Comments on: Happy? http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/ this is a wolf angel & it eats the people it's supposed to help. A wolf angel is not a good angel to have looking out for you. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:38:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: ACW http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67765 ACW Fri, 21 Jul 2006 19:05:25 +0000 http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67765 The medicalization of unhappiness also seems to ignore the very nature of happiness. Happiness is a reward our brains give us for doing things that have correlated with survival in past generations. When you feel happy, recent behavior is reinforced, and the next time you have an opportunity to repeat that behavior, you're likely to say to yourself, "Hey, last time I did this, I felt happy! I think I'll do it again!" If you had a way of making yourself happy all the time, you'd soon enter a rut where you had no motivation to change any behavior -- even behavior that might be harmful or dangerous to you. I predict that the next generation will see a new entry in DSM, called something like "Antidepressant-associated apathy". The medicalization of unhappiness also seems to ignore the very nature of happiness. Happiness is a reward our brains give us for doing things that have correlated with survival in past generations. When you feel happy, recent behavior is reinforced, and the next time you have an opportunity to repeat that behavior, you’re likely to say to yourself, “Hey, last time I did this, I felt happy! I think I’ll do it again!”

If you had a way of making yourself happy all the time, you’d soon enter a rut where you had no motivation to change any behavior — even behavior that might be harmful or dangerous to you.

I predict that the next generation will see a new entry in DSM, called something like “Antidepressant-associated apathy”.

]]> By: lucy http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67766 lucy Fri, 21 Jul 2006 19:09:18 +0000 http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67766 I moved up from the 12th to 18th percentile since April, which is nice, I guess. I thought the anti-positive psychology person quoted in the article made a good point, that it's innate optimism, which can't be learned, that makes people happier, so it's probably better not to tell people that and make them feel bad. I remember reading something about madness and artists that may have contradicted the link (ie that on anti-depressants, they're just as creative), but I can't remember where. I moved up from the 12th to 18th percentile since April, which is nice, I guess.
I thought the anti-positive psychology person quoted in the article made a good point, that it’s innate optimism, which can’t be learned, that makes people happier, so it’s probably better not to tell people that and make them feel bad.
I remember reading something about madness and artists that may have contradicted the link (ie that on anti-depressants, they’re just as creative), but I can’t remember where.

]]> By: StyleyGeek http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67794 StyleyGeek Sat, 22 Jul 2006 03:06:24 +0000 http://wolfangel.calltherain.net/archives/2006/07/21/happy/#comment-67794 Seligman has GOT to be pseudonym, right? (It translates as 'happy man' or 'lucky man'). Seligman has GOT to be pseudonym, right? (It translates as ‘happy man’ or ‘lucky man’).

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