Modern Hedonism: Why Instant Gratification Doesn't Lead to True Fulfillment

A Summer of Unfulfilled Expectations

As the summer months passed, I found myself in a state of constant guilt and dissatisfaction. I realized that my life revolved around a world that wasn’t found within me but before me on a screen. Most of my summer was spent expecting things to fall into place — a perfect season, adventurous moments with friends — both of which were very possible if I hadn’t spent so much time expecting fulfillment from how others lived their lives.

The Rise of Modern Hedonism

Recently, there’s been a rise in people practicing hedonism. Hedonism is the belief and practice that pleasure is the greatest value in life. Although that doesn’t sound so bad, we’ve found ourselves in an era of direct accessibility to the things we want. Unfortunately, since we’re so accustomed to having things be explained to us through the internet, we are unaware of the reality of our lives.

The Disconnect Between Desire and Fulfillment

Desire is the profound and sometimes complex feeling of wanting, and hedonism is defined by constantly pursuing one’s desires. In practice, however, our personal visions of pleasure don’t always manifest in our lives in the most resourceful ways. According to the Greek philosopher Plato, concepts of pleasure are and have always been prioritized — but in our consumerist culture, it looks like we’ve lost a sense of what our desires actually are.

The Student Struggle: Finding Relief in Instant Gratification

As students, we now face another semester of long study hours, burnout and sometimes even loneliness. With such an environment imposed upon us, we are more prone to finding the quickest way to relieve ourselves of dwelling emotions. Excessive partying can offer us the immediate feeling of social connection or reclaiming time to ourselves, but overindulgence can make us lose sight of finding a truly satisfactory answer to our issues.

The Importance of Measured Pleasure

Sometimes, submitting to your desires can lead to resourceful actions. One may be inclined to make a change in their major or involve themselves in student life by joining a club, but your impulsive desires should not control you. When a desire is backed by rationale rather than feeling, fulfillment is more likely to occur. The pursuit of pleasure should be measured by the quality of your desires, not the quantity.

The Algorithm's Deception: Curated Content and Unattainable Expectations

Curated and algorithm-based media guide us into seeking things we want to hear. This immediacy deludes us into expecting the unattainable. Modern hedonism is not about experiencing pleasure through the fullness of life, but instead through how rapidly our desires are satisfied.

The Illusion of Control: Our Minds Become Vessels of the Algorithm

This sense of instantly receiving all you wish for can feel liberating, but today’s world doesn’t allow for such peace of mind. The curating of our minds does all the work of understanding and feeling for us. We are no longer one with ourselves, but one with the world presented to us through short-form media on platforms like TikTok.

The Distortion of Intrinsic Pleasures

Our intrinsic pleasures are forced to manifest into a world that wasn’t made to maintain well-rounded wishes. We have the capacity to crave anything, but we are constantly being pushed into corners that show us only the slightest glimpse of how good life can be.

The Comfort of Deeper Desires

There is comfort in knowing, belonging and many other qualities that truly represent our desires. Many of us don’t actually prefer engaging in distracting actions like procrastinating or being “chronically online,” but for a moment, those states allow for a sense of gratification.

The Isolation of Mindlessness

Although this hunger to feel all the little pleasures of life has been stunted by our constant scrolling and accessibility to instant material goods, our mindlessness, as opposed to our mindfulness, has isolated us all the more. Since life is often no longer experienced as a journey, friendships can be hard to create and long-term goals only feel dreadful.

Embracing Discomfort and Finding True Fulfillment

There’s no harm in embracing moments of suffering, especially if they offer you a realization of your ability to accomplish your greatest desires. As I watched my summer pass by me, I found myself constantly becoming obsessed with my lack of true desires. While I became occupied by thought and work, I gradually strayed away from wanting to be immediately satisfied.

I often still encounter moments of immediate pleasure, but my intentions feel more conscious. Instead of picking up my phone, I’ll meet up with a friend and allow myself to be immersed in the conversation I’d been offered. The simple pleasures of life truly do find themselves to be most fulfilling. When you experience life as it is before you — rather than expecting life to happen to you through an instant feeling — you begin to cherish even the relatively negative moments.