Fun Is Not Happiness

Fun is the in the moment feeling of elation you get playing a video game, or soccer with friends. The thrill of the hunt.

Happiness is the longer term feeling you have in the in between times; or the morning after. When you have time to reflect on your life and the bigger picture.

It’s easy to confuse the two.

Obviously, they often go hand in hand. It does not logically follow though that they are the same thing. I have heaps of fun playing computer games; however, I can’t play them all day without feeling a nagging sense that I have more important things to do. This leads to unhappiness. There are two ways to resolve this dissonance: adjust the behaviour (play less computer games), or justify the amount of time spent on them (“I really don’t have anything more important to do”). Either way, further action is required. There is no automatic translation from excess playing of computer games to long term happiness.

If the point isn’t made, ponder on the idea the next time you’re suffering a hang over. It may provide a personalized example.

It’s a subtle but important point: Happiness doesn’t necessarily follow fun.

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