I am to discuss whether the pursuit of happiness or the attainment of it provides more pleasure. I think there are two very different ways to look at this, and that, in different circumstances, one or the other is true. It really depends on what your vision of “happiness†is, and also what your starting point is. In general, I would say that the pursuit of happiness provides more pleasure than the attainment, but there are many, many exceptions to this rule. I am going to go over several scenarios where there would be different outcomes.
Getting out of poverty is one good example of the attainment of happiness being less enjoyable than having achieved it. If someone is really poor and they have to work a really hard, grueling job for a long period of time to attain a lifestyle that they can enjoy, then the pursuit is very painful and is probably not very satisfactory, and certainly does not make one feel pleasure. In this case, the attainment of happiness provides more pleasure and satisfaction than the pursuit of it.
Say you enjoy hunting and the thrill of the chase. There is a high probability that you enjoy hunting the animal more than cutting the meat, lugging it home, preparing it, and then storing or eating it. This would be an example of the process of achieving your goal (killing the animal) providing more pleasure than having achieved said goal.
A great example of the process being more enjoyable than after having attained the end goal would be a video game. Say I beat a video game (one that doesn’t have a post-game). I am going to enjoy the game more before I beat it rather than after I have.
If one is saving up money to purchase an item that they really want, this is a scenario where it depends on the person (and sometimes the item that they want to purchase as well). Sometimes you are in eager anticipation of being able to buy that item, and sometimes you are weary of waiting to purchase it.
Reading a book is a good example of enjoying the pursuit of happiness when your goal is to complete the book. You enjoy reading the book for the first time more than any other time you read it.
If I am building a house, I am going to be more satisfied when I complete the house than at almost any point during its construction.
Earning your driver’s license (or almost any license for that matter) is another great example of enjoying the attainment of your desires over the pursuit of them. Sitting through the classes is likely boring, and practicing is less enjoyable than being able to use your license for practical purposes.
Not only do you have desires where you can attain the end goal; there are also times where the reason you do it is for the journey. I might buy a remote controlled car to build the car, instead of wanting it for the finished product. In that case, the process of attaining the goal is the reason the goal is there in the first place. To go to the other end of the spectrum, I might buy a broken go-kart, not for the process of repairing it, but so that I can enjoy it when I have succeeded in repairing it. In this scenario, fixing the go-kart does not provide as much pleasure and satisfaction as does achieving the goal.
Not having some of the things you want also causes you to improvise and get creative sometimes. I am currently in the process of completely refurbishing a video game controller to save money, but also because I think it is fun to fix the broken controllers I am starting with. This scenario falls into neither category; I enjoy both, but for different reasons. I will derive satisfaction and pleasure from both the act of fixing it, but also when I use the controllers I have successfully repaired to play my games.
Creating art is a gray area. Generally one creates art for the purpose of creating art, but it also provides pleasure when you have completed it, although they are not the same pleasure. It is the same with almost any type of art, but I believe it applies most to drawing and painting.
The pursuit of happiness often provides more pleasure and satisfaction than does the attainment of that goal, but it is the other way just as often. Always try to enjoy the process as much as you can, but know that there will be times where the attainment of your goal is more satisfactory.