Is happiness good for you?

[Sanity Panda]

Yes. I'm just arguing the opposition despite the fact that there is plenty of evidence against me. It's just that I find it odd that people are willing to accept these strange ideas.

"Life would be boring without drama"
"To experience happiness, we need to experience misery"

The second one is true to a certain extent, but I'm in belief that one could still experience happiness without being miserable, considering that happiness is a state of mind.

The first one that is often used as an excuse. A person who expresses gratitude for in their life and is mostly happy, does not find life boring. In fact I'd go to say that these people find life extremely wonderful but they do not feel the need to attract drama or unhappiness in their life. Unhappiness may occur, but having it occur and seeking it is two different things.

 

[ookamioni]

QUOTE (Sanity Panda @ Apr 11 2008, 02:36 AM) Personally I don't believe that is true. It sounds vaguely made up.
Your going to tell me that at three days into a babies life it hasn't learned what feels good and bad?

Hunger: bad
pain: bad
first poop: bad

food: good
tickle: good

Heck, my sister developed a like for guys with beards when she was young, most likely because my dad has a big scruffy one and fed her all the time

so.. beards made her laugh about 2 weeks in.

EDIT:

I, too believe that there's a lot of stuff hard-coded into people. However, while volunteering at an old folks home i came to realize something...

People with advanced Alzheimer's seem exceptionally emotionless towards things that make normal people very happy. For a second they have a little bit of joy when they've rediscovered their "never-before-had" favorite meal. But soon after have lost all memory and have no emotion towards it the next time..

I believe the ability for emotion is encoded. the effects of emotions are however made null and dull without experience

 

[Sanity Panda]

QUOTE (ookamioni @ Apr 15 2008, 04:33 PM) Your going to tell me that at three days into a babies life it hasn't learned what feels good and bad?

Hunger: bad
pain: bad
first poop: bad

food: good
tickle: good

Heck, my sister developed a like for guys with beards when she was young, most likely because my dad has a big scruffy one and fed her all the time

so.. beards made her laugh about 2 weeks in.

EDIT:

I, too believe that there's a lot of stuff hard-coded into people. However, while volunteering at an old folks home i came to realize something...

People with advanced Alzheimer's seem exceptionally emotionless towards things that make normal people very happy. For a second they have a little bit of joy when they've rediscovered their "never-before-had" favorite meal. But soon after have lost all memory and have no emotion towards it the next time..

I believe the ability for emotion is encoded. the effects of emotions are however made null and dull without experience
I changed my position.

But... if that sort of thing has been encoded in the first place. We can say that it's possible to experience the good thing without the bad thing, that's one thing about babies. They don't get tired of doing something over and over again, it's almost as if something doesn't cease to be amazing even though it's become normal to them.

It was a rant against the whole idea that we need the bad to experience the good, or the good factor becomes dull. Interesting look on the other people though.

 

[ookamioni]

Thats true. They do have a tendency repeat actions.. but they do that until they reach 9 or ten anyway. Im not sure thats a "happiness" factor... although as I am at a loss for words to describe it I'll admit thats pretty close.

To get back to the point of the topic however, I do believe happiness is good for someone. However emotions came about - all forms of feeling are good. All negative emotions including remorse, sadness, loss, suffering, and others.

Without the bad emotions, good emotions would become less meaningful due to lack of comparison - and therefor someone could say that happiness is only good due to the human ability to judge its own surroundings.

Happiness IS good for you. (well, at least its good for ME

)

 

[TheGuardian]

look, look. happiness and pleasantness is fine and dandy.
but no fool ever became better by laughing like an idiot all day.
the emotions which are more useful and achieve enviable results should be the ones we idealize.

 

[pokiulai]

of course happiness is good for me! if you are happy then it means it feels "good" i mean there doesnt exist people who are happy because they are "sad"

do you understand what i mean?

okayokay in short - HAPPINESS = GOOD

 

[monsta666]

QUOTE (pokiulai)HAPPINESS = GOOD

A gambler is happy when they gamble. A alcoholic is happy when they drink. Yet this happiness is ultimately ruining them. So happiness is not always good. Off course it feels good but that doesn't mean it is actually good for you. A cakes taste good but it's terrible for my health!

Like others have said other emotions can heighten the experience of feeling good. Saying that they are not strictly necessary. A person does not need sadness to become happy. It is sort of inbuilt. In my opinion happiness does not provide people with drive. Ironically fear and anger are better emotions when it comes towards fulfilling our personal goals. Should we cherish these emotions...

EDIT:

Interesting analogy I lived with a Chelsea and West Ham fan. West Ham always lost, Chelsea always won (generalisation). My Chelsea mate was no longer that happy when his team won. On the other hand my West Ham was no longer that sad when his team lost. Now when Chelsea lost one day my Chelsea mate was really sad and locked themselves in their room. When my West Ham mate won a match he was jumping up and down with joy. So sometimes certain emotions can heighten others.

 

[djay]

I think the question is stupid because happiness is relative to people, there's no such thing as absolute happiness just like justice and love.