Does does pursuit of happiness makes us more unhappy?

Answer 1

Happiness is a choice a decision .

Answer 2

That is a very good question. What is happiness? And, what happens when that pursuit ends up in vain? What if it just leads to know where? Is that why we have alot of people experiencing depression? What really does happen when we can not met those expectations that we put on ourselves? That must be where depression comes from.

Answer 3

If you are always chasing after happiness, you will never feel like you truly have it. You will have wasted all the time and energy chasing something that you may not realize you already have. Yes, we think, if only this would happen, or, when this happens, or when I get this, then I'll be happy. Well, you have to be happy now, or you never will be. This may seem like a philosophical answer, but you really have to stop and take a look around you, at what you currently have, and the people around you, in your life, and see if you can't uncover the happiness you have been pursuing. Perhaps you have been chasing for such a long time, that you have forgotten that you already have it.

Answer 4

Yes, sometimes I think it can. Sometimes I think people fool themselves about what will make them happy, waist a lot of time pursuing that, and if/when they obtain it, find they are still unhappy. Happiness is about the here and now. If you feel you are having to pursue it, you are doing something wrong. Success has to be pursued, but it is not the same thing as happiness.

Answer 5

I believe that the chase is what makes us happy....the PURSUIT of happiness....once we get it, we pursue something else. It's like fishing. I enjoy the art of fishing. Once I catch one, I either throw him back or put him in my creel. I reap the benefits of that pursuit by the actual catch because I can eat him later that night, but it's the fishing part that I really love.

Answer 6

That depends on many things. The pursuit of happiness does not inherently make us more unhappy.

Happiness is not a zero-sum game. It's not a limited resource like money, oil, or skilled professionals. Think of it in numbers: consider zero the center point, the average. Anything above zero is above average and anything negative is below average happiness. It's not a matter of "happy or unhappy." It's a matter of "how happy."

On this scale, -5 is below average happiness. That doesn't mean it's unhappy. It's HAPPIER than -6. 0, while being the neutral point, is even happier. 5 is even happier. I chose to use numbers in this way for this analogy because they stretch forever in each direction. That's how I look at happiness. There is no limit, and one person doesn't have to receive happiness from someone else to have it. It can come out of thin air. Two people can gain happiness from only one another at the same time. Try doing that with money.

The pursuit of happiness depends largely on how people pursue it. If they know what they truly want, the value of a certain thing in happiness, they won't be disappointed when they get there. If they pursue something based on someone else's influence alone (why can't you become a lawyer like your father), they don't get happiness from it. They may get happiness from impressing someone else, but that's an indirect, misleading method.

On the other hand, if they pursue happiness in a certain way, then reach it and find out they aren't happy, it's NOT a bad thing. They are one step closer to understanding what will really make them happy, so they are one step closer to being happier. So back to the numbers, say someone pursues "happiness" but isn't satisfied. They drop from a 3 (illusion of being happy soon when they reach a point) on the scale to a -4. They then realize it doesn't make them happy, so they turn around and find something that does. They jump up to a 10. If they hadn't experienced the -4, they may have never reached the 10. It's the power of the journey of life, and it's the reason you should take a step forward and not lose hope.

Now consider someone more fortune who, despite any circumstances, manages to bring that happiness from within. They are happy with life. Things may be rough, but they appreciate how it is. They are a 15 on the scale. They don't NEED things to change to be happy, because they are very comfortable. Is that any reason to not go for a 20? That's why I refuse to say "happy or unhappy." There is always a "happier." Is that a bad thing? No! It's the most wonderful aspect of life. It doesn't mean the grass is always greener on the other side: it means as green as the grass is, there's opportunity for greener grass for anyone.

What makes me truly happy is to continuously get happier in general. It's not that I'm never satisfied or things aren't good enough. If I stopped "getting happier" suddenly, I'd be more than fine. The good news is that I don't have to. In a sense, I'm not pursuing happiness so much as I'm pursuing "happier."

Light is one of the purest forms of energy. It moves, and it is its own energy. If light stopped moving, its kinetic energy would be gone, and that is the light. Light would be no more. I see life the same way. Life isn't about ending up somewhere. It's not about one big goal or even a set of goals. It's about the journey from one goal to the next. It's the movement, never running out of things to do, never running out of happiness. Only we can take the movement out of our own lives, because like the number line, happiness stretches on to no end. It's the big playground, and everybody's invited.

Happy people, take a look at your own lives. You may take comfort in being happy as you are--I know I do--but look at your life. Each year, even each month, is better than the last. We may be in a "worse" position, but we learn from every event. For every tragedy, there is a response. For every mistake, there is a lesson. It's movement.

Those who consider themselves unhappy from the pursuit of happiness, I suggest you try to look at what you gain. Did you lose your job? Now you have a reason to get a better one. Did you lose a loved one? Now you realize how valuable each of those still living is to you. Not making enough money? Enjoy the experience of learning how to overcome that, and bask of the triumph once you do. Be proud that you can find value in life that has nothing to do with money.

Life is so subjective. Think of the sun outside while you're inside behind a window. If you want blue light to shine on you, don't just sit there angrily because the sun isn't blue. Put up a blue window.

In conclusion, I say that pursuit of happiness doesn't make us more unhappy. Nothing MAKES us anything. How will you choose to respond to the pursuit of happiness?

Answer 7

Great question - I'm starring this one!
now for your answer --

...sometimes I think it could
after all, you are busy pursuing something instead of enjoying the moment and soaking it in
you have to be still to enjoy the moment, the time, the situation, the life, the laughter, the smiles
but if your mind is busy wondering how to get to the point of happiness, your mind is drawn away from actually appreciating the happiness that already surrounds you

.....hmmmmm am I making any sense? lol

Answer 8

I think it can some people get so caught in the chase of whatever they think will make them happy they forget to live in the now, and when they eventually reach whatever they think will make them happy they still find themselves unhappy.

Answer 9

Sometimes this is true, because when people finally reach their goal, they become greedy, and soon enough, this accomplishment is not enough, then strive for something higher and higher, until it takes over them to the point where everything just makes them so unhappy.

Answer 10

If we are unable to attain what we pursued, then I say yes, but I don't think the actual pursuit should.