Is one of the keystones to happiness in life not caring what other people think?

Question

Therefore, is Yahoo answers contributing to the sum total of human misery?

I often hear from older people, "I'm a lot happier now as I don't care what anyone thinks of me"

lex080 - younger people who don't care are happier too in my experience. You seem to be saying that only people who are successful shouldn't care what others think - dangerous path to walk down, basing happiness on success.

lex080- You're mistaking success for happiness, mate.

Answer 1

Yes the key to happiness is not caring what other people think. Its more about taking what people say, considering it, learn from it and then disregarding it.

Y! answers should be about questions that people don't know. like 'how does this work' or 'who made this...' but everyone seems to be using it as an opinion and discussion forum!

Answer 2

Not exactly. I do care what other people think, which is partly why I spend entirely too much time participating here. But I stop caring really quickly if the opinion is irrational or uneducated, as is all too frequently the case. The other reason I participate in this is to try to give good guidance; I have a high IQ and lots of experience, and a considerable score of Best Answers suggests that I may be doing something useful.

Answer 3

Let's put it this way.

If you care too much about what other people think, you are bound to be miserable because they just think so many different things. Even when your peers have a consistant set of standards, these are not necessarily YOUR standards, so that can lead to unhappiness too.

If you care too little about what other people think, then this is usually considered a sign of mental illness. Let's face it - some people do have some really good ideas. Very few of us invent alphabets, write songs, or build houses. Yet we all enjoy the works of people who did things and thought they were good. In an extreme condition, someone who cares literally nothing for what anybody else thinks is a society of one. Alone. And probably soon to be in prison for doing something that someone else thought was so bad that it should be illegal.

Balance is the key. Learn what others think, but don't let it rule you. That should set you in the right direction of happiness!

Answer 4

No - because the minute you stop caring what others think, you can guarantee that lots of doors-of-opportunity will slam shut! A keystone to happiness is learning to know *when* to not care what other people think. Sometimes this attitude can get you into a lot of trouble! There is a happy medium between caring and not caring.

Answer 5

Caring is a harsh word... For instance, if I'm reading a book by, say for instance, Descartes, then I obviously care what Descartes thought, and in-so-doing am pleased.

I think it's more like if we quit taking other people's thoughts so literally and so seriously, we'd be much better of, individually and socially.

I can go to war with a Buddhist if I disagree with his/her beliefs, but only if I take his belief seriously. Therefore, I wouldn't be going to war with a man/woman that believes in Buddhism, but rather Buddhism itself and all of its concepts that I disagree with. This means I'd be going to war merely over an idea, which sounds silly, but human beings have been committing acts of violence over such silliness since we were cavemen.

Instead I'd like to think if I sat down with this Buddhist, and had an intriguing and thought-provoking discussion and open-mindedly accepted the other's ideas and beliefs without such a no-nonsense attitude, then we could begin to laugh at one another's silly beliefs and paradigms of dogmatic servitude.

But that idea is in itself silly and perposterous because human beings could never do such a thing.

Answer 6

No.

Caring what other people think of us is, for better or worse, one of the things that contributes to the sum of what we consider as our success in life. Older people have in many cases achieved most of what they're likely to achieve, and so those of them who are lucky enough to feel that that they've achieved enough in their lives are likely to not care that much about how they are perceived.

However, the rest of us, who have not yet come to the final chapter of our lives, are likely to want the approval of at least our peers. It's all very well to have split the atom/written the greatest epic/made the coolest movie, but the reward for having done so is multiplied manifold by your peers telling you that you've done it. (I defy you to find someone who was, in his/her own lifetime, a perfectly cheerful success in only his/her own mind - with the arguable exception of William Blake.)

So, no, just trying not to care what people think won't make you happy - although neither should it be the main cause of your putative happiness.

Answer 7

I disagree with your premise. It's important not to be ruled by what others think, but that's not the same as not caring. I think it's important to care what others think because (a) it is important to care about other people, and hearing their opinions is a part of getting to know them, and (b) hearing the opinions of others can help us to grow as individuals and to be more effective in accomplishing our goals.

That doesn't mean we should always do what people tell us to, but it does mean that we should listen, and consider it, before we make up our own minds.

Answer 8

Yes and no. Don't care about what other people think. However, yahoo answers is great for a laugh. When you realize how uneducated and closed-minded some people are, as long as you don't take it personally, it is good for a laugh!

Answer 9

No, it's about respecting what other people think, without letting that influence our choices.
As for Yahoo! Answers, it only satisfies the curiosity of those who decide to use it!

Answer 10

Yeah