What is happiness? (Buddhism, Buddhism, taoism)

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

When we think of happiness, what do we think about? What is the true nature of happiness, and is it something we want, have, need, don't need, etc...

Can we really ask ourselves... "Am I happy?"

I classify happiness in two ways. First, is the biological perspective , where happiness (or preferably pleasure), is a reward system that is conducive to survival. Along with this reward system, we have multiple "drives" like hunger, love, or acceptance. Generally, a person is happy when all these needs are met.

Second is the psychosocial perspective, which does not focus happiness on the biological but on the social and individual scale.
I have been in the process of developing a hypothesis from this aspect, hopefully I can do some actual research to prove/disprove my hypothesis' when I am a postgraduate. The short version:

My thesis, put simply, is that when people are searching for happiness, they are subconsciously searching for contentment with their self image (I believe this especially applies to western cultures and societies, as they are naturally competitive and individualistic). Society and culture builds our self image. The building of our self image is a constant process. During this process we gather both positive and negative attributions that are imposed on us by ourselves and others.

Imagine a Social “High Bar”, standards most valued by reference groups, standards that we use to judge ourselves. Reference groups consist of our own spouse, friends, coworkers, religions and society as a whole. It is those groups we associate ourselves with, as part of our identity/self image. A reference group can be anything, even a gang (I propose that this can drive deviant behavior).
For example, our society as a whole places images of what is acceptable and desirable through the mass media (i.e. being thin is being beautiful, you must be wealthy and successful, etc). Note that Anorexia, is unique to western societies, and unheard of in many cultures.
example "high bar":
Being Rich - High Education - Nice Car - Big House - Trophy Spouse

+

The Self

-

Low Bar

We acquire negative attributes individually and socially through upward comparison.
Upward comparisons help create a negative attribution if we don’t meet the social “high bar”, the standards by which we judge ourselves.

Examples would be,
"I'm alone"
"I’m fat"
"I’m poor"
"I’m unattractive"
"I’m incompetent"
"My neighbor has a better car than me"
When something negative is said about us

These become a source of discontent and worry driven by an inborn need of love and acceptance--it becomes a drive towards certain goals (emplaced by reference groups) in which we struggle to equalize this discontent, which becomes a means to an end (the end being contentment with the self).
I believe that people who are truly happy learn to fully accept themselves for who they are, no matter what other people think, or say, or do. They don’t have a negative self image, as they don't impose negative attributions upon themselves, or allow others to do so. They don’t need people or things to make them happy, since they are content to begin with.

And that concludes some of my thoughts on happiness...

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by PureX

I don't know what that means ... what is "the multiplicity of agreeable consciousness"?

Johnson was a snob, and believed that educated people had a greater capacity for happiness because they were better able to appreciate whatever it was they were happy about, and more likely to be happy about lofty things.

Originally Posted by Buttons*

May i ask why satisfaction cannot be a part of happiness? Why can't excitement or love be happiness? Do they not cause sensations that lead to a "clarity" of being?

Actually, I just posted that to provoke discussion. I find, if I think back on my happiest moments, that they have not been the moments when I was most thoughtful, in the sense of being engaged in intellectual exploits, but when I was most mindful, that is, when I was most present in the moment and when I was "thinking" the least. Those moments are, paradoxically, moments of great clarity.

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by penguino

"Your happiness lies in the joy of others" - Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

I enjoy having money. You should send me your money, and that will make you happy.

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by MidnightBlue

I find, if I think back on my happiest moments, that they have not been the moments when I was most thoughtful, in the sense of being engaged in intellectual exploits, but when I was most mindful, that is, when I was most present in the moment and when I was "thinking" the least. Those moments are, paradoxically, moments of great clarity.

This is actually supported by current psychological research. It's a phenomenon known as "flow".

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

In taoism we have wu wei, in buddhism the middle way, etc... Is the common notion of happiness a part of these concepts? Or is it an extreme that will lead us to suffering? Or is true happiness the absence of extremes?

Can we really ask ourselves if we are happy if we are unclear about what happiness really is?

My notion of happiness is along those lines. Happiness is having nothing significantly wrong.

[Cynic]

On a physiological level, happiness correlates to the release of multiple neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphin. Every Synapse has a certain amount of receptors that are specifically shaped to receive these neurotransmitters.
Morphine, which is named after endorphin, is a chemical shaped like endorphin, and that is why this drug acts as an opiate.
Endorphins are our body's natural opiate that is released especially at the onset of high amounts of pain, like when receiving a tattoo, or running 6 miles.
Serotonin is especially noted for it's correlation to happiness and well being. Selective Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (such as Fluoxetine AKA Prozac) work to increase the level of Serotonin during an action potential (firing of neurons), which can help increase a person's well-being.

I would think that eating healthy and exercising is integral to a sense of well being, since you get your source of neurotransmitters from food, and exercise induces the release of such neurotransmitters.

[PureX]

Originally Posted by Cynic

I would think that eating healthy and exercising is integral to a sense of well being, since you get your source of neurotransmitters from food, and exercise induces the release of such neurotransmitters.

I wish that were true. We'd all be a lot healthier.

But the times that I'm happiest have nothing to do with food or drink, but rather with an engaged mind, set to an interesting and perhaps significant task. I can experience waves of bliss in the process of making a sculpture. And when it's finished, I'm "high" on the sense of accomplishment for quite a long time.

Interestingly, though, even with this being the case, I still don't put a lot of value on this experience of bliss. I think it's generally misleading, and for some people can become addicting. To be at peace with life, so that we can find joy in the simple act of living, is to my mind far superior to any momentary feeling of bliss I might have regarding some person, place, or activity.

[Shadow Wolf]

IMO, happiness, like most concepts in life, are relative.

No, we can't. Some people equate happiness with peace of mind (a lack of emotional disturbance), while others equate it with the presence of joy or pleasure or affirmation or something else.

We do need to be clear on this.

I do not experience happiness often, but when I do, I know I do.

[michel]

Originally Posted by Master Vigil

When we think of happiness, what do we think about? What is the true nature of happiness, and is it something we want, have, need, don't need, etc...

Can we really ask ourselves... "Am I happy?"

I think maybe we can; hapiness is - maybe - "having your needs met".