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A thing called Negative Happiness?

I came across this term while reading about lives in one of the German concentration camps, in Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning".


Negative Happiness means "freedom from suffering". Viktor described how the meager pleasures of camp life provide such happiness: there was time to delouse (to rid of lice) before going to bed, during which time there was no air raid alarm and the lights were not switched off...


That makes our modern definition of happiness, Positive Happiness? Positive happiness comes from owning or gaining something, whether that "thing" is tangible or not. If you are like me and searched for the definition of happiness, you would know that the long standing definition of happiness is the sense of fulfillment gained from giving, contributing or making a difference. Maybe more intangible?


So if we strive to recognize and appreciate both negative and positive happiness, would our lives be richer?


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