Success Happy

Why is not the level of happiness as much as the depths of unhappiness?

Why doesn't happiness last as long as unhappiness? This is a hypothetical question and does not refer to my own happiness in any way.

Public Comments

1. because misery needs company. When you are happy everyone is with you and celebrates but crying and sorrow is done alone.... so you have more time to drown in your sorrows and think more.
2. The balancing machine may be wrong. Keep the balancing machine at even level both sides. It should not tilt.
3. how do you know it's not? just because you've never been that happy... Happiness and unhappiness is mostly a state of mind. To me, feelings of love and amazement at all things beautiful and amazing, is far more overwhelming than the stupid, immature, devolved, hateful bullshit that I encounter on a near daily basis. Change your outlook. Find something to love.
4. Happiness wears off... Happiness is a state of comparison to how you were feeling before...so you cannot really stay happy forever. And happiness is such a simple word to describe the many ranges and changing feelings that encompass "happiness". You can stay "content" perhaps forever, but happiness also requires contentment. Meanwhile, sadness (if you please) is not the opposite to happiness, nothing is the opposite to happiness, unhappiness is not a word. There is no equal negatives and positives with emotions. It depends entirely what you think about your own emotions, and my answer is from my own opinions.
5. I think it is what you make it. When I think of the starving children in Africa or the victims of the Talisman, that makes me sad. Then I see superstars on tv with their $5000 bags and their bling around their neck and it just makes me angry that people who are in a situation to help the world don't. And people who have a decent chance, drown on their sorrows over something petty.
6. Most humans are happy to be unhappy because they believe that is what life is about.
7. It is human nature to easily forget happy moments of our life, while unhappy moments easily become stored in our minds. Our way of thinking is unbalanced, and often when we are feeling sad, we can't remember ever feeling happy. In addition, we try to remember something negative It seems so easy to busy our self with unhappy thoughts and very difficult to train ourselves to bring positive thoughts and attitudes to ourselves.
8. I think we revel more in unhappiness and make it last longer because we are creatures of fear and crave certainty. getting back to rock bottom i s more certain than the precariousness of being up there happy knowing it wont last. Most children seem to cope with happiness so I think it is probably the awareness process of ups and downs that does for us. Plus as someone else said others try to reach us in their misery whereas happiness is sufficient to itself.
9. Even though you think of something as happiness, some people wouldn't. Maybe we could say happiness last as long as unhappiness. I think if happiness doesn't last long, it seems worthy.
10. just because you're not HAPPY doesn't mean you're UNHAPPY. you're just indifferent, we humans have millions of other emotions in between happy and unhappy ;)
11. Suffering is the rule. You can not have one without the other. With the increase of pleasure brings the possible increase of displeasure. The Stoics done away with pleasure so as to avoid suffering. But I suggest you read Arthur Schopenhaur's work.
12. Good question. I wonder also why badness seems to be stronger than goodness..badness can come along and instantly destroy goodness, but goodness takes time to get rid of bad, and often not completely.