What is happiness?

[Daitengu]

I'd like to actually know just what happiness is. I've had a rather fearful and depressing life, as posted in Hanako's broken Heart club thread Here. I can remember and define emotions of sadness, despair, guilt, anger, calm, relief, and maybe amused. But I can't remember or define happiness, joy, peace, contentment, or fun <.<. I can say win a game or accomplish something good, but I don't particularly have a feeling for it. Kind of a ''mission accomplished... next?" feel. I've been to a favorite band's concert a couple times, but I didn't "feel' anything. Some particular feelings like "love" or crushes feel similar to despair for some reason. KS didn't particularly spark good feelings for me, though it did put a lens to the way I'd describe how I generally think, feel, and 'do'.

It's part of why I can relate to Rin really. I''m not looking for sympathies or 'sorry's. I'm trying to figure out how those emotions feel, so I can work on doing better as a person. I'm hoping I might get a general understanding of it's meaning. Though I admit translating a feeling into words that is understandable is asking a monumental thing. Still, I'd like to hear it. Maybe I've felt it and didn't know what I was feeling. It'd be rather sad if I were just broke in that category of feelings. I hope I can maybe remember it from before I was 12.

But yeah. Put down what you think the emotions of happiness, joy, peace, contentment, and/or fun is, if you would, please.

[Mirage_GSM]

You expect a question that philosophers have been trying to find the answer to for more than two millenia to be resolved here in the forums?
You, Sir, are an optimist

[dunkelfalke]

I think the closest thing to happines for me were
1) The feeling to be needed
2) The flow

[Shilver]

First off, sorry to hear about your story. I remember reading it. I don't know what I can say that might comfort you, but I hope you get over your fears.

Second off, happiness to me is just going out and enjoying myself. Have it be a party with friends, sitting down knocking down a few beers, orr having an old skool LAN party playing Age of Empires 2 like I used to do when I was a kid, or just going down the park and playing street football (we don't tackle anymore after a few accidents lol). Basically anything that involves my friends/family makes me happy.

[Daitengu]

You expect a question that philosophers have been trying to find the answer to for more than two millenia to be resolved here in the forums?
You, Sir, are an optimist

lol.

Tis the fuzzy, ambiguous part of life. The thing about "feelings" muses, is that sometimes the most mundane thing can cause a feeling.


I try to remember what I felt and define it with a word. When I played my first MMO Everquest, I was "awed" by the vastness. But I don't remember any other feelings other than being compelled to play. Compelling is not really one of them feelings thou. It's like addiction. After a decade of wasting life on em, only now do I realize compelling does not mean enjoy.

I think my "I got to know" compulsion tends to compel me to do things just to see if I get some feeling from it. Which I suppose is the wrong way of attempting to get positive feels. KS was thought provoking and I did get an epiphany, but it was more of realizing just how messed up I am as a person. I more felt kinship and relief rather than joy.

I don't pretend to be some kind of manly man that society think it requires. Cause we got robots for that. I'm just a 30 yr old who is trying to figure himself out to get out of a 15 year long depressive rut that I only now recognize I was in so that I may attempt to enjoy life.

I'm trying the shotgun approach versus silver bullet. Throw out some ideas, and maybe I'll 'get it'. ^.^

[Thrasher Thetic]

Ha. You're cute.

Go find something you enjoy, set it up so you get to do said thing a lot. Boom, happiness. Well, okay, more like 'not suckiness', but you get my point.

[Daitengu]

Ha. You're cute.

Go find something you enjoy, set it up so you get to do said thing a lot. Boom, happiness. Well, okay, more like 'not suckiness', but you get my point.

I'm guessing you're one of them people that thinking normally, and probably doesn't get people like Rin.

doesn't work like that for me.

I've tried games(board and video), books, movies, philosophy, work(various), construction, Architecture, model making, volunteer work, hiking, jogging, traveling, drawing, painting, sculpting, science, martial arts, dating, drinking, socializing with friends(including drinking, games, restaurants, bars, etc with them) , concerts, owning and driving my favorite car (68 Chevelle), programming, web design, debates, collecting, sewing, puzzles, cooking, Amusement parks, the beach, the mountains, etc.

I've done lots of things, none of it made me happy, perhaps distracted or compelled. I participate, but I don't feel. I ended up being able to do lots and decently, but there's no drive, no thrill, no motivation. Feels like going though the motions.

Ever go out with friends, but feel totally disconnected and alone, even if you know what they are talking about? It's like everyone gets the joke, except me. I wonder if it really mattered if I were alive or dead, or maybe I am dead dreaming of life. There's been dozens of times I was suicidal and felt that the only reason I stick around is cause I'd rather not make someone else sad. Though I wonder if sticking around hurts more in the long run. It's a dangerous train of thought I'd rather not go down.

Try and remember what a food you haven't had in over a decade tastes like. probably can't, that's about how I am on particular feelings.
You act like these kinds of things don't happen to you. Well grats you found something I can only wonder about. Too bad you sound like a point and laugh at a starving kid's misfortune while rolling around in a Benz type jerk.

[Mirage_GSM]

I don't think happiness is digital - flip a switch, bang you're happy, flip it back, bang, you're not.
It's a gradual thing, and I don't think any one of the activities you listed can induce a state of happiness in you. A hobby will generally not make you happy for much more time than you actually spend doing it.
The best I can describe it would probably be something along the lines of "The degree to which you are satisfied with the state of your life at any given time."

[Daitengu]

I don't think happiness is digital - flip a switch, bang you're happy, flip it back, bang, you're not.
It's a gradual thing, and I don't think any one of the activities you listed can induce a state of happiness in you. A hobby will generally not make you happy for much more time than you actually spend doing it.
The best I can describe it would probably be something along the lines of "The degree to which you are satisfied with the state of your life at any given time."

While happiness in life is the ultimate goal for anyone, even more so when it can be shared. For the moment I'm just wondering about the small happy. Glad to be here at this moment. Joy perhaps?

What would "Not perfect, but as good as it gets" be? mmm, feels kinda hollow like "eh, whatever".It's Pretty much what I get out of everything I've done. resignation maybe? That's.. kinda sad if it is. I better post before I ramble more.

[guest2]

It's the word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is all right.

[Daitengu]

It's the word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is all right.

Is it really that subtle? Sounds like peace. I was inclined to believe happiness was magnitudes stronger than peace. Akin to despair being profoundly stronger than sadness.

Though that reminds me of the feeling of comfort from being hugged by my mom when I was a toddler, too young to know the world.

hmm, I'll have to think about it. Thanks for the reminder. ^.^
I had forgotten the memory of that feeling. I really do miss that.

[Tomate]

Happiness for me is when your mind is at ease, those moments where theres nothing to worry about and everything seems all right.
Joy is when you are happy and enthusiastic about it. And sadness is part of life, without it, there can be no happiness.

[Fishpick]

Happiness is an emotion we most likely evolved in order to survive as a species. Most people find happiness through social contact in one way or another, which lead us to become a social species, and therefore improved our chances of survival. We also enjoy being around happy people, which makes us more likely to work to please others, thus pleasing ourselves. All this leads to a society that, for the most part, seeks to help each other and work in harmony. With the end goal being one emotion: happiness. (The level of helpfulness and social harmony depends upon culture, with large contrasts seen between individualistic cultures like US and collectivistic cultures like Japan.)

This is a little oversimplified, but I really don't feel like writing too much on this. But this is mostly a result of my psychology degree. I recognize this is far from a proper definition, but no one has a proper definition. And this is the best I can do on two hours sleep in the time I have between eating breakfast and taking a shower. So that'll have to do. And so, off I go to take a shower.

[Blackknight1239]

This thread reminds me of an episode of TNG, where Data asks Geordi what anger feels like, and he can only respond with other feelings. Feelings, especially ones that are hard to quanitfy, are very hard to describe. I think the best example I can give is something like;

Happiness is the feeling of contentment or fulfilment with your life, or the things that comprise your life.

[Eldrazor]

I'd say there are two kinds of happiness. Short and long happiness.

Short happiness appears when you do something fun or enjoy a pleasant experience. In example, when you eat a delicious piece of candy, you're happy, but only for a short amount of time. I'd say short-term happiness is being pleased with what's going on right now.

Long happiness is gained and lost by events in your life. If you do a lot of fun things that satisfy you and you make sure all your needs (incl. social ones) are fulfilled, you will feel long happiness. Long happiness is more of an overall feeling that you can bring up instead of something you actually feel at the moment. You'll rarely ever feel long happiness because of a short-timed event in your life. You won't feel long happiness when you eat a delicious piece of candy, however, you will feel long happiness when you think about your life, your friends, and how satisfied you are with them.