Of Hedonism and Hangovers - Prof. Jordan Peterson

Psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson explains that the hedonistic seeking of pleasure is probably not the best approach to life. He compares it with the consumption of alcohol. So brace for that hangover at the end.

This is an excerpt of Dr. Petersons lecture “2017 Maps of Meaning 4: Marionettes and Individuals (Part 3)” at the University of Toronto. Be sure to watch it in it’s entirely here:

You may also be interested to know that Jordan B. Peterson's book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” is finally available. You can find it here:

Don't miss out on his best selling first book “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief” which much of his lecture material is based on:

The above are Amazon affiliate links.

[PsycheMatters]

The above are official Amazon affiliate links.

[jordanl]

Drinking is essentially borrowing happiness from the following day

[makeshiftaltruist]

If your unhappy often your not a Hedonist. Hedonism in its original form, when practiced by greeks philosophers, did account for future consequences. True Hedonist contend that you should seek the greatest amount of enjoyment possible out of life; which included the notion of making sacrifices in the present to be happy in the future. Most people are Hedonists without knowing it. An example of someone not being hedonistic, might be a person who feels its more important to leave a great legacy or history in place of living a happy life. I follow hedonism as a life philosophy and you should to :)

[noahtobacchi]

I've been sitting here hedonistically watching Jordan Peterson videos for an hour instead of conscientiously repairing my car. I do live in a stable society, so I guess I should go work on my car.

[herrfleischgewehr]

Hedonism is not a pursuit of happiness. It is a pursuit of pleasure. Different things.

[budbin]

The comedian he quoted at the beginning was Mitch Hedberg, for anyone wondering

[lowp]

hangovers get worse as you get older...
I'm 36 tomorrow... fuck alcohol. It's horrible. When I was 21, I could get drunk as fuck, stay up all night, and then go to a Metallica concert the next day and get drunk there also... and feel great and have a good time.

[andreo]

This is only true for certain types of hedonism. Many hedonist philosophers have argued for pursuing simple but lasting pleasures and doing meaningful activities because it brings greater happiness in the long term.

[snakecybermint]

just mix short term hedonism( classic hedonism ) with long term hedonism( achievement striving ) and you're good

[Frosty-ojhw]

The big problem I have is that I don't really get hang overs, if I drink water before bed and sleep a decent amount of time I wake up feeling fine, in fact sometimes I sleep better after a decent session. People hate that I call it a problem because they'd love to not have hang overs, but I don't see it as a good thing and this video is an excellent description of why. Because the bad "at the end" is essentially liver failure due to too much drinking, it just pushes the problem way further out into the future (years/decades instead of next day) and it makes the consequences that much worse, basically death. Mixed in the with the terrible fact that I seem to be "functional"m that is, it doesn't effect my work, so I can maintain my habit...and I also have more than enough cash to just drink all the time. Bad combo.

[antonnovo]

That's why I stopped drinking. The happy time is much shorter than the aftermath

[PsycheMatters]

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[illwill]

Wouldn't the ultimate Hedonist learn, through correct philosophy, to enjoy most things most of the time - even the hangover.

[JamesCarmichael]

Drinking/Smoking/Drugs/Fast Food etc is like going into debt. You'll have to pay for it.

[willmemeforfood]

The thumbnails are spot on, man.
hahahahahaha =))

[samtraygis]

I'm hungover right now and feeling like an idiot again smh

[dochmbi]

I'm looking for balance in my life now, I've turned to conscientiousness and the problem is, life feels like work, all the time. I feel guilty and can't relax. I want to fight all the time, self-improve constantly, do my duty.. What should I do so I find the right balance between Petersonian self-improvement and enjoying life on the other hand?

[dochmbi]

Conscientiousness does work in all societies, even ones without stability. There is always the possibility of developing and living virtuously, even in prison.

[andyrihn]

You can get drunk (or at least a buzz) without a hangover. The cure to long term hedonistic problems is simple moderation

[redryan]

This is a very short-sighted view and knee jerk reaction towards Hedonism. It's actually a philosophy of balancing out the pros and cons in a sensual/aesthetic sense in order to maximize satisfaction. Professor Peterson seems to assume that Hedonism is only impulsive Hedonism, when a Hedonist would try to calculate the pleasure value over time and the sadness/stress over time and try to maximize their pleasure (minimize their pain) in the long run, which probably wouldn't entail drinking a lot every night.