Humans are simply NOT designed to _be_ happy, we are designed to _search_ for happiness.

Any genes that makes us totally content have been wiped out by millions of years of evolution. We will never simply "be happy". Happiness will always be just around the corner. Any sense of happiness, fulfillment or content that you have ever felt are all bait and lure created by the mind so that you remember to desire for more.

I understand the article talks about more than that. However, to me, the fact that people is not happy is not particularly interesting.

OT: I think the cause of the wealth gap is much simpler. It is the stock market. I imagine a society where there is no stock market, but instead everyone invest in their local economies. We would probably be growing much slower, but who cares?

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belviewreview 5 hours ago | parent [-]

"Humans are simply NOT designed to _be_ happy, we are designed to _search_ for happiness."

If that were true, then all humans and the people in all cultures would be equally unhappy. And everyone would be equally unhappy all the time. But they are not, partly because of people's expectation levels.

	▲	solarkraft an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		That assumes that the cultures have similar conditions for striving towards happiness. I would not say this is the case, both for economic and idealistic reasons.
	▲	sph 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		In what paradise do you live in? On average, people are equally unhappy. Why do you think there’s a saying that ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’? You could be rich, you could be poor, you could be healthy, you could be a cripple, you’ll still feel meh, on average, about the whole life business. Happiness is an extreme, like sadness is another. You dip into those states for a bit, the homeostasis returns you to the middle. Now, we could discuss if anyone is content or not. The West sells happiness, the East tried to teach contentment. They are very different things.