Neuroscientist Explains the Science of Happiness

[@lynneholdaway5133]

Great conversation, i really enjoyed that.

[@polymathpark]

I haven't thought of Heraclitus' river stepping metaphor as an example of free will, nice! I think what we call free will is entirely mechanical, but we must act as if we have it. So we're fluid, flowing with time and space, the mechanisms of nature, and using our ability to introspect within this particular centralized consciousness to bring about what feels like free will, if that makes sense.

[@francesco5581]

"but we must act ". thats free will .

[@polymathpark]

@@francesco5581 so, you could say it like "the processing system that upholds what you call your consciousness must arrive at actions and decisions to continue considering itself a single individual. The entire process is mechanical, our genes just rely on a sense of consciousness and free will to reproduce and keep a stable organism.

[@francesco5581]

@@polymathpark why the need of creating a fake sense of "self" ? Isnt a bit too much for inanimate matter to organize those pesky mind tricks ? Matter that fool itself at that point ? A rock isnt a stable matter creation anyway ?

[@theochristopher8873]

Great conversation and very insightful! However, I would have to disagree with one small point... Children can be very much aware of existence, mortality, and finality. I most certainly was and don't think I'm exceptional.

[@keithmetcalf5548]

Everyone has their own unique path toward happiness. I do t think there's any 1 formula for it , as there are so many variables from person to person (chemically speakin) but happiness does exist, I working on it now myself. For me there has been so much pain I my life (self induced mostly) but once I get to that meadow I feel I will appreciate the grass that much more then. Cheers ✌

[@ehsantorabie3611]

Very good 😊

[@francesco5581]

Spirituality is necessary for true happiness. In materialism you just loop between "aspects" "things" "processes" that are all finite and temporary. And still they play with them releasing books, doing conferences, each one with their views, so they can have fame and money, the only things that can make "happy" a materialist.

[@GingerBalls999]

I have no idea what any of that means

[@kban77]

Its just word salad

[@sailRabbit7671]

"Poverty is the result of doing nothing". Wow, Michael. Just wow :( A lot of bootstrappism and "if you're miserable, you deserve it because you haven't worked hard enough to do something about it" here (mostly from the host). I agree that changing course in life is the result of doing things differently, but... sheesh.

[@chb762]

That was an abrupt ending...

[@TheOrdener]

So where’s “the science” behind happiness again?

[@francesco5581]

but using the word "science" attract people...

[@keithmetcalf5548]

Everyone's science for happiness is different. A different formula for everyone...

[@mantoleung]

U talked so much about depression, mental problems etc. how can we be happy in such a life? Positive psychology is a kind of self deception.

[@francesco5581]

i dont think "negative psychology" would sell much ...

[@polymathpark]

Thinking of it as self-deception is tricky, I've come to similar conclusions but found ways to rethink it, I talk about it more on my channel, it's more like a psychological duty of being a human.

[@francesco5581]

@@polymathpark a "duty" imply free will. If someone is a materialist there is no way that free will exist, that consciousness exist... its a reductionist path to nothingness.

[@polymathpark]

@@francesco5581 oh, this is seen more as an evolutionary duty, or something we're genetically predisposed to work toward, because we have the ability

[@francesco5581]

@@polymathpark Can exist an evolution mechanism for a materialist ? All is deterministically evolved from the first set of the universe and "evolution" could have gone just one way... all embedded in the first set of the universe. So if there was never a chance that evolution went another way can we still call it evolution ?