How much does your ADD effect your happiness?

Do you think NTers {neurotypicals} are any happier than ADDers?


Why are some ADDers happier than others.


What would it take to make you happy?

I think ADD makes me happier because I can see things a lot more clearly than NTers. It's like you're walking in the city, and all you see are concrete buildings. But I've got the skyview, and I can see all the lights across the whole entire city.

I think in a lot of ways, I'm also happier because I'm interested in so many things. I'm not stuck in one groove. I can interact with all kinds of people and I can expand my social circle a lot more easily than others.

Also I think my over-analyzing brain helps me to come up with solutions that bring me more peace.

I'm not sure if ADDers are any happier than NTers. I think there are many issues, feelings that don't make it easy for us. However once we that peace, I think we can be happier than NTers.

Michiko, I had thought of some things I would say to respond, because I am basically a happyt person. I would write somewhat the most opposite as what you said! Now, isn't that funny! I am happy, because I don't always realize what is around me, becaus i cannot focus on too many things out there, and I tend to hone in on just the positive things around me or the pleasant thoughts roaming around inside my own head. Trying to grasp it all in the outside world brings me down, because I cannot.

I don't over analyze, I'm a simple creature. Trying to simply "get it" is difficult enough. Simplicity is bliss for mwah!

I don't know what an NT is, and am still happy.

Interesting question.

Good question, Meadd823. Michiko74, I can really relate to the examples you have given and your post sent me looking for postive attributes of ADHDers. I found a list and even if each individual only possesses some of the things on the list, they are things that make life more colorful, joyful, meaningful, and productive.

http://www.addcoach4u.com/positivesofadd.html#positives

I don't know what an NT is, and am still happy.

WOW umm sorry

NTer is short for for neurotypical {normal}.

The term originated in autistic communities but has spread into other neurodiverse communities , including but not limited to this one. I borrowed the term from Institute for the study of Neurologically Typical (http://isnt.autistics.org/)


Thanks for the link Imnaple

I think I have ADD, and I always feel misreable because my mind never seems to be focused on what it is ment to be focused on, I waste most of my day on the PC missing out tasks that should be done during the day because I can not seem to get myself away from my wants to do my needs.

I don't know I don't think there is really any such thing as "normal" Even those people with out ADD/ ADHD have their own challenges to deal with. We all have different experiences which contribute to our happiness or lack there of. Yes, my ADD contributed and still does contribute to a whole lot of challenges and struggles. I wonder though if I didn't have ADD if something else would have challenged me instead?

I don't know if I really answered your question but this thread really got me thinking!!!

I think my ADD has caused many of my challenges how ever scientific studies seem to indicate that our level of happiness my be genetically "pre-set", that our gene determine our feeling of happiness. However genetics also is what makes us ADD. So unlike most times where science helps answer a question in this case it seems to have failed in this. . . . because how do we know weather or not our Happy genes are the same ones as our ADD genes!

Most of the time I am content but I am unsure if it is the same thing as happy. I do not think NTers are any happier than I am nor do I feel they are any more miserable. I think contentment maybe isn't really overly associated with our ADD gene because I have seen some miserable ADDers and some pretty unhappy NTers, so one condition doesn't necessarily seem connected to the other. IN other wards being ADD doesn't seem like it is connected to unhappiness even though some ADD people do not ever seem happy, other seem perfectly happy.

Right now my dyslexia gene seems to be connected to my tired and frustrated gene because I am tired which makes my dyslexia ten times worse which frustrates me none of which has any thing to do with my ADD which seems to be behaving itself right now.

I disagree that we are "genetically predisposed" to a certain level of happiness.

Of course, I believe that what you believe determines your reality so--if you believe you are "genetically predisposed" to a certain level of happiness then YOU ARE "genetically predisposed" to a certain level of happiness.

It's a simple fix for everything you could possibly want to fix.

BUT, don't you find that some of the "simplest" things seem to be the most difficult to grasp?

Oh wait--by my own reasoning--wouldn't that mean that simple things are only hard to graps because I believe they are hard to grasp?

Dammit! ;)

I think this is an excellent question to ask with a simple answer.

Our happiness is directly proportional to the our utilizing/realizing ADHD gifts in our livelihoods of work and pleasure (not necessarily in the order). :)

Oh wait--by my own reasoning--wouldn't that mean that simple things are only hard to graps because I believe they are hard to grasp?

Dammit

You make me smile even when you disagree with me. {which you are free to do= :) }

Data used as source for previous post.

I think my ADD has caused many of my challenges how ever scientific studies seem to indicate that our level of happiness my be genetically "pre-set", that our gene determine our feeling of happiness

Happiness Is a Stochastic Phenomenon (http://www.psych.umn.edu/psylabs/happness/happy.htm)

the transitory variations of well-being are largely due to fortune's favors, whereas the midpoint of these variations is determined by the great genetic lottery that occurs at conception, then we are led to conclude that individual differences in human happiness - how one feels at the moment and also how one feels on average over time - are primarily a matter of chance.
***End Quote

Heck I always thought it was perspective myself. :soapbox:

I don't think we can easily say that one group of people are inheritly happier then the other.

I think it has to be a case by case basis.

I don't think we can easily say that one group of people are inheritly happier then the other.


Are you saying that ADDer are no happier or unhappier than the general population?

I would tend to agree with this statement but there are those who are happier then others. . .

Do we get to mix comorbids with this concept? Cuz I would find it near impossible to separate myself into little fractions...

If a hammer becomes obsessed with the idea of screwing things together it may find its self pre-disposed to an existence of difficulties. :eyebrow:


The inattentive whom place high value in being attentive - ouch.


What if you enjoyed the idea of a strange world of shifty attention processes....


Many posts already saying this...


I never liked the idea of being a computer any way...


perhaps a quantum one...


where am I? :faint:

I think ADD makes me happier because I can see things a lot more clearly than NTers. It's like you're walking in the city, and all you see are concrete buildings. But I've got the skyview, and I can see all the lights across the whole entire city.

I think in a lot of ways, I'm also happier because I'm interested in so many things. I'm not stuck in one groove. I can interact with all kinds of people and I can expand my social circle a lot more easily than others.

Also I think my over-analyzing brain helps me to come up with solutions that bring me more peace.

I'm not sure if ADDers are any happier than NTers. I think there are many issues, feelings that don't make it easy for us. However once we that peace, I think we can be happier than NTers.

I feel the same way...

I'm a naturally unhappy person. Happiness for me is as fleeting as a flaming frisbee.

Do we get to mix comorbids with this concept? Cuz I would find it near impossible to separate myself into little fractions...

CF you can mix in any thing in here you choose.

Having a multiple conditions would probably have a bearing on happiness, especially those effecting mood. Most of us have more than one condition to deal even though not all of them effect mood. I can see a strong relevance to this topic.

I say go for it.

Last edited by Zach326 : 07-29-07 at 04:03 PM. Reason: There needs to be a reason for editing the editing box, i mean i can edit the edit box but i can't give reason for doing so.... it could go on forever, a reason for editing the reason for editing box!

Too funny Zach.



I'm a naturally unhappy person. Happiness for me is as fleeting as a flaming frisbee.


Wow that sounds like it might suck.

I have problems separating me from my ADD, really it gets harder every day to separate me from my dyslexia as it too is also part of who I am. However in dealing with a wide variety of people most of whom have ADD and living with an ADD spouse and having ADD children it is easy to see how ADD and temperament are separate parts of the same person. We all have ADD but we all have different temperaments, Gary and I have the same kind of ADD but our temperaments are very different.

Some ADDers tend to more easily agitated than others, heck but the same applies to neurotypicals as well. Some of them are total jerks while others aren't so bad and a few are down right nice. So their temperament is also a separate part of their being. I wonder though if ADD and happiness are connected are they also different portions of an individual?

happiness is ...

fighting boredom

fractionated female seeking freedom from poorly defined box
(in need of elusive edit)

flaming frisbees fleetingly
skirting across ventures new til'

larger cardboard box
~recycle~
as fighting boredom returns

Oh so happiness is a recycled cardboard box with fractionated female tossing flaming frisbees :D

I can actually see the entertainment value in that perspective.

Oh so happiness is a recycled cardboard box with fractionated female tossing flaming frisbees :Daha!

:(:(:rolleyes::D:):eyebrow::mad:

-<- rainbow

happiness is when an *ADDer* smiles like an upside down rainbow.

energetically speaking red'd be first s'ppose - right way up
:-)