Why Chasing Happiness is Pointless (The Hedonic Treadmill)

Could it be that chasing happiness doesn’t make us happier and could even make us miserable? And if so, how should we go about this ‘happiness’ thing? This video explores the nature of happiness.

Video: Why Stuff Won't Make You Happier | The Hedonic Treadmill

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#stoicism #epicurus #hedonism

00:00 Introduction
01:45 From happiness to distress
04:26 The trap of pleasure-seeking
09:12 Unreliable happiness
11:52 Choosing pleasure

[Guard]

It's funny that the more I grow in age the more it seems that so-called happiness is actually determined more by what you DON'T have rather than what you do have--sickness, debt, drama, strained personal relationships, a painful family divorce, a job that you absolutely hate, and so on. Not having these things is more and more becoming my idea of what "happiness" is actually about.

[thomasparg]

Now at 42, I value peace in my life way more than happiness and you don't need much to be at peace with yourself.

[Chill_Mode_JD]

Joy NOT pleasure
Wishing NOT craving
Caution NOT Fear

[raymondtendau]

The more we pursue feeling happy all the time, the less satisfied we will become as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place.
- Allan Watts
The backwards law.

[scarlet]

I left behind most of my possessions to travel the US for a couple years. It was either that or "unaliving" myself. That's how i felt at the time. I decided to metpahorically do it instead.

It ended up helping me realize that my perspective was severely limiting me, and i learned who I really am. Traveling and homelessness were very spiritually enlightening for me.

[neoxenia]

I’m a materialist, in that I love materials. Solid good quality wood, textiles and stone. Things of beauty made by people passionate for their craft. That makes me happy.

[darleneatkinson]

Einzelganger, first thanks for all your videos, I recall being in school thinking I love to travel so at age 22 I begin traveling, I went to many states in the United States 22 different states so many cities and towns I could not begin to count just how many, and I travel to many places I never been before
that was 44 years into my past life, I discovered wherever I went to my thinking went with me,
so, I turn to self-learning that why I listen to your videos I find much pleasure in listening and watching videos and its lot least stressful than actually getting on jet planes, catching trains, driving a vehicle to all those places I also went on a ship that was so scary for me. Many things seem more frightening than pleasurable to me than anything else, so I appreciate your videos it gives me pleasure to listen and watch than going out in the real world to travel. Thank you again.

[tomaszcodasz]

I love cocktail of stoicism and buddhism. It brings me inner peace.

[SunnyDarkoShow]

Gratefulness is Happiness. Theres my enlightenment. Being “Rich” just gives you more things to be Grateful for.🧘🏽‍♂️ Gratefulness IS Happiness but we just don’t realise it. Be Grateful about Everything and you will be happy forever.

[AlejandraEnChile]

It's funny because I don't see traveling as something that brings pleasure only. A couple of months ago I was hiking with my brother in La Patagonia. He was very tired and told me: is this really you idea of fun? And I told him: when did I say that traveling was fun? I said it was interesting!
I traveled for 3 years in a row, and it was amazing because I knew that it was not gonna be pleasurable all the time. Sometimes I had to sleep in horrible cold places, sometimes I had to wait by the side of the road for so many hours in the pouring rain, extreme heat or snow storms. Sometimes I just had rice to eat, or a 1 euro burger from McDonald's. But then I would meet incredible people, hike to an amazing view, eat something delicious, and those little thing would bring huge joy.
And even when things were going bad, I was still grateful for them, because they made me stronger, wiser and resilient.
Now I'm having a ver calm life in Chile. I have passive income from something I created when I went back to my country in 2020 and I'm reconfigurating my views on happiness, pleasure, fun and fulfillment since my options of things to do are completely different.
And I believe that's the way to be contempt, just go with the flow and accept change.

[senseph]

Our notions of happiness entrap us. We forget that they are just ideas. This idea of happiness can prevent us from actually being happy. We fail to see the opportunity for joy that is right in front of us when we are caught in a belief that happiness should take a particular form.

As long as we keep attaching our happiness to the external events of our lives, which are ever changing, we’ll always be left waiting for it and the tragedy of an attachment is that if its object is not attained it causes unhappiness. But if it is attained, it does not cause happiness; it merely causes a flash of pleasure followed by weariness, and it is always accompanied, of course, by the anxiety that you may lose the object of your attachment.

[theflourishing]

I find I have many a flourishing existence when I am out for a walk. Like you, while walking, I listen to music or podcasts or just the sound of the universe doing its thing.

[Darren-ic]

Happiness is good, the feeling we get when we laugh at a joke or eat tasty food. But contentment is consistent, the peace we feel when we live in accordance with our virtues.

[gunnasintern]

7:02am and as soon as the sun rose i got a notification for a new einzelganger video. good timing

[philvallee]

I think realizing that happiness and pain for that matter are both short lived is an incredibly powerful insight. It allows us to make more intelligent choices on how we spend our time and money.
We should also not forget that challenges and adversity are a critical part of the formula in putting this whole project of happiness in its proper perspective. Even some challenges can be pleasurable with the right mindset. Thank you, excellent video sir.

[jeremytorgersen]

Excellent video! Great reminder that chasing happiness is futile. It seems that chasing anything ends up being more of a negative experience in life. Instead, gratitude, contentment, and practicing the stoic virtues has helped me. It definitely takes practice letting go in order to work towards it, from my experience, easier said than done.

[maryquinn]

Thank you for sharing! So true, it’s very peaceful to be content with what you have! 🙏❤️

[riquipoo]

I have a brand new car, 10K in the bank, bills paid, my own place and plenty of food…maybe not happy but definitely not depressed or stressed out.

[flowgoestheuniverse]

pre-meditated pleasures and the expectations that come with them are ultimately not going to be a dependable source of happiness. We are better off tapping into the infinite possibilities of the present moment. I once had a friend who would get really excited for his birthday every year, hyping the day up weeks in advance, and when it came he would always cry because his expectations were too high and it was never what he thought it was gonna be

[enjoypladecorrals]

4 years ago I moved to Spain. My friends ask me are you happy there. It doesnt work like that, you bring yourself and all that goes with it. Happiness is in moments and the rest is being contented or counting your blessings. Spain is in many aspects a blessing and I prefer being here than in a cold and wet country with many stressed people. Yet many expats here are very unhappy as they suffer from being disconnected to their friends and family. So going away short or long term needs a stoic approach. Being locked up in an apartment in spain with rain is a blessing because all spaniards will be super happy as it didnt rain on the coast for so go out to the bar and enjoy the cheerful crowd, thats the stoic approach. Just like you got to enjoy japanese healthcare. Glad you're feeling better, we need you!