We have a long-standing suspicion of pleasure, which may stem from the Christian tradition’s often negative view of it as sinful. Alternatively, it could be because we perceive that individuals who chase pleasure are more likely to neglect their work and responsibilities. Furthermore, we often assume that there is an inverse correlation between pleasure and health. This notion is reflected in the famous quote by Bill Bryson, who stated that the British feel that any pleasure involving more than a cup of milky tea and a chocolate digestive biscuit is somehow irreligiously excessive.

However, many of us believe in the fallacy of a ‘pleasure economy,’ which posits that life can only be extended by renouncing and containing hedonism. This idea is similar to the virtuous renunciation of all worldly pleasures in order to access paradise in more religious times. In this way, a wholesome and unpleasurable diet, in conjunction with daily, unpleasurable, and strenuous exercise, will supposedly earn us the right to prolong our lives. On the other hand, indulging in unearned and therefore illicit pleasure (such as alcohol, fats, and sugar) will be punished with an early death.

Moral Barriers To Pleasure

Pleasurable things are indeed good for us. In moderation, of course. We like fats and sugar precisely because our ancestors in their pre-industrial times worried about not getting enough food, a much more immediate threat to their survival than the very remote possibility of acquiring obesity-induced diabetes. The reason why we like sex is even more obvious: reproduction is a crucial requirement of life, so it needs to be rewarded with generous helpings of pleasure. However, every society and culture has felt the need to tame sexual desires with the issuing of moral rules, in order to avoid social chaos. As far as eating is concerned, nature—unfortunately—didn’t expect us to be able to have an unlimited access to food, and so overdoing fats and sugars will challenge the health of a body not designed to cope with a huge calorie intake. This is why we have developed dietary rules with a semi-moral tone: the less obviously pleasurable foods (greens) are essentially good, while energy-rich foods that don’t even demand any work to be consumed (fast foods) are essentially bad.

The Paradox Of Hedonism

Even before we consider the moral barriers to pleasure, we encounter the so-called ‘Paradox of Hedonism,’ which reminds us of something that we already know, even though we may not always be fully aware of it. The paradox is that the more one seeks pleasure, the more the seeking gets in the way of acquiring it. Pleasure, some say, can only happen as a result of higher-level activities, such as altruism (that moral hue again), or otherwise by accident, when one isn’t looking for it. To be fair, carnal pleasure can be reached fairly reliably, but progressing to a higher level of satisfaction is the truly elusive goal.

Asceticism

Long before Mill and Freud, the ancient world had already considered the merits of pleasure. The Greek philosopher Epicurus has come to be associated with hedonistic decadence, but, in fact, he enjoyed simple pleasures and believed in the value of leading a moral life. He taught that humans should be good, not in order to avoid divine punishment, but because being good was more pleasant than being bad. This is a very persuasive, ‘utilitarian’ argument. The ancient Greek inhabitants of Sybaris, in what is now Calabria in Southern Italy, were also known for their hedonistic inclinations. It is said that they invented the chamber pot, a highlight of sybarite life. However, in the end, they were taken over by other tribes, perhaps a just reckoning for a life of excess and indulgence. Sodom, in the Book of Genesis, had a comparable fate for comparable reasons.

Pleasurable Cures For Melancholia

In the Middle Ages, some Muslim physicians recommended pleasurable activities (such as good food and sex) to cure melancholia, while their Christian counterparts prescribed bleedings and purges. The former would undoubtedly have been more effective clinically, even though a depressed person will find it difficult to enjoy any pleasures as much as they did before the onset of the illness. This brings us to the complex fashion in which pleasure and happiness relate to each other.

Which Comes First: Pleasure Or Happiness?

Some see pleasure as ephemeral, selfish, and shallow, and therefore bad morally, but, as we have seen, pleasure and enjoyment are good for us, as Epicurus, Utilitarian philosophers, medieval Muslim physicians, and nature, before any of them, knew well. A life devoid of enjoyment and pleasure is a life impossible to endure. Enjoyment of some sort is a necessary condition for a minimum measure of happiness, in the same way material comfort is a necessary condition for general well-being. But does pleasure actually represent the path to happiness? It will certainly help, as we discussed, but the relationship between pleasure and happiness also operates in the opposite direction of causality. Any measure of happiness (the full amount is never available to us) facilitates the enjoyment of life. Once you have somehow managed to feel happy (to some extent), perhaps helped by the gratifications that life sometimes teasingly offers us, and after overcoming the paradox of hedonism, you will then become even more adept at experiencing joys and pleasures, even those that would go unnoticed in a flatter state of mind.