DO YOU CHOOSE PLEASURE OR GRATIFICATION?

I recently read Martin Seligman's excellent book,
"Authentic Happiness" and he makes a wonderful and vital
distinction. Would you rather experience pleasure, or
gratification?
It's an interesting question because our culture has
clearly chosen pleasure. Going back to Sigmund Freud's
argument that behavior is guided by our desire to avoid
pain and maximize pleasure, modern society has voted for
pleasure. Interestingly, Seligman argues that this is
ultimately futile, and I would argue that it is ultimately
self-defeating.
First, Seligman's argument, as I understand it.
Almost all pleasures are most intense when experienced in
moderation. He points out that if we eat chocolates one at
a time, our pleasure sky-rockets. But if we eat them one
after another, we soon lose our sense of pleasure, and if
we are forced to continue eating, we quickly tire of them
and may even get sick.
This is true of almost all pleasures. Think of being
stuffed with your favorite food, or having to endure a back
massage that lasted for days and days on end. Even sex is
exhausting after a certain point.
The point is that while pleasure - good food, good wine,
good friends, etc - is a wonderful addition to life, our
society has taken the quest for pleasure beyond the point
of rapidly diminishing returns. We seek more and more toys,
more and more pleasures in a never-ending quest to be
entertained, and ultimately these "pleasures" cannot
sustain us. The data are clear. The evidence is in:
Pleasure for its own sake does not work!
Here's just one specific: When people are measured while
they watch comedies on television, even while they are
laughing, their actual emotional state shows a mild level
of depression! Think about that, and it's implications!
Interestingly, however, when we substitute "gratification"
or "fulfillment" for pleasure, our sense of happiness
dramatically increases, and the increase remains over the
long term!
Seligman defines gratification as the fulfillment of our
values or the completion of long-term goals or purposes,
and he describes research that people who have invested
themselves in the achievement of long-term goals are far
happier than those who have primarily sought pleasure or
fun.
Isn't it interesting when science eventually catches up
with the wisdom of the ages? From the beginning of time,
our religious leaders, poets and seers have advised us to
spend our lives on things that will outlast us and to
invest ourselves in the fulfillment of our dreams, rather
than the pleasures of the moment.
Now, it turns out, science agrees!
If you desire to celebrate life and feel good and know joy,
mix small amounts of pleasure (chocolate, a few roller-
coaster rides) with large blocks of time devoted to
pursuing your dreams. Self-discipline, focus, commitment
and dedication ultimately lead to joy. Chocolate (I love
the stuff!) ultimately leads to satiation and regret, while
dedicated, persistent effort on projects that are worthy of
our highest aspirations, creates "the good life". The
choice is yours. Which would you rather have?
Pursue gratification. It's the ultimate high!