Richard P. Bentall makes convincing argument that happiness is a psychiatric disorder.† Notably Caesar was said to prefer the company of fat men, with the implied causation that happy -> fat. One also sees this in the weight gain usually caused by SSRIs. At the same time obesity has well measured effects on many metabolic processes, so it is likely there is some effect on the brain.
Fatness was also more expensive then so it was a status symbol in itself when farming was the defacto "default" job to support the specialization pyramid.
I did that once to a paper that I don't understand. That is, I read and look up stuff until I think I understood things.
I learned a lot by doing that. But it took a lot of work, and I forgotten most of it if it wasn't added to anki. Good thing that I wrote it down in my notes.
I went from thinking it was a humorous article, to thinking it was serious after some convincing arguments, then finally concluded it was definitely a joke after reading happiness ought to be classified as "major affective disorder, pleasant type." Who can keep a straight face after reading that?
> Caesar was said to prefer the company of fat men, with the implied causation that happy -> fat.
From WikiQuote [0]: "It is not the well-fed long-haired man I fear, but the pale and the hungry looking."
And from pg's determination essay [1]: "That's why Julius Caesar thought thin men so dangerous. They weren't tempted by the minor perquisites of power."
† [PDF] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1376114/pdf/jme...