What is Happiness?
Is it a calm state? Is it an excited state?
I just listened to Science Friday's podcast on Happiness and was struck by the diversity of overlaps in emotional, physiological and chemical states that are partially within both the happiness and the sadness sets in the Venn diagram that was forming in my head.
On a physiological level, the chemical messengers associated with happiness come from both the calming (endorphin) and the exciting (adrenaline) chemical messengers.
From a ‘depressant’ stand point there are ties to dopamine and serotonin. Modern medicince strives to treat ‘unhappiness’ with chemical treatments to counter or try to ‘fix’ or ‘jimmy’ the balance. However, I believe that the absence of negative emotions doesn’t equate to a positive emotional state, but more like a zero state.
Also, what was discussed was our desire for change. As much as we complain about change, it seems to be a necessary ingredient of happiness. Our brains are designed to take gratification in ‘mastering’ change.
Two take away thoughts:
1) It is amazing how the chemical, physiologic and psychological systems all follow similar taxonomies and Venn diagram classifications as a function or coincidence in their contribution to how the system works on a macro level.
2) How we ‘master’ change is a subject worth further neurotransmitter energy investment.
a. Do we be reasonable and accept change?
b. Do we be unreasonable and struggle against or to control change?
G. B. Shaw would say that progress depends on us being unreasonable.
