The contentment called “happiness”

Opinion from the Internet about happiness:

“Tip to become ‘Happier’ from just another ‘Rando’ that has spent (juuust under) 4.5 decades ‘taking this test’ called Life:

You’ll be ‘Happier’ when you realize there’s no such thing; there is no such thing as being perpetually (unless there is something inherently wrong with said person in which case this wouldn’t apply in ANY respect) EXCITED, ANGRY, ANXIOUS, PO’d, SAD… Or.. Happy. They’re ALL fleeting emotions.; not a ‘State Of Being’.

The thing to strive for is ‘CONTENTMENT’; only when we find a life balance in which we are confident in ourselves as a ‘whole’ will we be our ‘happiest’. Something I’ve learned through a lot of trial and error.

(Think About It; there are THOUSANDS of ‘Self-Help’ xyz and there are still miserable people wondering what the answer to ‘Happiness’ is. It’s a trick question.)”

Yes, I agree with you on both counts.

Simple happiness only exists in Hollywood. And the greatest problem with this Hollywood type of bliss is that we would not even be aware of the fact that we are happy!

Our sensations, perception of reality depends on contrast, comparisons. Thus we are aware of any state only from its opposite, contrasting it to the exact opposite emotional impression.

Thus happiness contains in itself unhappiness while love contains in itself hate.

And indeed “contentment” is a better expression if we describe the state in a scientific manner. Contentment — if we look at it from the viewpoint of Nature, biology — means the most optimal, dynamic balance, homeostasis between the “observer” and its environment. And even in Nature, it is a very fragile balance which changes all the time and it is a balance, homeostasis above and despite extreme diversity, based on the connection of seemingly incompatible elements.

This is why true Human happiness is a state of contentment we achieve with our environment, in our dynamic, fragile, constantly changing connection with other Human beings, connecting with them, above and against distrust, uncertainty, rejection, even hate.

And since we are emotional creatures and give “emotional labels” to whatever we feel, we call it happiness.