Are you unhappy in Thailand? But, you don't even know it?

GammaGlobulin · October 14, 2021

Unhappiness is a relative term.

In most countries, the majority of people report that they are unhappy, and we know this from research.

Therefore, if you are unhappy in Thailand, then you can be happy that you are among the majority.

From research, we realize that inequality contributes to unhappiness. And so, those countries whose inhabitants are, more or less, on the same economic plane, report that they are less unhappy.

There are many factors which lead to unhappiness, such as, for example overpopulation. when we live cheek by jowl with our neighbors, we are more likely to encounter our neighbors, and we will be more likely to compare our economic circumstances with those of our neighbors. This leads to inevitable discontent on one side or the other.

I would never, normally, ask such a question about HAPPINESS, since the very term Happiness should be defined, even before one can begin to analyse who is unhappy, and who somewhat less unhappy.

There are many quantifiers which impinge upon the measurement of perceived "unhappiness". Some say that Finland is the least unhappy country, followed by places such as Denmark and Norway.

And you can see, from the social structure of these countries, that all three countries are less stratified according to wealth, and also are less hierarchical, not to mention the "distance to power" coefficient, which is important, too.

And so, if you want to know things like how unhappy you are, living here, then this is not such a simple thing, as a yes or no answer, as come might guess.

For example, maybe you are living in dream world, a fantasy world, and you, by now, have no idea if you might be unhappy or happy, or slaphappy.

There are ways to quantify happiness in order to compare one country to another country. However, these quantifications are only mere approximations, since Social Science is just basically guesswork, like throwing darts at a target in a dark room.

This is not to say that we cannot measure unhappiness, maybe just by counting tears.

Personally, I am very happy in Thailand.

On a scale of zero to one million, I would say that my happiness is about 850,745 out of 1,000,000. And, almost one million is not bad.

Many academic articles have been written about perceived happiness, comparing one country to another country.

However, these estimates are only useful at the macro level.

For me, at the micro level, I am fully capable of happiness in a hardship port, maybe in China, or some other place.

Happiness on the micro level is determined by whether or not one is doing what one wants to be doing, and whether or not one feels successful and rewarded by what one is doing

The idea of happiness or unhappiness is also meaningless.

Seeking happiness brings unhappiness.

Why?

Just because, no matter how much one seeks happiness, and no matter how much happiness one attains...STILL...any amount of happiness achieved is NOT ENOUGH, which inevitably leads to unhappiness.

So, are you unhappy or happy, and how do you know?

IF you are still alive, then, most likely, you should feel happy about being alive, and not dead.

This is just one fairly sure measure of discriminating between being happy, and being dead and oblivious to everything.

Never mistake hedonism for happiness.

Never mistake a juicy piece of very expensive Kobe steak for happiness.

Most people don't know what happiness is. Most people associate happiness with excitement, temporary love, and a massage with a happy ending.

Happiness is something which is not a happy ending, but a beginning.

I have read a lot of books.

I have had a few girls.

I have engaged in all sorts of sexual positions.

Yet, not one of these positions ever brought me happiness.

If you want to know what makes me less unhappy, it is reading books, and discussing books with guys who are FAR smarter than I.

This is what makes me less unhappy.

Otherwise, I am usually full of angst about the end of the world, and the knowledge of my own mortality.

Somehow, in order to become less unhappy, then one must find a way to help remain in denial of what we know is sure to come, in a very few years.

fredscats · October 14, 2021

Not yet another thread on the same theme,there are three others running right now ,yours is number four on virtually the same theme

sungod · October 14, 2021

Most posters on here are "unhappy about Thailand" but do nothing about it.

BangkokReady · October 14, 2021

8 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Unhappiness is a relative term.

(Un)happiness is subjective, but it isn't relative. If it was a relative term, it would always need to be discussed in comparison to something else.

You can, of course, discuss happiness relatively, as you can most things.

Edited October 14, 2021 by BangkokReady

ivor bigun · October 14, 2021

I am very happy ,just like i was living with my Thai wife in the UK ,now we live in Thailand ,the only thing that makes me unhappy is that i am a lot older than her and she will be broken hearted when i die ,but i am happy that she will be well looked after by our son ,and her family.

GammaGlobulin · October 14, 2021

7 minutes ago, fredscats said:

Not yet another thread on the same theme,there are three others running right now ,yours is number four on virtually the same theme

Pardon me, but I beg to differ.

My topic is not about how to achieve happiness, or about happiness, per se.

Instead, more importantly, my topic is about how to AVOID unhappiness, which is something that we all must struggle with.