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The Exceptional Happiness Ideas and Thinking Thread


That's endorphin.

 


I hear you!
 
Positive thinking can make things worse

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25726759-23109,00.html

 
OK gotcha. Endorphin definitely a part of what you describe, but understand what you are saying.

I must disagree.

As a sallow youth I spent 18 months living in Haight Asbury in San Fran.

I lived for the moment.

Sex drugs n rock n roll made me exquisitely happy.

As did being young.

Je ne regrete rien

I reckon now that I'm older that being young is the best basis for happiness.

As we age the sdnrnr becomes less of a palliative.

So happiness is for youth.

Contentment is for the rest of us.

gg
 
I hear what your saying.

Again it depends on what we call "happy".

But I observe that those in middle age seem to be the most unhappy. Je ne regrete rien turns into status anxiety. If those in middle age can tame that particular beast, then there is a chance of being "happy" (as I understand happy, which may be akin to contentment).

I think there may be a chemical reason too. Serotonin (the happy hormone) seems to decline as we get older. In my own case I find that I certainly have to manage my mind more diligently than when young.

I can attain happiness (again my definition) when I have my favourite philiosophies to the fore. When I forget and allow everyday life to crowd those thoughts out, it's easy to slip into self pity and misery.
 

I can hear what you are saying and agree.

As our knee cartilages degenrate, so do our brains.

I'm unsure as to the evidence for lower serotonin levels in mid life, but I see no reason to doubt it.

I guess it comes back to what a poster above said about reality versus expectation.

I find that looking at my peers , the most happy folk are those whose reality exceeds their expectation and vice versa.

When you are young its all unmeasured expectation and happiness follows if reality concurs.

As one ages, with experience, the happy reverse the algorithm, adjusting their measured expectation downwards to reality, imperceptably.

Excuse the wordy response, but I've avoided comment on this topic as I'm a student of happiness.

gg
 
I guess it comes back to what a poster above said about reality versus expectation.

I find that looking at my peers , the most happy folk are those whose reality exceeds their expectation and vice versa.

I think that's about the crux of it, in the main. Hence the difficulty for those of us who want to improve our reality.

It's difficult to work for a better reality while managing expectations. It's a bit of a dichotomy.
 
I think that's about the crux of it, in the main. Hence the difficulty for those of us who want to improve our reality.

It's difficult to work for a better reality while managing expectations. It's a bit of a dichotomy.

Interesting.

I'll have to think and talk to garpaldog about it.

gg
 
All the leaves are brown........??

Solly mate,

You are evil.

Everyone on ASF thinks you are such a nice altruistic person.

lol

Yes my leaves are brown, la di da.

Aint life good, and wouldn't it be nice to do it all again.

gg
 
I though this timely.

The New Economics Foundation, which compiled the Happy Planet Index

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-not-home-to-the-good-life-20090706-da7b.html

If you want to live a good life, don't live in Australia

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