Whats the difference between Happiness and Self Deception?

[heyheysg]

This has to do with cognitive dissonance, backwards rationalisation and lying to yourself.

Basically, you have a Goal, but you fall short of it or achieve another goal. For example, you want to get a girlfriend but can't, so you tell yourself that you're happier without one anyway.

Or a guy who marries a girl he doesn't really love, but backwards rationalise that it's what he really wanted all along. etc etc.

Or the Millerites who kept changing the date of the Second Coming after selling off all their possessions.

I have a friend who's really happy on the outside, but since I've known him for a long time, it's pretty obvious that there are certain things he'd like to achieve but isn't. He's at a crappy job, but while his colleagues(my other buddies) are trying to quit, he's pretty insistent that it'll get better.

 

[Radeonx]

The difference is that happiness can only be achieved by self-deception, while self-deception can be used for anything.

Definitely this. You summed it up in the first post.

 

[matrix3509]

I've found I'm at my happiest when I'm in the process of achieving my goals.

As the saying goes, "The journey is more important than the destination." (Or something like that.)

When I'm in the middle of accomplishing something is when I feel most productive. I guess being productive in a general sense is what makes me most happy. I find that after I finish something, I end up thinking, "Well that was totally not worth it" even if the end product is worth something.

However, I'm usually pretty honest with myself. I know when I'm not satisfied and I'll do everything in my power to change it. Thats why when I get sick, or something happens that is beyond my control, I start getting depressed because it means, for the time being, that I'm totally useless, even to myself. That feeling sucks to be honest.

So in short, no I don't have self deception issues. I know when I'm happy and when I'm not.

Edit: So I guess according to the post above my definition of happiness is synonymous with self-fulfillment. Go figure.