Rishabh Kumar
Aug 27, 2017 · 4 min read

Happiness Derivatives

It needs nothing more than common sense to understand that all our actions are motivated by the hope that we will receive happiness or pleasure from them either immediately or in the long run.

Though it happens most of the time that this phenomenon is unconscious and before going ahead with any planned or unplanned (or impulsive) action we may not say to us ‘oh, its going to give me happiness — let me just do it!’ but even a little self-inquiry on ‘why we do, what we do’ can easily lead us to the answer, ‘happiness’ or to put it more precisely, ‘we think that we will get happiness as a end result of the action we have set ourselves to do’.

And, its true, we do get varying level of pleasure or happiness (derivative) from our different actions (source).

I have divided the happiness we derive from most of our actions into three categories and I call them ‘Happiness Derivatives’

  1. Immediate Happiness
  2. Sustained Happiness
  3. Immediate and Sustained Happiness

Immediate Happiness

We do a lot of things that gives us immediate happiness/pleasure but most of them are not very healthy in terms of an activity or activities that could be repeated or done frequently.

It can include anything such as smoking, alcohol, sex, certain food indulgences and so on. What’s important is to understand that these choices have momentarily happiness/pleasure as after effects but leaves us with a host of side-effects. All the wrong habits and indulgences can be fit into this category.

Take smoking for example; every cigarette you smoke, gives a temporary high and then leaves you craving for more. Before you know it, you have gotten into habit of smoking. All actions and habits that comes under this category serves you no purpose in long run and are most likely to have effects that are only going to get your life off balance either physically (in some form of diseases) or mentally & emotionally (in some form of disorder).

Before you do something, ask ourselves if all this is going to give me is 'immediate happiness’ or ‘momentary pleasure’? If the answer comes yes, ask yourself one more question — if this can be done safely on a regular basis or more frequently without incurring any harm to self or to anyone else? If the answer comes yes, you can surely go ahead and have your little dose of happiness right then and there, but if the answer comes no — you should better stop yourself.

If for anything the answer comes in combination of yes and no to below questions, you know you shouldn’t be doing this if you want to save yourself in distant (or in some cases, not so distant) future.

Q1) Is immediate happiness or momentarily pleasure is all I am going to get if I do this?

Q2) Can this be done safely, on a regular basis without incurring any loss to self to anyone else?

Sustained Happiness

Then there are activities which gives us sustained and lasting happiness.

It’s difficult to motivate yourself to do these activities while we must do them regularly and frequently to have a good life and to have the happiness or contentment we all long for.

Range of such activities may include eating right, investing (as opposed to recklessly spending), avoiding shortcuts and rather taking grounded & right (but difficult) decisions in work and life.

While these activities may not give us an instant pump or feel-good chemicals in brain, but they set our foundation for a future that will give us stability & happiness as a result of tough, well informed and wise choices made over a period of time.

Immediate & Sustained Happiness

Now comes the really interesting part. There are activities which when performed gives almost instantaneous joy and gives a magnitude of benefits when done consistently over a period of time.

Though the range of these activities seem limited but they must form a part of our daily routine.

It’s a nature’s way luring us to do them on a daily basis.

But sadly enough, we do not understand and welcome this and are anyways more inclined towards activities that comes under 'Immediate Happiness’ category.

For instance, take example of exercise or meditation. Not only they immediately make us feel good but also makes us a much better person and rewards us with more blissful life.


It’s fine to have occasional activities under 'immediate happiness’ categories but if you have habit (or habits) under this category, be known that you are heading towards disaster. (Examples: smoking, drinking, porn, any other addiction, etc.)

More of our daily activities should come under 'Sustained Happiness’ category. They may not trigger immediate (and addictive) happiness chemicals in our brain but they will provide us with happiness that will last long and make us a better person. (Examples: eating right, investing, taking right (versus easy) decisions)

I can not emphasize enough on activities that falls under 'Immediate & Sustained Happiness’ category. They are a blessing. They give us joy every single time we do them and that joy builds up and multiplies and comes back to us as rewards when we do them daily or make them a part of our life. (Examples: Meditation, Exercise, Reading, Self Expression (your hobbies, etc.) and so on)

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