1457 Contented vs. Satisfied

“Contented” and “satisfied” are similar terms that add to happiness, but contented refers to a state of being at peace with one's current circumstances, while satisfied is a feeling of gratification after achieving a goal. You can be dissatisfied but still be contented; you have the intellectual abilities to take what you have rather than fulminate on what you wanted. You want to be rich but not being broke is enough; you wanted to be head of a business but being head of your own family has a lot of fulfillment too; you wanted to travel the world but at least you’ve had relaxing vacations. Wisdom is not letting vague & naive goals take precedence over the reality of your situation, and often a mature version of those youthful goals is always within your grasp if you’re creative enough. Satisfaction is more difficult to obtain since you have to actively achieve something rather than simply coping with what you have. Satisfaction requires accomplishment of goals, and goals require ambition. Because of ambition, which comes from testosterone, humanity flourished; if an opportunity exists to be exploited then, men especially, are anxious to pursue it. Unfortunately, that striving causes anxiety, which subtracts from happiness, and a person can paradoxically reduce their happiness while trying to increase it. That’s why the idea of living on a deserted island by yourself seems so appealing because no one is in control and there are few opportunities available, hence, nothing to be anxious about; you can be content but not satisfied.