The Pursuit of Happiness

What exactly is happiness? Is it a chemical reaction created by our brain chemistry? Or is it an emotion generated by our physiology? Or is it something completely different?

Happiness and how to possess it has been a fundamental hot topic for centuries in the realm of philosophy. Take Utilitarianism for example, Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory that concentrates on the happiness of the individual. The strive for happiness is the only thing that has significance in this life, and anything less then being happy is purely unacceptable.

But let’s be real, it’s possible to achieve happiness but it’s not possible to sustain it at all times. Once you reach happiness, does the quest start over?

How the Pursuit of Happiness can Work Against You.

If your happiness is coming from materialistic things such as electronics, clothes, or cars those objects continually alter status as time goes by. This puts you in a constant loop of pursuing a never-ending goal.

How about happiness stemming from beauty, beauty is such a subjective topic that it’s impossible to gauge among its relevance in society, because there are so many definitions of beauty within civilization.

But why?

Is it because beautiful people are treated better by society?

Is it because they are more likely to find a partner?

Or are they more successful in general?

It could be all the above, and that is why beauty is a popular method to happiness.

Is The Pursuit of Happiness a Paradox?

If happiness is truly a goal in life, then the pursuit of happiness falls apart, because the pursuit in of itself is not happiness and is no guarantee that you can reach happiness. If all we are doing in this life is pursuing happiness, then are we truly happy? Even if we reach happiness, as humans we get complacent and when the dopamine wears off, our pursuit of happiness starts over. Ask yourself, are you happy? If not what’s in your way? Is it time? money? Or is it something else? Just know that is something you will have to answer yourself.

It’s no secret that humans love their dose of dopamine. In fact, we love our dopamine so much that we are addicted to it. Being happy is often linked to higher dopamine levels, and Dopamine being a neurotransmitter sends messages to nerve cells when our brains process something pleasurable and satisfying. It’s no wonder that one of the biggest viewpoints in philosophy is the pursuit of happiness. But when that pursuit becomes obsession, it becomes a problem. That’s why we need to find pleasure in progression, which is not only a lot easier to obtain, but there isn’t a measure of success to low or to high. As long as you are progressing to your happiness, that all that matters regardless of how small that progression is.

Failure is one of life’s greatest teachers, it can teach you humility and patience, and drive motivation for success. Going out with intentions of success, but failing in the process teaches invaluable life lessons, it shows what works and what doesn’t work. In regards to the pursuit of happiness, we have to accept the fact that it is all trial and error. No one has the winning formula in success. In fact, what works for someone may not work for another, it’s all subjective to the person’s pursuit and what they hope to gain. If you are only expecting success in your pursuit, then the fall when failure is presented will only be that much harder to manage.

We are all made up of our past experiences regardless if they are negative or positive, they made us into who we are today. However, focus on your positive experiences and traits, and learn to enhance them to drive your success. But learn from the negative experiences and traits and recognize them if they ever spring back into existence.

We are all growing in life, it does not matter how old you get, there is always room for growth. The pursuit of happiness does not have to be an all or nothing approach. You do not have to gauge your happiness with that being the end goal. You can simply be happy with the pursuit with any improvements you make, regardless how minor or major those improvements are. And, if you do not make any improvements at all, and the endeavor is considered a failure, then have some compassion for yourself, and learn from your mistakes. And know that most people are not even trying, but that fact you made an attempt is what’s important. So have no worries be happy, and know that it is okay to pursue happiness, but do not be disappointed if that happiness is not instant, because it seldom ever is.