of life itself -- the only thing that makes a thought worth thinking, a song worth singing, or even a meal worth eating.
Happiness is the only thing that makes life worth living.
Looking at it one way, happiness is simply one of many dozens of positive emotions. In this view, happiness is a separate and distinct experience, different from joy, or contentment, or euphoria. If we check the dictionary this appears to be the case -- a hundred words describing pleasant emotional experiences are defined and each is distinct and slightly different from any other. Furthermore, research in semantics proves people are indeed able to distinguish between these many terms in reliable ways (14, 105). ("Happiness," for example, gets an intensity rating of 7.1 on an 11-point scale (just below "joy", rated 8.1, and above "pleasure" rated 5.7) (105).) This, however, is the narrow view of happiness.
The broader way to look at happiness assumes that there are only a few basic emotions but they are given many, many names. In this view, "happiness" is one of just two or three basic emotions, yet it is called many thing depending on the situation the person finds himself in. For example, the basic mood of happiness is called "love" when felt in the presence of our mate, it is called "pride" or "satisfaction" when felt in situations of achievement, it is called "contentment" when felt in a relaxed state, it is called "euphoria" when felt in an excited state, but in each case the basic feeling is happy -- only the situations are different.
This broad view is the one psychologists have adopted, based on the research (132, 230, 202, 249, 289, etc.).
We seen that many terms are included under the heading of happiness. Emotions like joy, ecstasy, contentment, satisfaction, felicity, pleasure, mirth, merriment, elation, and many more, are essentially the same thing as "happiness." Each of these emotional experiences are seen, according to the experts as just different manifestations of the same, basic emotion, most commonly called "happiness."
http://www.gethappy.net/v108.htm
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Germican
Wyld Stallyn
Registered: 05/22/09
Posts: 325
Last seen: 7 years, 3 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11523942 - 11/25/09 01:54 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Happiness is the reason for living.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Germican]
#11523947 - 11/25/09 01:57 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Base emotion=happiness=root of love.
So what is the meaning of life? Love? Happiness.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Lakefingers
Registered: 08/26/05
Posts: 6,440
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524005 - 11/25/09 02:30 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said: Can you sum it up in a short paragraph for those of use who don't give a fuck unless it's in a short paragraph?
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elementswrath
Finger' trippin good
Registered: 08/04/09
Posts: 5,276
Loc: suiciety
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524010 - 11/25/09 02:31 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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love is a feeling that has to work with happiness. without happiness you can't feel love.
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Diaboleros
Devil's spawn
Registered: 07/20/08
Posts: 1,856
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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What are you going to do exactly with happiness once you got it? Get more of it? And after that? Get more? And then.. get some more? where does it end? .... Imagine the ultimate happiness. Imagine getting it. What exactly are you going to do next? Each other happiness you are going to try and achieve is going to be less than your ultimate happiness.. so whats the point in living any further if you only live for happiness?
Personally, I see it like this.. Happiness is a reward. You can just reward yourself, anytime you want. Unless you decide to belief you can't. Then you can't. This is what makes a happy man different from an unhappy one.. the ability to make himself happy.
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keeponrockin
infinite layers
Registered: 09/22/09
Posts: 513
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Diaboleros]
#11524193 - 11/25/09 04:50 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Diaboleros said: What are you going to do exactly with happiness once you got it? Get more of it? And after that? Get more? And then.. get some more? where does it end?
i think this kind of happiness we are talking about is a lasting one, in a state of no desires at all
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Bard
Ultrahuman
Registered: 09/10/01
Posts: 172
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: keeponrockin]
#11524206 - 11/25/09 05:02 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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I think that love is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words you cannot be happy without love.
-------------------- So dreaming let's you know reality exists. I don't belive. I fear.
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keeponrockin
infinite layers
Registered: 09/22/09
Posts: 513
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Bard]
#11524218 - 11/25/09 05:13 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bard said: I think that love is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words you cannot be happy without love.
what kind of love and happiness are you talkin about?
sometimes when i play my guitar i am in a state of pure happiness, detachment and no thoughts, just like a meditative trance. where does love comes in?
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Life Upon Death
Stranger
Registered: 10/25/09
Posts: 3,225
Last seen: 14 years, 2 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524232 - 11/25/09 05:28 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said: Is happiness more important than love???
The point is simply this: emotions exist simply because of their tremendous survival value. And the ultimate emotion of all is happiness! Pain, discomfort, fear, and anxiety motivate human behavior, yes. But the ultimate aim of all human goals is to, hopefully, move us to a state of emotional happiness.
Over the centuries, philosophers and theologians have have pondered about the nature and meaning of happiness. Their conclusions have often been extraordinarily complicated and metaphysical. Not that such views are incorrect, but frankly, happiness has so much intrinsic survival value, complex explanations are hardly needed.
What then is the function of happiness?
Happiness is Nature's main reward in life. It is at the core of both the most basic, most primitive experiences in life as well as the experiences in life we consider the most self-actualizing, enriching, and insightful. It is what motivates the entire, seemingly infinite, range of human behavior, from the most primitive, animalistic survival urges to the most lofty of artistic and scientific achievements. It is the spark of life itself -- the only thing that makes a thought worth thinking, a song worth singing, or even a meal worth eating.
Happiness is the only thing that makes life worth living.
Looking at it one way, happiness is simply one of many dozens of positive emotions. In this view, happiness is a separate and distinct experience, different from joy, or contentment, or euphoria. If we check the dictionary this appears to be the case -- a hundred words describing pleasant emotional experiences are defined and each is distinct and slightly different from any other. Furthermore, research in semantics proves people are indeed able to distinguish between these many terms in reliable ways (14, 105). ("Happiness," for example, gets an intensity rating of 7.1 on an 11-point scale (just below "joy", rated 8.1, and above "pleasure" rated 5.7) (105).) This, however, is the narrow view of happiness.
The broader way to look at happiness assumes that there are only a few basic emotions but they are given many, many names. In this view, "happiness" is one of just two or three basic emotions, yet it is called many thing depending on the situation the person finds himself in. For example, the basic mood of happiness is called "love" when felt in the presence of our mate, it is called "pride" or "satisfaction" when felt in situations of achievement, it is called "contentment" when felt in a relaxed state, it is called "euphoria" when felt in an excited state, but in each case the basic feeling is happy -- only the situations are different.
This broad view is the one psychologists have adopted, based on the research (132, 230, 202, 249, 289, etc.).
We seen that many terms are included under the heading of happiness. Emotions like joy, ecstasy, contentment, satisfaction, felicity, pleasure, mirth, merriment, elation, and many more, are essentially the same thing as "happiness." Each of these emotional experiences are seen, according to the experts as just different manifestations of the same, basic emotion, most commonly called "happiness."
http://www.gethappy.net/v108.htm
no its not
justice and morality supersede "happiness"
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Bard
Ultrahuman
Registered: 09/10/01
Posts: 172
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: keeponrockin]
#11524270 - 11/25/09 05:51 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
darkwolfch said:
Quote:
Bard said: I think that love is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words you cannot be happy without love.
what kind of love and happiness are you talkin about?
sometimes when i play my guitar i am in a state of pure happiness, detachment and no thoughts, just like a meditative trance. where does love comes in?
I think that what you are talking is not happiness. It's a kind of joy, what you feel. Happiness is something constant, no matter what you do, or what happens to you, and probably lifelong.
Love is when you love people. when you not neutral to them and not hating them. When you have friends etc.
I'm just trying to be simple. And don't want to be off topic, so Icelander should define these words, rather than me...
-------------------- So dreaming let's you know reality exists. I don't belive. I fear.
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Mr.Al
Alphabet soup
Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 5,388
Loc: N.S.A. D.C.
Last seen: 2 months, 28 days
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524562 - 11/25/09 07:18 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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The pursuit of happiness is at least as important as happiness itself.
It is the nagging dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs that motivates us to achieve something better.
It is the drive to do something, not because it is easy, but because it stretches our limitations.
Being dissatisfied is the blessing disguised as a curse that is a uniquely human attribute.
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keeponrockin
infinite layers
Registered: 09/22/09
Posts: 513
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Mr.Al]
#11524815 - 11/25/09 08:39 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Mr.Al said: The pursuit of happiness is at least as important as happiness itself.
It is the nagging dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs that motivates us to achieve something better.
It is the drive to do something, not because it is easy, but because it stretches our limitations.
Being dissatisfied is the blessing disguised as a curse that is a uniquely human attribute.
how does this pursuit ends? can you achieve true lasting happiness by seeking it incessantly? how?
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Lakefingers]
#11524827 - 11/25/09 08:43 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lakefingers said:
Quote:
Icelander said: Can you sum it up in a short paragraph for those of use who don't give a fuck unless it's in a short paragraph?
Of course my dear friend. Why wouldn't I try and reach out to everyone. I'm not some wordy elitist.
Base emotion=happiness=root of love.
So what is the meaning of life? Love? Happiness.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Bard]
#11524843 - 11/25/09 08:45 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bard said:
Quote:
darkwolfch said:
Quote:
Bard said: I think that love is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words you cannot be happy without love.
what kind of love and happiness are you talkin about?
sometimes when i play my guitar i am in a state of pure happiness, detachment and no thoughts, just like a meditative trance. where does love comes in?
I think that what you are talking is not happiness. It's a kind of joy, what you feel. Happiness is something constant, no matter what you do, or what happens to you, and probably lifelong.
Love is when you love people. when you not neutral to them and not hating them. When you have friends etc.
I'm just trying to be simple. And don't want to be off topic, so Icelander should define these words, rather than me...
Did you read my OP? Happiness is the root of joy love contentment etc. All of it.
Happiness is not a constant. No emotional state is.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Bard]
#11524850 - 11/25/09 08:47 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bard said: I think that love is a prerequisite to happiness. In other words you cannot be happy without love.
Wrong imo. Happiness is the root of love. Not as we like to tell ourselves love the root. Check out the link at the bottom of the OP.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Diaboleros
Devil's spawn
Registered: 07/20/08
Posts: 1,856
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524864 - 11/25/09 08:51 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Are you happy? Everyone says yes! So everyone is happy, whats the problem with happiness anyway?
Who of you guys on here is unhappy and why are you unhappy? Are you always constantly unhappy?
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xFrockx
Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 10,457
Loc: Northeast
Last seen: 11 days, 19 hours
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524869 - 11/25/09 08:52 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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It depends on where the happiness comes from. If the happiness comes from outside, then it can pass, change, cease, and every smile can bring a frown. However, if it comes from within, it is like a flame which can grow stronger and stronger, so that it cannot be put out, even by the stiffest winds.
I would say for many people their inner light gets extinguished once they think that they are mature adults, and fully accept the clothing of their class and society. Not to say everyone looses it. Of course, this is just a metaphor though.
Edited by xFrockx (11/25/09 08:54 AM)
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Diaboleros]
#11524873 - 11/25/09 08:53 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Diaboleros said: What are you going to do exactly with happiness once you got it? Get more of it? And after that? Get more? And then.. get some more? where does it end? .... Imagine the ultimate happiness. Imagine getting it. What exactly are you going to do next? Each other happiness you are going to try and achieve is going to be less than your ultimate happiness.. so whats the point in living any further if you only live for happiness?
Personally, I see it like this.. Happiness is a reward. You can just reward yourself, anytime you want. Unless you decide to belief you can't. Then you can't. This is what makes a happy man different from an unhappy one.. the ability to make himself happy.
I don't understand your position here. What does one do with happiness? Why they indulge in it by letting it flow into all the other secondary emotions. Like joy, or love etc. They spread it around and enjoy it. Ultimate Happiness doesn't exist. Living for happiness is surviving in style. It's the prime motivator for each human and gets us up and going in life. I do agree that we are all responsible for creating happiness for ourselves.
In fact according to the article happiness can be taught just like math.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Diaboleros
Devil's spawn
Registered: 07/20/08
Posts: 1,856
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: How important is "happiness"? [Re: Icelander]
#11524896 - 11/25/09 08:58 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yeah indeed, there's like a logical way to live your life, if you stick to certain simple rules, you always stay happy. I think its like frockx said, that it needs to come from within, as you are the one who is creating the happiness anyway. One example of such a rule could be to enjoy pain.. if you enjoy pain, you can never be unhappy anymore. How clever is that?
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