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What is happiness and ...

B

what is contentment?

Do they differ from one another?

I believe they do and I don't think I have ever experienced happiness but I think I've managed to reach contentment in later life.

I think that if you suffer from depression that's an issue but I also suspect that if you take medication for that, as I do, it meddles with 'normal' emotions.

Also, what in life would make you happier or more content?

I have to say that having spent most of my life struggling financially, money helps a lot.

Parents

  • For me, I see “happiness” as a purely emotional reaction to positive stimuli whereas “contentment” is more of a result of achievement in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You can feel brief, fleeting moments of happiness from many sources such as pleasant scents, a friendly greeting, or a good result on a test, but for you to feel contentment requires certain needs to be fulfilled first.

    PHYSIOLOGICAL: It is practically impossible to feel content while hungry, in dire pain, or sleep-deprived.
    SAFETY: It is difficult, though not impossible, to feel content during times of crisis, such as poverty or wartime stress. For example, I imagine very few feel content in Sudan right now.
    BELONGING: Contentment can be found momentarily through strong/positive relations, but friends can easily come and go, so that may or may not be a lasting contentment.
    ESTEEM: Being recognized and having freedom to do what you want is likely to bolster contentment through self-esteem.
    SELF-ACTUALIZATION: It is impossible to not be content once you reach a point where you feel you are close to achieving your dreams and are confident in your ability to perform at your best.

    Therefore I think “contentment” is actually fairly predictable. Your chances of feeling contentment reflects how your needs are currently being met.

    Happiness (or joy, which I’ve heard as a distinction back when I was Christian) is much more difficult to gauge, particularly if you have depression. This is apparent in B and Hergé’s accounts. Our brains are all wired differently, and unfortunately for some that means that our brains may find it more difficult or practically impossible to recognize happiness. If you feel that you cannot properly feel happiness even when encountering positive stimuli, then I suggest that Hergé’s got the right idea in pursuing assistance from doctors, particularly psychologists and psychiatrists.

    B, medication could be a solution (or, as you pointed out, a cause) for your numbness to happiness, but my suggestion for you is to try and recognize small triggers that should make you feel tiny blips of joy. It’s like that intense “wiggle your big toe” scene from Kill Bill Vol. 1 (not recommending that movie, by the way), you have to start small in order to get to the big stuff. Think about your ideal sensations, such as the right temperature, favorite colors, or textures that feel nice. Start there. Don’t worry about feeling big, monumental happiness. If, even after long contemplation, finding those little preferences still do not bring you even a drop of happiness, then I recommend speaking with a doctor about adjusting your medication.

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