What do you NEED to be happy? What do you WANT to be happy?

Happiness, like with most feelings, is an abstract concept that humans have created to categorize a certain intangible emotion that occurs under certain conditions. An extraterrestrial alien - who does not experience feelings in the same way humans do - could learn about happiness, understand it is a good thing to humans, and pass every exam on the biology of what happens to our bodies when we are happy, yet still never actually feel happiness.

What do we need to be happy?

Well, in a literal sense, we need regulation of hormones such as serotonin and dopamine in our bodies to be happy. 

To answer the question correctly, I argue that humans need to have a sense of purpose for their existence. This purpose can be anything, as long as the person believes in it and operates under it. In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, people in the lower castes are spawned and trained to not only operate on a lower societal level, but believe that they are destined to be that way. To people in the higher castes, it is unfathomable that living such a crappy life could be fulfilling in any way, but for the lower castes it is all they know, and they are incapable of comprehending any better lifestyle.

Additionally, I think humans need sadness in order to feel happiness. Similar to the saying "if everyone's rich then nobody is rich", if you are happy all the time, are you really happy? Butters from South Park does a great job breaking down this concept:


Now, we could ask a whole array of questions about what sadness really is just as we are with happiness, but for this argument let's assume that sadness has already been defined.


What do we want to be happy?

This is a bit of a trick question, because you shouldn't want happiness if you wish to truly be happy. One of the core principles of Buddhism is that suffering derives from lack of control over desires. This is not to say that Buddhism is what everybody should follow, but there is truth to these teachings.

Often the things we "want" (iPhones, TV's, junk food) are materialistic and bring us temporary or artifical joy. Furthermore, once we satisfy these desires, we naturally want more of it, and better versions of it. This creates a never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction whilst striving for things that are supposed to bring us satisfaction.


It is important to note the difference between these "needs" and "wants". It is okay to want a purpose in life, as it is something we need to achieve happiness. However, once we have that purpose, it is crucial to control further desires so as not to take away from the happiness we have just obtained.



Comments

  1. Lisa AndresJanuary 29, 2021 at 8:38 AM

    Okay, first, I LOVE that you connected your thoughts here to a different, decidedly non-Disney, text. South Park is definitely crude at times, but that type of humor definitely does not discount the insight that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have (and Seth McFarlane too, for that matter).

    I also like that you brought in, even if just for a minute, the role of biology -- we haven't really touched on that yet. Because we can have a purpose and things we need and things we want, but if our serotonin levels are off, we won't feel or be happy at all.

    Which is interesting to think about in terms of your point about "artificial joy"...is there a hierarchy of happiness? Is one type of happiness more legitimate or more valuable than the others? I don't *need* to go to Disney World, but it definitely makes me happy to go. Is that happiness less valuable / less important than the happiness I get from my purpose?

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  2. Katy TurnerJanuary 29, 2021 at 3:49 PM

    I really like your take on happiness! It's really interesting and also similar to some of my thoughts. I specifically agree with your analysis that you shouldn't really want happiness if you want to be truly happy. It seems a bit of an oxymoron but it makes a lot of sense because then quest for happiness impedes actually gaining happiness.

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  3. Derek DeliberatesFebruary 1, 2021 at 6:48 AM

    I love how methodological your approach to happiness is! As someone who grew up with Buddhist grandparents, I resonated with the aspects of Buddhism that you elaborated on here. At heart, Buddhism encourages a lot of detachment from materialistic desire in order to be happy— and while that does sound satisfying, it's also super hard to maintain. It might also be insightful to look at how other religions view happiness, and how their concepts of happiness as well as its longevity differ religion by religion.

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