Discussion Ever been told "happiness is a choice"?

[tommyhalpinkelly]

Besides the fact that humans have little control over many biological processes, why is this a common belief?

My opinion is that this is a cognitive bias (though not sure which one) where people try and overcompensate for the lack of power they have in their lives along with the unfairness, so they tell themselves that it's a choice to prevent the cognitive dissonance that this life is shit, pointless and stupid.

Now I remember, it's most likely the Just World Fallacy.

Anyone had an experience with this?

 

[StillWaiting]

I think I have been told before but I don't really remember anymore.
I was recently told by someone that being happy is just a emotion that comes along while being alive.
The person who told me that was obviously suffering but still think that life is worth living for. I am not in the position to say anything about that.
However I felt like that person is trying to tell me that being happy is not something compulsory.

 

[LiveSlowDieFast]

I think people also just like giving vapid, grandiose advice to make themselves feel smart. Doesn't matter what it means as long as it sounds good and deterministic. If Hollywood can do it, so do I!

 

[Lra888]

I think people also just like giving vapid, grandiose advice to make themselves feel smart. Doesn't matter what it means as long as it sounds good and deterministic. If Hollywood can do it, so do I!

I hate the "positive thinking" shit I often hear. Like homeless people are not thinking positively and abundantly so the're stuck in a depressed mindset. I hear so much bullshit like this. An ex-friend if mine used to go on about this crap and I couldn't listen to it anymore. She'd read all of these stupid self help books and just repeat that insulting worthless advice.

 

[Threads]

Yeah, fuck those people. Those same people are the one's to tell you.

'Stop feeling sorry for yourself.'

Telling me that is really going to help me, right? Whenever I hear someone say some ignorant and spiteful shit like that, I cut them out of my life.

 

[TAW122]

Besides the fact that humans have little control over many biological processes, why is this a common belief?

My opinion is that this is a cognitive bias (though not sure which one) where people try and overcompensate for the lack of power they have in their lives along with the unfairness, so they tell themselves that it's a choice to prevent the cognitive dissonance that this life is shit, pointless and stupid.

Now I remember, it's most likely the Just World Fallacy.

Anyone had an experience with this?

I've heard this banal statement by pro-lifers and a bunch of delusional optimists growing up. Also, it was drilled in while I was in school as well as other activities and what not growing up. It is also one of the stupid inspirational bullshit quotes scattered throughout campus while I was a student (years ago). Anyways, yes I believe that most people suffer from cognitive bias, optimism bias, and of course the Just World Fallacy into believing that the world is 'fair' when it isn't. The universe (at large) itself couldn't give two shits about us. One of my philosophy/critical thinking professors back in undergraduate studies (like 9 years ago or so) once lectured about how humans like to pretend that there is free will but yet there isn't or just the thought of (pretending to) exercising free will is good enough. While he isn't pro-choice, he does offer interesting thought provoking discussions and insights.

 

[Armadillo]

Hey wait, lemme try that, lets see how it goes.

I decide to be happy from now on...

...

...

...

Nah, doesn't work :/

 

[worldexploder]

All my god damn life! My biomom use to tell me that shit. So did everyone else including loved ones.

If happiness was a choice we would all be crapping skittles.

 

[Fucking loving it]

I hear this total bullshit about once a week.
I no longer respond. I just ignore.
I also hear "Go to yoga, eat healthy, exercise regularly and you will find happiness. "
The fuck......

 

[Trashcan]

I was in the mental hospital and a staff said to me, "I used to be depressed. Then one day I decided I had enough of it and I wasn't depressed anymore." Congratulations for not having clinical depression, dipshit.

 

[MAIO]

Besides the fact that humans have little control over many biological processes, why is this a common belief?

My opinion is that this is a cognitive bias (though not sure which one) where people try and overcompensate for the lack of power they have in their lives along with the unfairness, so they tell themselves that it's a choice to prevent the cognitive dissonance that this life is shit, pointless and stupid.

Now I remember, it's most likely the Just World Fallacy.

Anyone had an experience with this?

You don't choose what you believe. If you can convince yourself you can probaly delude yourself into thinking it and feeling it sort of. One of the issues is you may feel happy a lot but you will also probaly have really depressive lows and delusional thinking.

 

[worldexploder]

I was in the mental hospital and a staff said to me, "I used to be depressed. Then one day I decided I had enough of it and I wasn't depressed anymore." Congratulations for not having clinical depression, dipshit.

Wow what a bitch!

 

[lost illusions]

To be honest, I don't know what to believe. I have seen people with totally shit lives be happy with absolutely nothing to live for and someone with a silver spoon and no worries be miserable. People that bust they're ass and never get anywhere, and then the one that sits on they're ass living a life of luxury.
I grew up believing that you work to put a smile on and that didn't work out so well

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

If it worked that way, I'd die from dopamine overdose.
My Neuro tells me to embrace my symptoms and love them. He's not the one that deals with Edgar Allan Poe horror story shit, I am. Telling an epileptic to love their auras and seizure is like telling a cancer patient to cuddle their tumors: hypothetically possible, but not going to happen.

 

[Smilla]

I was listening to a David Benatar interview recently and he specifically mentioned how the "self help" section in bookstores are so large...why? Because people have an inate need to believe the optimism crap as it serves our survival mechanisms based on thousands of years of evolution.

Fuck optimism.

 

[muretax]

Most people I'm surrounded by keep telling me that in order for me not to feel depressed is to think happy thoughts and to just force myself up and do something.

I've stopped telling people about my depression or really about anything because of the constant shit advice I am given.