Happiness makes you Selfish!

[Lote-Tree]

Hi Chaps and Chapeses.

I am new here.

Well not really. I was here before :-)

Not been around for ages.

I am in the mood for some chit chat.

So I will start off with this little of nugget of research - Happiness makes you selfish!

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18585-happiness-aint-all-its-cracked-up-to-be.html

quote:



The Founding Fathers liked happiness so much they considered pursuing it an inalienable right – but maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Happiness seems to make people more selfish, the latest in a series of revelations suggesting it changes how you think – and not in a good way...

[BibliophileTRJ]

For me personally, I find it to be the other way around....

Selfishness makes me happy!

I don't have to share = happy.
I don't have to consider others needs, desires, feelings = happy.
I don't have to worry about what others think of me = happy.

I realize that most people don't have the opportunities that I have for selfishness on such a grand scale; but I HIGHLY recommend it! A few years ago I would have believed that I was a "giver"; but spending months on end alone in the middle of an ocean has really shown me that I have no more patience for people that do not exist to serve my every whim.

[BienvenuJDC]

Happiness has little to do with selfishness. One can become truly happy by doing selfless acts. Being SPOILED makes one selfish.

[Nietzsche]

It depends on what you mean by selfishiness. Do you mean self interest, self preservation, doing what you feel is right, or being a jerk and stealing and cheating and so forth.

If by selfishness, you mean self interest and preservation, then yes, it does, and I fully believe one should be rationally self-interested, but if you mean IRrationally self interested, by that I mean, stealing and giving no regards to others whatsoever, then no, selfishness does not make you happy because in the end you wind up with no friends.



"Low levels of happiness generate introspection and the careful processing of information, where choices must be carefully made."

When you are unhappy you are naturally more introspective and logical because you wish to avoid making mistakes so that you become happy! This article is implying unhappiness is the best way to be as unhappiness makes you logical and unselfish. That's ridiculous. It's completely ridiculous to imply happiness makes you selfish. Unless you are an extremely over-altruistic person who's only source of self-worth comes from either giving away all you have, or the opinions of other people, then you deserve to be unhappy. It's perfectly natural to pursue happiness, it's in your best interest. Why? Because, while I cannot find the citation as it was in a physical newspaper I read, being unhappy and being stressed causes extra hormones to be released in an attempt to make you better, which actually end up damaging heart tissue. Being happy is LITERALLY good for your heart. Being happy stems from being accomplished, taking care of yourself, having a healthy social life, and doing the things that make your life better. If this is selfish, then selfish isn't a bad thing. Perhaps the author should read the Virtue of Selfishness, or some Nietzsche. If doing things that better your mental and physical well being better is selfish, then be selfish.

[Lote-Tree]

[QUOTE=BibliophileTRJ;856281]For me personally, I find it to be the other way around....

Selfishness makes me happy!
---------------

And hence research shows Happy People are Selfish! Q.E.D! :-)

[OrphanPip]

When you are unhappy you are naturally more introspective and logical because you wish to avoid making mistakes so that you become happy! This article is implying unhappiness is the best way to be as unhappiness makes you logical and unselfish. That's ridiculous. It's completely ridiculous to imply happiness makes you selfish. Unless you are an extremely over-altruistic person who's only source of self-worth comes from either giving away all you have, or the opinions of other people, then you deserve to be unhappy. It's perfectly natural to pursue happiness, it's in your best interest. Why? Because, while I cannot find the citation as it was in a physical newspaper I read, being unhappy and being stressed causes extra hormones to be released in an attempt to make you better, which actually end up damaging heart tissue. Being happy is LITERALLY good for your heart. Being happy stems from being accomplished, taking care of yourself, having a healthy social life, and doing the things that make your life better. If this is selfish, then selfish isn't a bad thing. Perhaps the author should read the Virtue of Selfishness, or some Nietzsche. If doing things that better your mental and physical well being better is selfish, then be selfish.

It's not implying that being unhappy is better. It is just reporting the findings of a group of studies. It is saying people who are in a better mood make more reckless decisions, are more susceptible to suggestion, and are less willing to share. People who are a little sad are less likely to make reckless decisions, are more skeptical of others opinions, and are more willing to share. Furthermore, this article is not examining long term effects of extended contentment or depression, it is looking at acute effects of mood. It is clear in the article that it is not talking about being "happy" in the sense of a content life.

Also, being accomplished doesn't seem to make people happier, suicide rates tend to go up the higher your income. Moreover, the article acknowledges that the lower stress of a "happy" mindset is beneficial to your health. Its objective was to dispel the myth of perfect happiness. While you may be more stressed if you're happy, you may also be more likely to die in an accident caused by making a quick decision.