comment: >
  
  This gets posted quite a bit and inevitably relies on the fact that the poster has redefined selfishness to define any voluntary action when most english speakers use selfish to describe behavior that priorities oneself unreasonably to the detriment of others.
  Yes -- people, when they're making conscious choices, do things for reasons. You might donate to charity because it makes you feel good that you're improving the conditions of those less fortunate than you. You might leap in front of a bus to protect a child because you don't think you could live with being the kind of person who allowed a child to perish. You might rob a bank because you want money and you don't care about the emotional distress and physical risk you'll cause the teller.
  Those are all reasons that the doer found satisfactory (I guess you could say that made them happy, although I think happiness is more complicated than that). but clearly we can make distinctions as to the quality of each justification relative to the impact of the action.
context: /u/a2ew (OP) has awarded 1 delta(s) in this post.
  All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
  Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  I just pinched myself hard enough to cause pain and leave a mark. I expected no happiness out of this. I experienced no feelings of happiness out of this.
  My motive was just to prove the easily provable point that humans only motive is not happiness. Just observing humans doing things will also reflect this truth repeatedly.
  You could argue that self happiness is one of the strongest human motivators, but clearly it isn't the only human motive. >
  
  Pinching yourself did bring you happiness, although you may not be fully conscious of it. Maybe it brought you happiness because you thought it would be a factor in proving your point, or maybe it brought you happiness because you liked the feeling. How it brought you happiness doesn’t matter. 
  You wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t bring you happiness >
  
  You're wrong. It didn't bring me happiness. I know this because I experienced it personally. You insist it did without any knowledge or evidence only because if it didn't that disproves your point.
  Typing this comment brings me no happiness, yet I'm doing it. >
  
  So let me ask this: if not for your own benefit, why did you make the comment? Why didyou pinch yourself? 
  It's easy to say "nuh uh". It's harder to actually really justify your position. Are you saying you don't like being right? You don't enjoy answering reddit cmvs? You don't want to participate in the community? If all that is so, then why are you here? If it's not so, are you not then motivated by a personal desire to enjoy yourself? To find happiness? >
  
  Lazy copy/paste from another response because I think it fits here also:
  ...
  I could have chosen to look at cute animal pictures or watch a funny video. Both of those things would have brought me more happiness than engaging with this thread. So why did I do it? What was my motive? It clearly wasn't seeking happiness.
  I'm not sure what my motive is. But the fact that there is more than one motive to choose from means OP's claim that there is only 1 motive must be incorrect. >
  
  Perhaps you chose to reply here because engaging in this discourse makes you a more intelligent and well-rounded person, while watching cat videos most certainly would not? You become happier as a result of further enhancing your skills.