Happiness is a choice.

"Happiness is a choice."

To me, that is the most assinine thing to say to someone. If someone is down, that is probably the most insensitive, heartless thing you could say. How you react to situations in your life defines YOU. Why hide your emotions using happiness to begin with? You can't just make yourself truly genuinely happy by choice.

Happiness is only real when shared.

What say you, OT?

"Happiness is a choice."

To me, that is the most assinine thing to say to someone. If someone is down, that is probably the most insensitive, heartless thing you could say. You can't just make yourself happy. Especially when you're alone. If you do, then it's simply not real. Why hide your emotions using happiness to begin with? You can't just make yourself truly genuinely happy by choice.

Happiness is only real when shared.

What say you, OT?

Rikusaki

[QUOTE="Rikusaki"]

"Happiness is a choice."

To me, that is the most assinine thing to say to someone. If someone is down, that is probably the most insensitive, heartless thing you could say. You can't just make yourself happy. Especially when you're alone. If you do, then it's simply not real. Why hide your emotions using happiness to begin with? You can't just make yourself truly genuinely happy by choice.

Happiness is only real when shared.

What say you, OT?

SquirrelTamer

EDIT: Your sig is hilarious by the way. :P

Being stupid is a choice too.

I disagree with both for reasons unknown to me.

happiness is self delusion wololololLiftedHeadshot

I choose to showcase my happiness. Riku, your signature and avy has me confused.Stevo_the_gamer

I agree. I actually came into this thread to argue against the thread title if that was what you actually believed.

I agree. I actually came into this thread to argue against the thread title if that was what you actually believed.

Artekus

Same.

Was full out ready to come in saying something along the lines of this being the most ignorant thing I've heard all day.

I agree. I actually came into this thread to argue against the thread title if that was what you actually believed.

Artekus

The sergeant major would come by while we were in the field, in a torrent of rain, and shout something like, "Are you men motivated?!?!?" We'd respond with incoherent grunts and mumbles (we were supposed to be in a tactical scenario). Then he'd shout, "Well...you better get motivated!!!" Then he'd wander off, confident he had done his job: He'd found soldiers who were "unmotivated" and then ordered them to be motivated. Morale problem solved.

Disagree. Happiness is definitely a choice. How you react to events/experiences in your life is totally up to you. Just because something "bad" happens doesn't mean you need to freak out about it or even let it bother you. If you're unhappy then do something about it. Being unhappy and doing nothing to change it...that is truly sad.DocDelicious

No, it's not a choice. You can't just make yourself happy.

Disagree. Happiness is definitely a choice. How you react to events/experiences in your life is totally up to you. Just because something "bad" happens doesn't mean you need to freak out about it or even let it bother you. If you're unhappy then do something about it. Being unhappy and doing nothing to change it...that is truly sad.DocDelicious

Disagree. Happiness is definitely a choice. How you react to events/experiences in your life is totally up to you. Just because something "bad" happens doesn't mean you need to freak out about it or even let it bother you. If you're unhappy then do something about it. Being unhappy and doing nothing to change it...that is truly sad.DocDelicious

That's supposedly the most optimistic thing to say, but you're talking as if people behave the same way and have gone through the same things in life. The problem with society today is that sadness is considered taboo so people are pressured to follow this advice and then try to sweep their issues under the rug.

I think you can choose to have a positive outlook on everything, but some things are still gonna make me sad.

Happiness is a choice, unless you suffer a medical condition like depression.

You are confusing the general statement/approach with some sort of fake argument of universal applicability in every circumstance. That is not what is meant by the phrase.

You can ask yourself how to respond at any time and at any particular time you can choose to shrug it off and move on. That doesn't mean that every single time you can or should attempt to do so.A general rule allows for exceptions, which is why it is a generaland not universally applicable. It is healthy to be unhappy at times, like for instance when someone dies. That doesn't change the general statement.

Happiness is a choice, unless you suffer a medical condition like depression.

You are confusing the general statement/approach with some sort of fake argument of universal applicability in every circumstance. That is not what is meant by the phrase.

You can ask yourself how to respond at any time and at any particular time you can choose to shrug it off and move on. That doesn't mean that every single time you can or should attempt to do so.A general rule allows for exceptions, which is why it is a generaland not universally applicable. It is healthy to be unhappy at times, like for instance when someone dies. That doesn't change the general statement.

SUD123456

Totally agreed. Conversely people who become depressed and kill themselves do it because it seems like a good choice.

Of course it's not a choice. Happiness has to do with genetics and brain chemistry and the physical environment you live in which off course includes other people around you. A person suffering from depression or someone who lives in extreme poverty is not happy because it really is not a choice. And as a matter of fact I've never seen any happy poor people.

People who say things like that are a little oblivious. In my experience, they've come to the realization that your own perspective can change a lot in life and they're still in that period where they're on a high and haven't really come to grips with the reality of the situation. My psych professor, for instance, says things like that all the time, and he's partly right. However, sometimes he wanders into being, like you said, asinine. My philosophy in life is, whenever someone makes definitive statements, to never take them completely seriously. The truth of matters almost never lies at one extreme or the other, but always somewhere inbetween.

Of course it's not a choice. Happiness has to do with genetics and brain chemistry and the natural environment you live in. A person suffering from depression or who lives in extreme poverty is not happy because it really is not a choice.

pariah3

It's not a choice, but it's not beyond control either. Life is what you make of it, and attitude and outlook can have a dramatic effect on things like happiness. What I think happens is that people who say it is a choice overlook the fact that one cannot live completely apart from outside influences (hell is other people), and people who think that their happiness depends mostly on outside influences overlook the effect that positive thinking and self-actualization can have (although Maslow, who developed the theory of self-actualization, said that physical needs need to be met before one can become self-actualized). The truth lies somewhere inbetween these two poles.

Happiness is a choice, unless you suffer a medical condition like depression.

You are confusing the general statement/approach with some sort of fake argument of universal applicability in every circumstance. That is not what is meant by the phrase.

You can ask yourself how to respond at any time and at any particular time you can choose to shrug it off and move on. That doesn't mean that every single time you can or should attempt to do so.A general rule allows for exceptions, which is why it is a generaland not universally applicable. It is healthy to be unhappy at times, like for instance when someone dies. That doesn't change the general statement.

[QUOTE="pariah3"]

Of course it's not a choice. Happiness has to do with genetics and brain chemistry and the natural environment you live in. A person suffering from depression or who lives in extreme poverty is not happy because it really is not a choice.

It's not a choice, but it's not beyond control either. Life is what you make of it, and attitude and outlook can have a dramatic effect on things like happiness. What I think happens is that people who say it is a choice overlook the fact that one cannot live completely apart from outside influences (hell is other people), and people who think that their happiness depends mostly on outside influences overlook the effect that positive thinking and self-actualization can have (although Maslow, who developed the theory of self-actualization, said that physical needs need to be met before one can become self-actualized). The truth lies somewhere inbetween these two poles.

If you have a bad day, you aren't forced to feeling either sad or angry, you are in effect choosing which way to be even if it is subconciously. You can choose to worry about something, and in turn choose not to worry. I don't believe that I don't have control over my own emotions.topsemag55

[QUOTE="theone86"]

[QUOTE="pariah3"]

Of course it's not a choice. Happiness has to do with genetics and brain chemistry and the natural environment you live in. A person suffering from depression or who lives in extreme poverty is not happy because it really is not a choice.

Frame_Dragger

It's not a choice, but it's not beyond control either. Life is what you make of it, and attitude and outlook can have a dramatic effect on things like happiness. What I think happens is that people who say it is a choice overlook the fact that one cannot live completely apart from outside influences (hell is other people), and people who think that their happiness depends mostly on outside influences overlook the effect that positive thinking and self-actualization can have (although Maslow, who developed the theory of self-actualization, said that physical needs need to be met before one can become self-actualized). The truth lies somewhere inbetween these two poles.

Yeah, about right. What I think a lot of people who call it a choice do is to just ignore the negative, which leads into repression. Life sucks sometimes, and the way to deal with the bad things in life is not to ignore them. I guess that's why I somewhat prefer Jung to Maslow.

It's not a choice, but it's not beyond control either. Life is what you make of it, and attitude and outlook can have a dramatic effect on things like happiness. What I think happens is that people who say it is a choice overlook the fact that one cannot live completely apart from outside influences (hell is other people), and people who think that their happiness depends mostly on outside influences overlook the effect that positive thinking and self-actualization can have (although Maslow, who developed the theory of self-actualization, said that physical needs need to be met before one can become self-actualized). The truth lies somewhere inbetween these two poles.theone86

There are realities and forces far stronger than us in the universe. So I do believe that nothing we do in life is really a choice in fact. And to tell the truth, I don't completely buy into the free will theory either.

Disagree. Happiness is definitely a choice. How you react to events/experiences in your life is totally up to you. Just because something "bad" happens doesn't mean you need to freak out about it or even let it bother you. If you're unhappy then do something about it. Being unhappy and doing nothing to change it...that is truly sad.DocDelicious

[QUOTE="topsemag55"]If you have a bad day, you aren't forced to feeling either sad or angry, you are in effect choosing which way to be even if it is subconciously. You can choose to worry about something, and in turn choose not to worry. I don't believe that I don't have control over my own emotions.Frame_Dragger

I completely disagree with that, for us to even perceive stimuli that precede emotions thoughts are necessary. Without a subjective cognitive process that is dependent on a lot of learned behavior and tendencies we wouldn't have nearly as organized and complete of a cognitive experience as we have now. You would be surprised how much of your experience, even things you think of as objective, can change through an alteration to perspective. We do actually know a great deal about emotions, we can control them to a point, and doing so can change how you evaluate your own quality of life.

[QUOTE="theone86"]It's not a choice, but it's not beyond control either. Life is what you make of it, and attitude and outlook can have a dramatic effect on things like happiness. What I think happens is that people who say it is a choice overlook the fact that one cannot live completely apart from outside influences (hell is other people), and people who think that their happiness depends mostly on outside influences overlook the effect that positive thinking and self-actualization can have (although Maslow, who developed the theory of self-actualization, said that physical needs need to be met before one can become self-actualized). The truth lies somewhere inbetween these two poles.pariah3

There are realities and forces far stronger than us in the universe. So I do believe that nothing we do in life is really a choice in fact. And to tell the truth, I don't completely buy into the free will theory either.

That's fine, but if you see free will as more of just a chain of reactions then you can see what I'm talking about as a chain of reactions as well. Someone tells you how to alter your perceptions in life in order to attain a greater level of happiness and you do so, cause and effect. It may not be a choice according to you, but it's as much a choice as something like deciding what you want to eat.

yea its far from a choice. if we could control our feelings, we wouldnt react to events in some of the ways that we do. pygmahia5

Well, some of us don't know how to control our feelings, or even that we can. It's not like flipping a switch, it can be a difficult and prolonged process in some cases.

tc has my vote

"Happiness is a choice."

To me, that is the most assinine thing to say to someone. If someone is down, that is probably the most insensitive, heartless thing you could say. How you react to situations in your life defines YOU. Why hide your emotions using happiness to begin with? You can't just make yourself truly genuinely happy by choice.

Rikusaki

Happiness is only real when shared.

What say you, OT?

Rikusaki

[QUOTE="pygmahia5"]yea its far from a choice. if we could control our feelings, we wouldnt react to events in some of the ways that we do. theone86

Well, some of us don't know how to control our feelings, or even that we can. It's not like flipping a switch, it can be a difficult and prolonged process in some cases.