Happiness.

[Ryou]

Happiness for me is something that can not be experienced all the time, though when felt, I make the most out of it I can. Knowing things haven't been going well with family and friends lately, I try to make the most out of those small moments I may get. It doesn't really affect me that much; if I'm not happy, I'm just neutral. If I'm happy, I, of course, sound a bit more cheerful than the usual. I find happiness a good part of life, and it's not hard to find if you can do things correctly. I always try to be a kind and helpful person to my friends, because knowing I have assisted one keeps me happy down inside the depths of my mind. I go with things how they are, though, because that is life, and we must accept all we get. If you get a chance to be happy, don't deny it. Go with it, as you need to cherish the small, good things that can come from life.. as tomorrow never knows.

 

[Driving Park]

To me, happiness is realizing that you wouldn't have it any other way.

For me personally, happiness is many things.

It's having crazy spontaneous adventures with friends. It's spending an entire day railfanning, away from computers and everything else. It's having a massive laugh playing video games into the night with friends at college. It's hearing a piece I wrote performed in concert. It's doing something nice for someone else, perhaps for no reason at all, and seeing the appreciation on their face. It's taking a wonderful girl I never thought I'd be with to a movie during a gorgeous summer day (hasn't happened in a long time, but it was wonderful). It's closing my eyes, shutting off the world, and letting the music that comes out of whatever musical instrument I'm holding completely envelop me. It's creating memories that I'll never forget.

I really think that I have already achieved happiness. I have not felt genuine sadness or depression for a very long time. Sure I have regrets, but everybody does and I just don't think about them. Sure there might be downs later, but that's life and I'm happy to live it. I am completely content and whatever is in store for the future - I'm just along for the ride.

Knowing people care.

You said it V.

 

[ShortAznGuy]

Did you get this idea from a certain photo competition thread on this forum? Haha.

Happiness: coffee in the morning.

 

[Machate-man]

Happiness is the satisfaction you get from actions that have a direct affect on yourself, and/or others.

Things that make you laugh, like the comedy in Top Gear, isn't happiness; it's stimuli to amuse you for the time being.

Happiness never comes without some sorrow to balance it out, though. For example:

Working hard with your friends to achieve something great could make you happy, whilst possibly stirring up jealousy of success at the same time.

 

[photonrider]

Did you get this idea from a certain photo competition thread on this forum? Haha.

Reason #3 : Give the Photo Competition with the theme of 'Happiness' as proposed by ShortAznGuy, some exposure.

Happiness: coffee in the morning.

One man's poison is another man's wine ; for me TEA!

To me, happiness is realizing that you wouldn't have it any other way.

.......XsnipX......

That's a good thought.

Things that make you laugh, like the comedy in Top Gear, isn't happiness; it's stimuli to amuse you for the time being.

Definitely makes sense.

Some of the happiest people I know hardly any money!!!

Which has proven to be true - as far as the article posted 12th April this year on the CBC website that cites research showing that it is not the richest countries that have the highest percentage of happy people.

Happiness never comes without some sorrow to balance it out, though.

Perception does require relativity. Yes.

To me, anything while I'm outside of a depression is happiness.

Dark, joy sucking lifelessness of a blacked soul and mind. The pure opposite to happiness must be depression. Having been suffering for years with it I really can attest to the fact that happiness is little more than not being sad.

Shem - I share your sadness.
In fact, I'm going to soldier on beside you and bring all my weapons to bear in your defence.

So - take time to read this:

Before we can proceed, though, we have to lay down a platform on which we can then stage a picture of 'Happiness'.
What feels Happiness? WHO is aware of this 'Happiness'?
Is it the BODY?
That would be a physical event - an awareness of sensation.
Is it the MIND?
That would be a mental process - a thought involving the warp and weave of Space and Time.
Is it both Body and Mind together?
That, then, would be just just the perception of Pleasure. (Quite a different thing to 'Happiness'?)
If then we are a body with a phenomenon we call the mind, there must be something that projects this awareness - some machine - complicated as Axletramp puts it - a projector that plays out the awareness of such a moment.
The 'Brain'. The part of us that processes that awareness.
So the Brain, then, that is responsible for processing this Happiness, must in all good faith, be ABLE to handle this data.
Much like a computer, the Brain then uses what it already knows to process, be aware of, and also enjoy as such, the Event of Happiness.
Brains, of course, differ from person to person. (As any zombie would confirm. )
If you have a brain wired for happiness - the event is easily processed.
If you have a brain wired for the opposite - much easier to work with the opposite (whatever that is) of Happiness.
The Brain uses chemicals to work - and therefore chemicals order and affect the brain. Conversely the brain puts into process the manufacture of chemicals that will naturally make itself comfortable ('cooling' of the structure) and the body that keeps it alive also comfortable with chemicals that lessen pain or cause euphoria.
Drugs, alcohol, or other pleasure-enhancing 'inputs' or 'chemical programs' will then be responsible for the quality and make-up of the 'output'.
This all sounds fairly simple - and I bet the neuro-scientists among us must be grinning. But I like baby steps; they will strengthen us for the high-speed marathon ahead.

To go from there - constant use of chemicals, and repeated activity SHAPES the Brain.

Let's think of it as a CAR.
'Activity' trains and shapes a car e.g. a proper 'run-in' makes an engine work better. Tuning does wonders. But overdriving the car damages it, and output lags.
'Chemicals' affect its performance - bad oil makes it function poorly, or impure fuel can cause loss of power. Give it more air - you boost its power.
Car performance = Chemicals + Activity
Brain Performance = ditto
So then, if peak performance equals attaining the perfect potential of the car, happiness would be attaining the perfect potential of the brain.
Analogically - as much as a car can be shaped by activity and chemicals, likewise the brain.

As Time has progressed - from 'Our Ford' (Our Freud) placing the blame for our behaviour squarely on our ancestors - we have moved on to realise that the Brain is a tool - a processor - whose activities can be now tracked ( for instance using SPECT or PET, and understood.
Hence today's focus by many neuro-scientists the world over on chemicals for the brain.

Shem - Prozac - (fluoxetine - which you say you have now stopped taking) is generally a very safe medication used to calm down cingulate hyperactivity, and sold as an anti-depressent - it also calms down limbic hyperactivity.
So what's this cingulate/limbic hyperactivity stuff?
Think of it as RAM gone wrong, or your browser slowed by bots. Or - as we were using a car as analogy - gears getting stuck without oil or spongey brakes because of lack of brake fluid.

Because Prozac is considered an anti-depressent, and not a stimulant, it can take several weeks, even months to actually kick in and correct the chemical imbalance in a brain. But! - it eventually helps to increase the availability of Serotonin in the brain.
Serotonegic medications are very effective in calming the cingulate part of the brain - and thereby making the person a 'happier' camper.
Alternatively - if you're into herbs - St. John's Wort (which I've heard is prescribed 7 times more than Prozac, in Germany) has been found to be equally effective, with a lot less side-effects. Low Serotonin levels leading to increase in the brain's cingulate activity, leads to worrying, moodiness, emotional rigidity, irritability and overall negativism about any and everything. The good news is that certain foods - pasta, bread, potatoes, pretzels, - that increase l-tryptophan levels - can help in producing Serotonin.

Coincidentally - The Gautama Buddha was enlightened under a Tree who fruits bore rich levels of Serotonin. Calming = Enlightenment.

So we come to the conclusion, Shem, that a 'regular' brain is very much needed to process 'mind-events' in the optimum way. Or to put it another way - you can't perceive 'Happiness' with a brain only 'shaped' to perceive unhappiness or negativity or is only in the kind of shape that is aware of irritation, anger or fear.

This brings us back to the Mind/Body situation that becomes aware of Happiness.

Now, there are those who say that we are more than just a Mind/Body phenomenon - that we are Mind/Body/Spirit.
To put it simply again: CAR = Body, TRAVELLING = Mind, DRIVER = Spirit.
This 'Spirit' it is taken is the 'ONE' (the 'conscious' driver) that is aware of the 'awareness' (the driving event) of the car (the brain/body).
A quick look also at those who do not believe in this 'Spirit' - then it is only Brain/body (CAR) and Mind (TRAVEL) - in effect a driverless car on its own journey - sort of like a zombie. Guess there is no harm in that either - though for 'awareness' (the event) to be aware of itself is very puzzling to those who believe that something else other than the 'awareness' is aware of the awareness, and yet not existing other than as awareness being aware of itself.
It does not matter - for the sake of hunting down the concept of HAPPINESS, we - whatever we are - should remember that neither processer (brain/body) nor processed (brain/mind) is Happiness.
Happiness is an event seemingly shared by both and is an awareness of a particular moment in the dynamic fabric of Space and Time.

I'll leave you there for the moment, Shem - though anyone else willing to pick up the thread of this hunt for Happiness is more than welcome to do so.

Get this book if you can - and read it from cover to cover - it's a good 'Brain manual' and will help tune your brain up no end:

Cheers!
Harry.

When I saw my to sons take their first steps, say their first words, graduate from elementary school, when my wife looked in my eyes and said "I Do"

👍 👍

 

[kennylmao]

photonrider, your explanation about shem, prozac and happiness is 👍

Thanks man!

BTW, how thick is the book?

haha, I'll Google it

 

[Alex p.]

True happiness for me is joy with the absence of pride. Anything other than this is polluted with bitterness and sin.

My friend, amazingly wise words. True wisdom, gotta save that. 👍

 

[Carbonox]

Ah, happiness. There are so many ways to describe it in my case.

1) Playing Saints Row 3 in co-op with mics while eating crisps.
2) Making summer trips and enjoying the peace outside my usual life while eating crisps.
3) Watching ice hockey while eating crisps.
4) Generally spending time alone, away from crowds, while eating crisps.

I have never felt like I'd become happy by doing what my friends usually do, for that matter. But then again, it makes me happy when I dare to do the exact opposite - not getting drunk, not choosing to join FB, and stuff like that. It makes me feel more unique.

 

[Alex p.]

Sorry guys but:

This thread =

Edit: Alright vandenal; if you insist: Happiness is going home and watching B-movies. There you have it folks.

Nice job at portraying yourself as a stupid smart ass. Dude, you're way too cynical. Get over this ****, you're a teen and all but still...

 

[Callum B]

Many little things make me happy, some more than others. Good music, gaming or a nice meal can boost my mood. The major ones are speaking with my closest friend every night and I'm taking her to see Michael McIntyre live in October which I'm rather hyped about.
The biggest has got to be when I have Science and me and my crush (who is also on of my close friends) just sit next to each in solitude away from other people and we discuss... everything, and she hugs me which is nice I suppose

 

[funkyDucks]

Many little things make me happy, some more than others. Good music, gaming or a nice meal can boost my mood. The major ones are speaking with my closest friend every night and I'm taking her to see Michael McIntyre live in October which I'm rather hyped about.
The biggest has got to be when I have Science and me and my crush (who is also on of my close friends) just sit next to each in solitude away from other people and we discuss... everything, and she hugs me which is nice I suppose

This almost entirely matches me. It is the simple things that make my day.
Also I am going to see Michael McIntyre in November.
Finally in science, myself and a female friend sit away from everyone else. I have no feelings for her at all, but the things we do and talk about in class always puts a smile on my face.

 

[Ellis]

That small window of happiness when that girl you like actually comes and talks to you. And it really goes well

That and getting a man of the match performance after winning a football (soccer) game. I love it. On the same note, saving a penalty at a crucial time. We goalkeepers are happy with the simplest things

Oh yeah and going to see Coldplay. Best. Night. Ever.

 

[phillgt2002]

I'm just engulfed in this artist's style. It brings happiness , infact music makes me happy. Also Succeeding in something that I am not good at brings me happiness (Math).

 

[phillgt2002]

That small window of happiness when that girl you like actually comes and talks to you. And it really goes well

I agree with you on this. Instead for me a girl that can hold a lasting conversation without going off topic.

 

[AOS-]

Watching someone grow up and become successful. Could be your kids or even friends.

 

[roamer2629]

Happiness? It's a warm gun.

Ohh yeeees it issss

Now, seriously: Freedom is happiness for me, in the sense of being able to call right from wrong and acting accordingly, at work or at home, in love or war. I was never sadder in my life than in the moments I was forced to do something I knew was wrong...

 

[roamer2629]

Erm...Prozac?

Is that a valid answer?

(I've been off for 4 months now, just waiting to see how badly I'm screwed without it. Force powers be strong with me).

Keep it up man maybe you are just waiting to find out you didn't need it in the first place...

 

[photonrider]

Ohh yeeees it issss

Are you looking down the barrel right now? Which way are you holding it?

Freedom is the stepping stone to happiness - but freedom for one could mean slavery for another.

kennylmfao - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed that - hope there was benefit to some. 👍

p.s. LMFAO = 👍 👍

 

[roamer2629]

Are you looking down the barrel right now? Which way are you holding it?

Freedom is the stepping stone to happiness - but freedom for one could mean slavery for another.

kennylmfao - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed that - hope there was benefit to some. 👍

p.s. LMFAO = 👍 👍

Listening to the song right now...

 

[kennylmao]

p.s. LMFAO = 👍 👍

Lol, no profanity bro! Besides, I do not like them or their current songs.

 

[photonrider]

Listening to the song right now...

Ah! That old song again.. . . Yes, the Beatles are making quite a comeback. Probably the NRA putting a gun to someone's head. There are, of course, 20 other tracks that would make me happier - from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to . . . The Fool on the Hill.

I agree that medication is not always the right option. I myself haven't taken a pill in over ten years - and that was only some anti-biotics for a throat infection. I don't even take headache meds - but maybe because I rarely get the kind of migraine that demands it. I rarely tell this to people - my good health offends certain people for some reason. A younger brother of mine for instance takes prescribed meds by the handful everyday.

As I was noting in a previous post, though, activity also shapes the brain and makes it function in a more happier way - that's going to be somewhat of a longer post so shall tackle that later.

_______________________________________________

I have a habit of asking my family at the end of the day - or even a friend - "What was the highlight of your day?" and everybody usually has at least one - if not several 'Happy moments" during their day.
When someone tells me that there wasn't a single highlight to their day - it saddens me that their lives were such; and usually it was because of some all-day worry about something that made everything else go wrong.

Cheers,
harry.

 

[kikie]

Happiness is taking antidepressant for a long time giving you an euphoric feeling so nothing bothers (psychological) you anymore.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

For me happiness is being present. When I have time to be 100% focused on something, be it running, weightlifting, archery, a conversation, meditation, or anything else and all my thoughts about what I need to do that day, or concerns about whether something will have the outcome that I want fade away.

Just stillness of my thoughts and the feeling of being right there in that moment, simply existing. Bliss.

 

[Joey D]

For me happiness is equated to money. I don't need to have items, but doing my hobbies (golf, racing, etc.) and being able to do anything with my girlfriend (mainly travel) makes me happy.

People say I'm shallow for saying that happiness= money, but try being broke and happy, it is significantly harder since you seem to have to put a bunch of stuff off to the side. Whether it's getting a couple beers and a pizza with my best friend, flying across the country with my girlfriend or even just doing something for someone less fortunate then me, all of it requires money and all of those things relate to happiness for me.

Either that or bubble wrap, you can't be sad with bubble wrap.

 

[Bopop4]

And bubble wrap.

+1 👍

 

[ECGadget]

Happiness is to love and to be loved, and to life a life knowing you're doing something good in this world. =)

 

[ExigeEvan]

Endorphins.

Exercise, excitement, spicy food, pain and sex. Pretty much sums up my ideas of happiness. I enjoy spending time with the girlfriend too, but that's usually a combination of the above.

 

[axletramp]

Exercise, excitement, spicy food, pain and sex.

Not a bad weekend that!

 

[kennylmao]

I recently took sort of like a break for 3 days. I broke my hand and was admitted to the hospital. Being away from 'life', taking a break, feels quite peaceful and happy.

Breaking my hand isn't the happy part, its the 'break from life' that's got me happy.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Happiness is random acts of kindness ....



a Bliss like someone said...