INTJ Traits and Happiness

[michelle1963]

Happiness.  It's been a topic of discussion on the blog of fellow INTJ ehowton many times.  ehowton is a happy man.  New INTJ acquaintance,

Comments

[plymouth]

I would definitely not call myself a happy person. I seem to be elated and depressed in roughly equal measure, the higher the high the lower the low that will follow. So I think of my nature as being neutral. And I wouldn't really have it elsewise. I actually feel like one of the demands of society that I find myself driven to reject is the idea that happiness is a goal to be sought!

[michelle1963]

Wow! That is really intriguing. So if happiness is not a goal to be sought, what do you put in its stead? (Not arguing; just curious.)

[plymouth]

Knowledge. Balance. Satisfaction. I'm not saying I NEVER seek out things that make me happy, I just don't expect it to be the dominant state in my life. I think of my natural state as being neutral and happiness and depression are both temporary deviations from that.

[jeroentiggelman]

I would agree with that. I don't specifically seek happiness, but I usually am happy. My temper is overall very even.

[michelle1963]

Your comment makes me think we should try to better define happiness. I have a feeling we may all not be utilizing the same definition.

When I speak of happiness, I'm not talking about transient feelings of euphoria, but underlying disposition. As such I equate knowledge, balance, and satisfaction with happiness. I never seek it per se, but strive to do those things that will give me the very things you've listed. As a rule, I find they provide me an overall sense of well-being, which I call happiness.

[personalityblog]

I relate with what Plymouth is saying. I think I and many INTJ's seek more to do what we believe is right than what makes us happy. We like things to be done efficiently and sensibly. And I think many of us are willing to suffer and sacrifice to work toward making that happen. I understand why there is some semantic confusion because even in that suffering there is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes from being true to ourselves. But I don't think many people would consider that kind of satisfaction to be what they think of when they hear the word happiness. I think INTJ's are very driven to be true to our notion of how things should be and that authenticity is more the goal than a feeling like happiness.