What Satisfaction and Being Satisfied Entails

Dissatisfaction

One cannot logically define anything by pointing to its opposite. Hence, I will not attempt to define satisfaction by explaining what it means to be dissatisfied.

Yet, the state of dissatisfaction is a good place to start – the reason being that it is a strong, unambiguous emotion. If you are dissatisfied, your mind will soon tell you. The sensation may represent itself to you with immediacy, as if you ordered a ham sandwich but the waiter brought you a tuna sandwich instead. It may also come creeping in on you more slowly, so that you sense that something isn't quite right, only to understand later what has been bugging you. Chances are that if you aren't satisfied, you will know for sure within hours!

Satisfaction

Contrary to being dissatisfied, people can spend months or even years of their lives trying to find out whether or not they are satisfied. More about this below. For now, let us look at the state of satisfaction. There are some types of satisfaction that are easily identified because they present themselves to us clearly, unambiguously, and with sufficient strength for us to notice. Here are some examples:

• Being full, after a period of feeling hungry;

• Being warm or dry, especially after having been exposed to the elements;

• Having received an adequate amount of love, affection, sexual gratification etc..;

• Finding out that one's favorite movie is on TV tonight, that one's desired object to purchase is now on sale etc.;

• Getting a much-wanted promotion.

In each of these cases, you will know that you are experiencing satisfaction.

In many other situations, I would argue, satisfaction may best be understood as the absense of dissatisfaction! Like if you catch yourself singing in the shower, or if you start hugging little children impulsively, then chances are pretty good that you aren't strongly dissatisfied with life at that moment. But if someone then came and asked: “Are you a satisfied person?” then what would you answer? Maybe you would say, “I guess so!” or “Well, yeah, except....” As opposed to saying: “Absolutely!” or “No one was ever more satisfied than I!” Expressing such a high degree of satisfaction may even feel a bit foolish, since...

Being Satisfied is a Complex Emotion

Yes, one can be satisfied about many things, even about life in general, but few are those who can say that they are “fully satisfied” with life. Maybe humans were never designed to be satisfied in the first place. That is what we notice about children, how fully they can seem satisfied one moment, only to seem strongly dissatisfied (and craving) the next. Adults have learned, oftentimes the hard way, that the pursuit of satisfaction involves a lot of adaptation, self-scrutiny, and self-modification.

I believe, for one, that those who are satisfied may fall into one of the following groups:

1. People who have decided to live life to its fullest, and to accept whatever comes with it – good and bad. They may break a leg on that skiing trip, but that will not prevent them from playing poker with the nurses, since they accept full responsibility for their own actions and do not mind that destiny can be a little bit rough. Such people are bold and positive – they are “alpha types” who can do almost anything;

2. People who are modest in their expectations, and happy to take whatever good things life has got to offer; such people can be very supportive of others, and society needs them for precisely that reason;

3. People who are wise and mature enough to understand that life can be a complex proposition, and that – all things considered – it is best to strive for that which is doable and achievable, while letting go of or accepting things beyond their control. Such people can educate and inspire others, while having a calming effect on those more prone to be dissatisfied and negative.

If you are dissatisfied, don't give up too easily on your right to seek improvement of your life. Just remember that there is a world of difference between constructive criticism, which is designed to improve upon things, and the outright negativity that tends to produce nothing of value. If you are satisfied or inclined to head in that direction, then I salute you!