Atheists/Agnostics Are you Happy?

[monta]

A quick poll for atheists and agnostics ,in general do you think you are a happy Person

I have seen numerous articles saying the religious were happier than atheists, which has always been counter intuitive to me.

This is the first article I have seen that contradicts that.

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/Profiles_of_the_Godless_FI_AugSept_Vol_29_No_5_pps_41-45.pdf

“One characteristic predictive of lower
religiosity (or at least lower fundamentalism)
was the personality trait ‘Openness to
experience,’ which involves a high need for
cognition, intellectual engagement, and xenophilia (interest in new experiences).”​

“Even controlling for the large differences
between religious and nonreligious individuals
in regard to education, gender, marriage,
and child-rearing, openness still was the
strongest predictor of both lower religious
belief and membership in CFI/Michigan as opposed to the churches.”​

This is meant just for general emotional state and not reactive states of emotion due to extreme circumstances, such as the birth of a child or death of a loved one.

 

[rojse]

I've picked: "I am a contented person but not given to extremes of emotion".

I don't go into personal details much on RF, but in general terms, life's pretty decent for me right now. I've got a reasonable amount of free time to entertain myself, and to challenge myself intellectually, I am not short of money, and I like where I live. Sure, there are a few things that I would like to change (mainly my socioeconomic situation), but life is pretty decent right now.

 

[Sunstone]

I'm insufferably happy.

 

[Willamena]

My life is exactly what I've made it to be . . . so of course I'm periodically discontent. But overall I'd say I'm generally happy.

 

[Luminous]

Ignorance is bliss

 

[Willamena]

Ignorance is bliss

. . . because knowledge is stressful.

 

[rojse]

Ignorance is bliss...

...until the car hits you from behind.

 

[Inky]

I'm a very happy person. Overall my non-religious years have been the happiest time of my life, but I think that's more due to coincidence and external factors, not religion holding me back.

 

[Nepenthe]

Could you say that again? I was listening to Fall Out Boy and waiting for my friend to get off her shift at Hot Topic.

Yeah, I'm happy. Ecstatic. Whatev'.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I'm contentedly satisfied being ecstatically happy with being hopelessly miserable, except for when I'm furiously laid-back.

 

[monta]

I'm contentedly satisfied being ecstatically happy with being hopelessly miserable, except for when I'm furiously laid-back.

Dammit why didn't I think to make an option for that hindsight is 20:20

 

[Aquitaine]

Many religions are centered around their idea of what happens after death, and how they know the answer and everyone else is wrong.

So in that context, being an Agnostic makes me very happy in that I, nor anyone else actually has any idea what happens after Death - the "potential" is purely unknown, and to me that's kinda a justifaction to be positive about it ^^

 

[whereismynotecard]

I am very happy sometimes, but I'm also still a human being creature so my emotions vary. For instance, when I trip and fall down in the driveway and my hands and knees are bleeding, I'm not as happy as when I'm playing with my Baggins. It fluctuates based on how life is going, but I do try to be happy most of the time.

 

[3.14]

the simpsons said it best

Bart: Nothing you say can upset us. We're the MTV generation.
Lisa: We feel neither highs or lows.
Homer: Really? What's it like?
Lisa: Meh. [shrugs]

 

[Vile Atheist]

I'm happy enough. Some of my discontent stems from religious influence around me, but it is not the entirety of it.

 

[JMorris]

really? all of you are extremely happy? all the time, or just some of the time? if its only 50% of the time, can you really say that your "happy"? its a silly question that dosent really mean anything. no one is happy all the time, and the only people who are miserable all the time are about 5 minutes away from killing themselves.

the simpsons said it best

Bart: Nothing you say can upset us. We're the MTV generation.
Lisa: We feel neither highs or lows.
Homer: Really? What's it like?
Lisa: Meh. [shrugs]

i dunno if im considered part of the MTV gen (i was born in '85) but i am bi-polar, so pretty much all i have is highs and lows.

 

[BucephalusBB]

really? all of you are extremely happy? all the time, or just some of the time? if its only 50% of the time, can you really say that your "happy"? its a silly question that dosent really mean anything. no one is happy all the time, and the only people who are miserable all the time are about 5 minutes away from killing themselves.

Well in the poll most people are just "happy"..
I mean, I notice myself being more happy than down, so I voted happy as well.

 

[JMorris]

Well in the poll most people are just "happy"..
I mean, I notice myself being more happy than down, so I voted happy as well.

fair enough.

and i didnt notice the "I tend to fluctuate between various emotional states" option till just now.

 

[monta]

really? all of you are extremely happy? all the time, or just some of the time? if its only 50% of the time, can you really say that your "happy"? its a silly question that dosent really mean anything. no one is happy all the time, and the only people who are miserable all the time are about 5 minutes away from killing themselves.



i dunno if im considered part of the MTV gen (i was born in '85) but i am bi-polar, so pretty much all i have is highs and lows.

I think it is peoples perception of themselves that counts.

 

[Panda]

In general these days I am always happy and in a good mood. Life for me is good so I'm just going to enjoy it and not worry about the future and stuff like that.