I think what we call happiness is comprised of more than what drugs can stimulate.
Life satisfaction, purpose, reciprocated love and connection, etc. - these are all things that are more cerebral than what even the best chemical cocktail can offer.
It’s a nice sentiment, but in the end those things all boil down to chemicals in the brain.
I’m not saying that administering a constantly rotating chemical buffet is the ideal way to experience life or happiness. But if you have hundreds of billions of dollars it certainly seems like it would be a better alternative than being a miserable prick.
Oh, for sure. For a lot of these guys, being sedated might be the better than their current state.
My point is just that even the best meds out there can’t make you feel like your dad is proud of you, or that you have a loving family, or that your day to day work is meaningful to people. It’s beyond the scope of modern psychiatric medicine, even though all of our mental existence is chemical.
Which is why it would be fantastic to be able to fund neuroscience research. I wouldn’t say no to a discovery of the chemical that causes a strong feeling of “My dad is very proud of me even though I became a computer nerd instead of a car guy.”
He’s in his 70s so I was a bit too early for the stage where parents supported it as a money making career. I was just the goofy nerd with the taped together glasses living like a hermit playing midi files of songs I liked. There wasn’t a lot of that proud parents feeling. :)
I think what we call happiness is comprised of more than what drugs can stimulate.
Life satisfaction, purpose, reciprocated love and connection, etc. - these are all things that are more cerebral than what even the best chemical cocktail can offer.
It’s a nice sentiment, but in the end those things all boil down to chemicals in the brain.
I’m not saying that administering a constantly rotating chemical buffet is the ideal way to experience life or happiness. But if you have hundreds of billions of dollars it certainly seems like it would be a better alternative than being a miserable prick.
Oh, for sure. For a lot of these guys, being sedated might be the better than their current state.
My point is just that even the best meds out there can’t make you feel like your dad is proud of you, or that you have a loving family, or that your day to day work is meaningful to people. It’s beyond the scope of modern psychiatric medicine, even though all of our mental existence is chemical.
Which is why it would be fantastic to be able to fund neuroscience research. I wouldn’t say no to a discovery of the chemical that causes a strong feeling of “My dad is very proud of me even though I became a computer nerd instead of a car guy.”
He’s in his 70s so I was a bit too early for the stage where parents supported it as a money making career. I was just the goofy nerd with the taped together glasses living like a hermit playing midi files of songs I liked. There wasn’t a lot of that proud parents feeling. :)
It would be the best selling drug on the market instantly, lol. I bet even dads of that gen felt similarly with their dads.
You seem like you might have a sense of humor. Here’s some totally true news about Meta to hopefully brighten your day.
Meata, lol