As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen how chasing happiness leads to misery | Psyche Ideas
Man chases “happiness.” But in actuality, he doesn’t chase happiness at all. He chases freedom from pain. And he believes that happiness is the opposite of pain. And it is this that sinks him. He chases and hopes for “positive events,” something to go his way, so that he can gain a moment of happiness. But he does not understand that no matter how
... See moreKapil Gupta • A Master's Secret Whispers
The great irony is that those who dedicate their lives to hunting the chimera are the least likely to find it. As the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl warned, you can’t pursue happiness head-on. It will find you, but only as an unintentional byproduct of some worthier goal. Instead of chasing a mirage, eyes forever fixed on the destination, all we can do
... See moreRichard Meadows • Optionality: How to Survive and Thrive in a Volatile World
In fact, oftentimes it’s the striving and pursuit of happiness that blocks us from having the experiences we most want. Why? When we fixate on what’s missing — like six pack abs or hot sex with a co-worker or everlasting happiness — we can enter a dynamic that has us dismiss what we’ve already got.
Tripp Lanier • This Book Will Make You Dangerous: The Irreverent Guide For Men Who Refuse to Settle
We are trying to find out what is happiness and whether happiness is something of which you are conscious. The moment you are conscious that you are happy, that you have much, is that happiness? The moment you are conscious that you are happy, it is not happiness, is it? So you cannot go after happiness. The moment you are conscious that you are hu
... See moreJ. Krishnamurti • What Are You Doing With Your Life?
Mickey Patel added
He said that we cannot chase happiness and expect that we will attain it. Happiness can only arise as a byproduct of a life devoted to the service of others — a view that undermines the very foundation upon which the happiness-peddlers have built their platform.
Joanne Cacciatore • Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief
We know that if you’re starving, lonely, or in pain, you’ll probably get happier if you get food, friends, and relief. After that, the returns diminish very quickly. You could read all the positive psychology you want, take the online version of The Science of Wellbeing ("Yale’s Most Popular Course Ever!”), read my post on hacking the hedonic tread... See more
Adam Mastroianni • Why aren't smart people happier?
Note that seeking happiness as an end might be counterproductive. Many people report that constantly checking to see if they are happy actually decreases their happiness - a report that fits with the research on "flow." It may be better to seek some of the above goals as ends, and happiness will be a side-effect.
LessWrong • How to Be Happy - LessWrong
Patricia Mou and added
Happiness can never be obtained by being pursued. Like the coming of the Messiah in Jewish tradition, it is one of those things that only comes when you are not thinking about it. It comes from a life well lived, in pursuit of the good for its own sake.