Happy people, boring personalities?
Question: Do happy people have boring personalities?
The reason why I ask is that I have never found anyone who is blissfully happy to be interesting. They have only good things to say. They don’t have a problem with anything. They have goofy smiles on their faces, like they’re heavily medicated.
It’s a little disconcerting. It’s a little uncomfortable.
It’s not that they’re young, thin, rich and beautiful. Many times, they’re not. They’re just happy for no logical reason - not health, wealth, etc. When you try to dig a little deeper, you realize there isn’t much there. To paraphrase R.E.M., they’re shallow, happy people.
So is conflict required to make people interesting?
Personally, I equate conflict to a plate of steak: the more meat there is, the more satisfying it is. Every bite is a complex combination of flavours. It’s not supposed to be bland – for that, have plain tofu.
It is an element of one’s personality and of society. Conflict is a part of life, and without it, there’s a void.
Would I be writing this if I was happy? Not bloody likely. I'm too lucid to know that I'm miserable.
The reason why I ask is that I have never found anyone who is blissfully happy to be interesting. They have only good things to say. They don’t have a problem with anything. They have goofy smiles on their faces, like they’re heavily medicated.
It’s a little disconcerting. It’s a little uncomfortable.
It’s not that they’re young, thin, rich and beautiful. Many times, they’re not. They’re just happy for no logical reason - not health, wealth, etc. When you try to dig a little deeper, you realize there isn’t much there. To paraphrase R.E.M., they’re shallow, happy people.
So is conflict required to make people interesting?
Personally, I equate conflict to a plate of steak: the more meat there is, the more satisfying it is. Every bite is a complex combination of flavours. It’s not supposed to be bland – for that, have plain tofu.
It is an element of one’s personality and of society. Conflict is a part of life, and without it, there’s a void.
Would I be writing this if I was happy? Not bloody likely. I'm too lucid to know that I'm miserable.
Authored by S at 12:00 am
12 Comments:
I think it's possible for one to be happy and interesting at the same time. Conflict isn't the only thing that colours the bland - happy adventures and new experiences, for instance, aren't conflicts but they do make one more interesting. :)
The "happy people" you describe are just big fakers.
Your thoughts are certainly in line with most authors and dramatists going back to the ancient Greeks. Without the "fatal flaw" there would be no drama, no tale worth telling.
As soon as I meet a "happy" person, I'll let you know.
I'm one of those special people who manages to be both miserable AND boring!
would you rather be happy or interesting? what if you're neither? wow that would suck.
sometimes being interesting takes too much work. i think i would like to be happy...
Conflict definitely adds substance...and depth, and wisdom, and something to talk about, for god's sake. I may walk around with a smile on my face...but it's for other reasons.
Neurotic people are more interesting...everyone knows that!
I don't think conflict makes someone interesting. Too much conflict can make them very self-centered and boring. I'm a pretty happy person and have very little conflict in my life. Do you think I'm boring? (Watch how you answer that or you'll be on your own when you come to visit!)
I thought the lyrics were "shiny happy people..." I hate happy people. I work with one. I just want to ring her neck. So stupid too.
I'm with Kevin - if I ever met a person who was authentically happy without any challenges, etc, in life, I'd be amazed.
Yes, aside from heavily medicated people - and even then...
I have, however, met people who are happy cause things are better than they used to be. I'm thinking that's where all of us want to be: having overcome at least some of life's troubles - for a time - and being, at long last, content.
That would be a person I'd like to know - and pick their brains on how they did it.
Without dramatic conflict there's no story. But all drama is as bad as all quiescence. The great stories, great music, organic life, all have a variety of tempos, themes, and moods. They zig zag. They expand and contract. They breathe.
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