Semantics. What do we, or they, or you, or me, mean when we talk about “happiness”?
For some (hedonists), it is the same as “pleasure”. Perhaps, a bit drawn out in time: as in the process of performing bed gymnastics with a sufficiently attractive member of the opposite sex—not a moment after eating a single candy.
For others, it’s the “thrill” of the chase, of the hunt, of the “win”.
For others still: a sense of meaningful progress.
The way you’ve phrased the question, seems to me, disregards a handful of all the possible interpretations in favor of a much more defined—albeit still rather vague, in virtue of how each individual may choose to narrow it down—“fulfillment”. Thus “why do people solipsistically optimizing for hedonism are actually less happy?” turns into “why do people who only ever prioritize their pleasure and short-term gratification are less fulfilled?” The answer is obvious: pleasure is a sensory stimulation, and whatever its source, sooner or later we get desensitized to it.
In order to continue reaching ever new heights, or even to maintain the same level of satisfaction, then—a typical hedonistically wired solipsist will have to constantly look for a new “hit” elsewhere, elsewhere, elsewhere again. Unlike the thrill of the “chase” however—there is no clear vision, or goal, or target, or objective. There’s only increasingly fuzzier “just like that” or “just like that time back then, or better!” How happy could that be?
Semantics. What do we, or they, or you, or me, mean when we talk about “happiness”?
For some (hedonists), it is the same as “pleasure”. Perhaps, a bit drawn out in time: as in the process of performing bed gymnastics with a sufficiently attractive member of the opposite sex—not a moment after eating a single candy.
For others, it’s the “thrill” of the chase, of the hunt, of the “win”.
For others still: a sense of meaningful progress.
The way you’ve phrased the question, seems to me, disregards a handful of all the possible interpretations in favor of a much more defined—albeit still rather vague, in virtue of how each individual may choose to narrow it down—“fulfillment”. Thus “why do people solipsistically optimizing for hedonism are actually less happy?” turns into “why do people who only ever prioritize their pleasure and short-term gratification are less fulfilled?” The answer is obvious: pleasure is a sensory stimulation, and whatever its source, sooner or later we get desensitized to it.
In order to continue reaching ever new heights, or even to maintain the same level of satisfaction, then—a typical hedonistically wired solipsist will have to constantly look for a new “hit” elsewhere, elsewhere, elsewhere again. Unlike the thrill of the “chase” however—there is no clear vision, or goal, or target, or objective. There’s only increasingly fuzzier “just like that” or “just like that time back then, or better!” How happy could that be?