Pleasure and Pain

[Maverick]

Who we are as individuals is the sum of our experiences. My question is why are negative experiences so powerful in contrast with positive ones? Why is it that a single traumatic event can undue years of happiness and not vice-versa?

The question came up reading Hume's A Treatise on Human Nature where he takes it for granted that affliction and sorrow leave a stronger and more lasting impression than any pleasure or enjoyment can. Why?

[Chaigidel]

because the dire times are much more important to remember for your survival-- good times arent dangerous so I would say less important to the organism.

[rathelios]

because the dire times are much more important to remember for your survival-- good times arent dangerous so I would say less important to the organism.

Yup that's it.
Additionally, pain is formative. Suffering makes you a better, wiser, stronger person.

Nice things just make you weak and decadent.

[Ludicus]

because we are programed to suffer

Who knows?
Well , Shaw wrote: " But a lifetime of hapiness! No man could bear it: it would be hell on earth.

[neoptolemos]

This is a possible explanation

[Kiljaden]

Hmm I think I would tend to agree. Traumatic experiences to the most primal parts of our brain would probably seem to be something to be avoided in the future. Thus, constant re-living and re-analysis of the situation and where you went wrong is the natural course of action for a healthy brain.

When you bottle up the traumatic experiences, your brain does not think about them, and you're left with an inner chaos of unresolved problems in your head - which is possibly why simply talking about your traumatic experience is the prime cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Interesting thing to think about

[Maverick]

Hmm I think I would tend to agree. Traumatic experiences to the most primal parts of our brain would probably seem to be something to be avoided in the future. Thus, constant re-living and re-analysis of the situation and where you went wrong is the natural course of action for a healthy brain.

What about unaviodable and random traumatic experiences such as the death of a wife/child in childbirth, what practical purpose does the pain serve in this case?

When you bottle up the traumatic experiences, your brain does not think about them, and you're left with an inner chaos of unresolved problems in your head - which is possibly why simply talking about your traumatic experience is the prime cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Right but why doesn't joy have the same property? There are other cathartic exercises besides talking, take movies, tv, books etc. All art is emotional expression and all emotions can be powerful so why do we put up Tragedy on a pedestal above Comedy? Why are we moved by pain more than pleasure?

[Chaigidel]

1Basically If your not suffering enough tragedy, and pain, etc in art will attract you--- because we are programed to suffer greatly

and if you suffer alot you tend to want the light hearted fair; because you dont need to be reminded of Pain anymore.

I assume

[Maverick]

1Basically If your not suffering enough tragedy, and pain, etc in art will attract you--- because we are programed to suffer greatly

and if you suffer alot you tend to want the light hearted fair; because you dont need to be reminded of Pain anymore.

I assume

Never assume! What do you mean by programmed? Do you mean we all want to suffer specifically or we want to just experience emotions in general?
And the rest is nonsense, what about misery loves company? My question is why someone who has a balance of joy and misery if there is such a thing fixate on the negatives, I don't have this instead of I have that etc. basically why don't we count our blessings? Is the answer in our nature or nurture?

There are many other related questions I have but assuming by programmed you mean something like it's part of our dual nature good/evil and uncontrollable chemical impulses etc. then my TD-esque question is... we have an abstract idea of what any emotion is, are they in reality just a chemical process or something tangible? And if so, considering we can play around with a few of people's emotions with the drugs we have today, in the future could we possibly control them all? My EMM question is without any control of our emotions, what control or free will do we really have? I think it has to be limited, even in the courts emotional problems sometimes mitigate crimes... the defendant couldn't control his rage... what control does anyone have over it? Maybe we can choose not to act on the impulse, I think instead we learn to build it up and release it in another way but the impulse itself is there regardless.

[Chaigidel]

I mean if you look at the art in Iran, as opposed to the Art produced by americans-- in cinema, in painting , in everything

people tend to artistically produce what they lack

and I mean that flesh has learned to accept suffering; all flesh-- I would say all your ancestors suffered greatly, sweet laments of sorrow, fashioned lovingly in the struggle to survive.-- so by programmed I mean all flesh that walks learns to deal with pain.

want has very little to do with anything you feel what you feel your choice comes in how you handle what you feel.

[Fijj]

First off, the brain trys to protect us from pain and death.

So, the brain remembers the pain more cause the brain functions in a way for us not to repeat that pain again by constantly telling us "If you do this, that pain you had 5 years ago will happen to you"

Again, for your survival, as repeated here.

[Ummon]

The way our physiology is designed to protect us from painful experiences, conflicts with the way it must deal with the necessity to preserve memories of those experiences so that we can avoid them in the future.

The problem has a long history, and goes from philosophy to psychology to neuroscience. In synthesis, there are fundamental evolutionary reasons, as was suggested above, and also, there is something about noise, and its effect in disorganizing our cognitive schemes (or whatever you are going to call them) at network level.

[Desperado †]

Intressting thread. On the same topic had anyone heard the theory that when we cry we release certain chemicals and thus feel better afterwards?

[Ludicus]

On the same topic had anyone heard the theory that when we cry we release certain chemicals and thus feel better afterwards?

Endorphins.
Endorphins are associated with mood changes . Running does elicit a flood of endorphins in the brain.
Endorphin

But aren't the tears from being upset and tears from something in your eye different?

Nope.
http://www.dryeyezone.com/encyclopedia/basaltears.html

[Chaigidel]

your tears are antiseptic as well; you can use them as disinfectant :o

[Desperado †]

your tears are antiseptic as well; you can use them as disinfectant :o

Take a guess at what other bodily liquid is antiseptic...

But aren't the tears from being upset and tears from something in your eye different?

[gambit]

I'm no scientist but I'd say since we are raised on good experiences we become more accustomed to them while we try our best to avoid the bad ones.

Say I ate hot dogs every day of my life for a few years. No matter how good they are, after a while they just get stale, while if I ate a hamburger, the difference and great taste would stick with me for a while.

It's why people who have had lives aren't as affected by some bad experiences and if they were almost completely raised on bad experiences, a good experience can blow their minds. You simply become so accustomed to one, the others 'flavor' seems more striking.

[Chief Astook]

perhaps it is in fact just the basis of our universe/reality that we are often more inclined to be pessimistic rather than optimistic, what I mean is that we seems to have a higher percentage of "negative perspective" things than "positive perspective" things, i mean look at our news for a clear example of what we focus on