How much do you guys think that this singular goal drives indidivual human life and effort?

Also, do you think this can also be defined as "seeking ego boosts and avoiding ego downers"?

Is boosting one's ego the means that most people use for reaching happiness?

For example, when you post on Sciforums, do you post hoping to get some positive feedback and ego-boost out of debating, or do you post out of pure fascination with the concepts and ideas presented?

How much do you guys think that this singular goal drives indidivual human life and effort?

I think it's a very strong drive. Right up there with eating and sex.

Also, do you think this can also be defined as "seeking ego boosts and avoiding ego downers"?

Possibly.

Is boosting one's ego the means that most people use for reaching happiness?

I guess it could be.

For example, when you post on Sciforums, do you post hoping to get some positive feedback and ego-boost out of debating, or do you post out of pure fascination with the concepts and ideas presented?

For me, it's a little of both. I'm interested in the conversation when I contribute to it, but I'm also hoping people will say good stuff about what I say, basically tell me I'm right and that it's a good point.

I think many people *think* they are trying to be happy, but actually they are obeying their biological imperatives, which are not often likely to make them happy.

We evolved to be good at surviving and reproducing, not at being happy. Happy is a goad to get us to survive and reproduce.

For instance, I think lots of people would be far happier if they would give up their unrewarding high-stress jobs and all the crap they use those jobs to pay for, and go live in a hut on a beach in Antigua. But do they do that? No, because their biology has fooled them into thinking that it's better to keep working and accumulate more status and more stuff.

Biology gives us stingy little happiness payoffs when we do things to increase our reproductive fitness - like get higher social status (ego boosting) or have sex. That keeps us wanting more.

But actually, you get way more happiness if you manage to override your biology in certain ways. Anyone who has ever taken X can attest to this. :)

Unfortunately, I agree that the biological drive generally tends to override all higher drives.

I post here because I'm really interested in the responses from bright (...) minds. My online persona is usually a pain in the ass and I don't care about getting attacked in this world -- in the real world, most people dig me. :D

I post on here soley for the attention.
Ackowledgement satisfies the upper needs, so to speak, and since you guys definitely aren't putting out, it isn't a biological one.
But I'd say all needs are biological.

I think many people *think* they are trying to be happy, but actually they are obeying their biological imperatives, which are not often likely to make them happy.

Doesn't it make sense that a human seeking human happiness would follow human biology?

Isn't happiness the fulfillment of biological needs, as it is in most animals?

BadChristian:

I would not say that happiness is the necessary result of the fulfillment of biological needs.

There is some degree to which TFOBN results in happiness, but this is short-lived, because if you stay happy for too long you won't go seeking to fulfill your biological needs anymore, and you will be outbred by others who aren't content with just one orgasm for too long.