The pursuit of pleasure is a good and necessary behavior. Human beings spend most of their time planning for and thinking about pleasurable activities. Sigmund Freud taught about a pleasure principle that drives one to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Joseph Campbell urged people to “follow your bliss.” Seeking pleasure is certainly a path to achieving personal happiness; however, there are clear pitfalls.

There is an anecdotal story about a wealthy man who after his extravagant dinner needed a cognac to be happy. Moreover, after the cognac, he needed a cigarette. After the cigarette, he needed sex, and after sex, he needed another cigarette. The man was desperately unhappy if he could not indulge in his pleasures. Just like the wealthy man, your happiness could become conditional on experiencing pleasure.

The fact is that you can be happy no matter what. You short-change yourself if you think cognac, or any other physical thing, is necessary for your happiness. Being happy while in pain is also possible; your happiness depends on the meaning that you give to the pain. For example, a pregnant woman experiencing pain during childbirth can be happy, partly because she knows the purpose of her pain.

Nothing special needs to occur for you to be happy. One can be happy standing in line at the grocery store. One can be happy simply sitting in a chair staring out into space. Simple existence can be a very pleasant experience. Try appreciating the subtle details of your experience, the pleasure of seeing things around you, the pleasure of hearing sounds and the pleasure of experiencing total silence.

One aspect of the pursuit of pleasure is that pleasant sensations can be temporary and changing. One day a shoulder massage might feel comfortable, on another day a similar massage might be annoying. Eating a six-ounce candy bar could be very pleasant, but eating a six-pound block of chocolate might send you to the hospital. A glass of whiskey might be perfect for evenings at home, but three weeks later even a liter of whiskey might not have the same effect because of increased tolerance. A hit of methamphetamine could send you flying for hours or days, but three days of no sleep and reckless behavior could land you in the emergency room.

The bottom line is that pleasure should take a central place in your strategy to be happier, though it is important to be aware of the pitfalls.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 2:26 am and is filed under Happiness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.