It's a statistical association; psychopaths are low in Honesty-Humility. No surprise, really, given that some of the questions in Honesty-Humility inventories very directly ask people whether they would break laws for personal gain if they could get away with it.
Happiness can't be the only way to make people evolutionarily successful. Exploitative itches probably also evolved. And such itches probably were much more successful in some environments than in others.
I agree, and I think that less happy people are, generally speaking, probably not doing things well.
2. Humans are extreme generalists - they evolved to thrive in a variety of environments where signals might mean very different things depending on the context. So of course humans have a variety of itches that encourage them to take advantage of what opportunities arise, *moderated by* moral inhibitions and prosocial feelings that make them think twice before just giving into an itch. Some people's ability to respond to itches is just not very good.
Yes, but that was also a bit simplified. Happiness is one reward. Pride is another. Sexual excitement is another. Even sadism is one reward. Happiness is a great invention. But I think other, less pleasant mechanisms have served people's genes pretty well too. I think that successfully seeking happiness is a lot about learning to suppress those competing mechanisms.
I don't think it is very different at all, except on one point: I'm not at all sure that humans are generalists. I think there could be people who are just incapable of becoming happy. And some of those people are not unfortunate mistakes of nature, but the descendants of very successful people whose unhappy, restless itches led them from one success to another in life.
Edit: I mean that being uphappy and making other people unhappy could be a niche personality that thrives extremely well in some environments.
What does following rules have to do with honesty or morality?
It's a statistical association; psychopaths are low in Honesty-Humility. No surprise, really, given that some of the questions in Honesty-Humility inventories very directly ask people whether they would break laws for personal gain if they could get away with it.
Happiness can't be the only way to make people evolutionarily successful. Exploitative itches probably also evolved. And such itches probably were much more successful in some environments than in others.
I have two things to say to this.
1. You've written that if you're not happy, chances are, you're not doing the things that improved or maintained your genetic success, at least in the ancestral environment: https://woodfromeden.substack.com/p/happiness-is-a-reward-from-our-ancestors
I agree, and I think that less happy people are, generally speaking, probably not doing things well.
2. Humans are extreme generalists - they evolved to thrive in a variety of environments where signals might mean very different things depending on the context. So of course humans have a variety of itches that encourage them to take advantage of what opportunities arise, *moderated by* moral inhibitions and prosocial feelings that make them think twice before just giving into an itch. Some people's ability to respond to itches is just not very good.
>>1. You've written that if you're not happy, chances are, you're not doing the things that improved or maintained your genetic success, at least in the ancestral environment: https://woodfromeden.substack.com/p/happiness-is-a-reward-from-our-ancestors
Yes, but that was also a bit simplified. Happiness is one reward. Pride is another. Sexual excitement is another. Even sadism is one reward. Happiness is a great invention. But I think other, less pleasant mechanisms have served people's genes pretty well too. I think that successfully seeking happiness is a lot about learning to suppress those competing mechanisms.
I'm not sure I understand; how is that different from my point 2?
I don't think it is very different at all, except on one point: I'm not at all sure that humans are generalists. I think there could be people who are just incapable of becoming happy. And some of those people are not unfortunate mistakes of nature, but the descendants of very successful people whose unhappy, restless itches led them from one success to another in life.
Edit: I mean that being uphappy and making other people unhappy could be a niche personality that thrives extremely well in some environments.