Get Off the Hedonic Treadmill!

"The what?" you say. The hedonic treadmill. That's what research scientists call it when we relentlessly pursue pleasure. And the problem is that the hedonic treadmill, just like its physical counterpart at the gym, will sooner or later just wear you out!

You see, though pleasure is many times a component of your happiness, the over-pursuit of it is indeed detrimental to your happiness. Try too hard to find pleasure, and the result is stress, not joy.

So take your pleasure as it comes. Your life in its natural state provides you with plenty of opportunities. No need to go to extremes, to chase pleasure to the end of the Earth, or follow it down every dark alleyway.

Learn to enjoy the subtle pleasures that a sunrise, a smile, a fresh strawberry, a job well done can bring. Jump off that sweaty old treadmill and go outside for stroll around your neighborhood. Pleasure abounds. Happiness blossoms. Life is good.

What Charlie Sheen Don't Know About Happy

Charlie Sheen, the Poster Boy of Pleasure, seems mighty unhappy lately. He's got it all -- talent, good looks, fame and fortune, and yet, he continues to flame out in epic proportions. (OK, maybe he's lacking in intelligence, but really you don't have to be Einstein to be happy).

In case you're just coming out of your winter hibernation and have missed Charlie's antics, here are a few signs of unhappiness that he's displayed:

* Overindulging on regular and consistent basis

* Wasting resources (talent, money, connections, etc.)

* Attacking others, whether verbally or physically

* Displaying a profound lack of gratitude for his good fortune

* Generally being an asshole

And while it's easy to point fingers at a Hollywood bad boy, the same signs apply to us all. If you're displaying any of the symptoms listed above, you're somehow out of touch with true happiness.

Charlie's approach seems to be if you're unhappy, pile on the pleasure. The only problem is: That approach doesn't work. Massive amounts of pleasure do not produce long term happiness, or even short term happiness.

Happiness begins within.

It's as simple as that. If you're unhappy don't go chasing after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, go within. Find the source of your unhappiness and your natural happiness will return. Remove the clouds and indeed the sun is always there.

So, what's the real lesson here, what can we learn from Charlie's continued meltdowns? Having it all isn't what it's all about. Whenever you start to think, "I'd be happy if..." you know you're on the wrong track. Any happiness that is predicated upon externals is not true happiness.

That's it. We'll let Charlie be our negative role model, we'll learn from his mistakes (OPM -- other people's mistakes -- is one of the most cost-effective ways to learn), and, of course, we'll wish him luck in finding his own happiness post haste.

Pleasure & Happiness

Lots of folks mistake pleasure for happiness. The fact is, they are not the same. Pleasure is a sensual experience; happiness is a psychological experience. Pleasure is found in the body's interaction with external stimuli. Happiness is an internal state.

Just piling up the pleasures will not bring about happiness. And you can be extremely happy even when your life is not pleasurable. The two do not correlate in any meaningful way.

By pointing out the difference between happiness and pleasure, though, I am in no way denigrating pleasure. By all means, enjoy pleasure when you can. William Blake may well be right when he tells us that "the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." Just remember, when pleasure is unavailable, that is no reason to be unhappy.

Pleasure. Happiness. Both have their place. Viva la difference!