[deltasevennine]

It's mostly the same for everyone. Brains are mechanically hardwired according to evolution. And that is mostly what dictates what makes us happy. It's actually the scientific conclusion if you "think" about it.

But it's more then just drugs, sex and fame. Your children, the love of your wife, friends. That sort of thing can make you happy.

Just thinking though typically does not make anyone happy, and this can be verified. Happiness is associated with endorphins and part of your brain lighting up in an MRI.

Also if you "think" about it even further. If humans can actually "think" themselves into happiness, a lot of the stresses of the real world would magically disappear. Survival of the fittest does not allow this. A content human is not one positioned to compete and survive. We are wired to never be fully satiated, never to be happy for long. Our brains give us a taste of happiness so that we can spend most of our lives working to chase it. Because an unsatisfied person is a competitive person and that makes him evolutionarily more fit.

Being fully aware of our evolutionary nature actually hinders survival. Nature wants us to live in an illusion thinking we're chasing a goal with an endpoint that equates to contentment and happiness. If you "think" too much, as I have, you see past the illusion and you're now less likely to play the "game" so to say.

What I realized from "thinking" too much is that it actually makes you MORE unhappy. It makes you realize the horrible truth of most things and the pointlessness of many other things.

No offense to parent but what I see from his statement is basically someone who hasn't thought deeply about certain things too much.

[zooch]

You make good points and it's true, thinking alone may not have the same effect, but problem solving I'm sure releases endorphins as well.

People do attempt to think themselves into happiness with therapy see some benefit.

Just thinking - yes, probably not going to make anyone extremely happy.

But I still believe it's a plausible argument that after any cycle or combination of sex, drugs, fame, family, friends there may be a point where, for some people, thinking/problem solving may have it's place as the most pleasurable option in that moment.

And the winning combination for some people may be family, friends and problem solving, rather than family, friends and drugs. So it's possible they are not lying to themselves. It may maximize pleasure over time.

[deltasevennine]

This isn't problem solving per say. It's success that triggers a dopamine release. Whether that be success in your career or success in solving a problem. Success though is typically fleeting. You need to climb the ladder higher to feel more happy.

You probably found a success niche via problem solving.. and interpreted the source of your happiness as "thinking through problems." If you continuously failed to solve problems while thinking you obviously wouldn't be happy so it isn't "thinking" or "problem solving" that triggers this... it's success. Thus there are other avenues to this version of happiness outside of problem solving, you just need to find something you're successful at. If problem solving is it, so be it.