This may be a chicken and egg conundrum. Are they happy because they socialize; or do they socialize because they are happy?
The same goes for altruism. Is one altruistic because they are happy; or are they happy because they are altruistic?
Off the top of my head (with no deep thought to this) I suspect that if one is unhappy with their life, altruism will not make them happy with their life. They may still get the “warm glow”, but not the deeper happiness.
In my case, an existential crisis drove me to altruism. I felt like my life had no purpose, my goals until then didn’t matter and that it would be shameful to pursue whatever I felt like, ignoring the suffering of others. EA brought purpose to my life, and I’m happier for it.
This may be a chicken and egg conundrum. Are they happy because they socialize; or do they socialize because they are happy?
The same goes for altruism. Is one altruistic because they are happy; or are they happy because they are altruistic?
Off the top of my head (with no deep thought to this) I suspect that if one is unhappy with their life, altruism will not make them happy with their life. They may still get the “warm glow”, but not the deeper happiness.
In my case, an existential crisis drove me to altruism. I felt like my life had no purpose, my goals until then didn’t matter and that it would be shameful to pursue whatever I felt like, ignoring the suffering of others. EA brought purpose to my life, and I’m happier for it.