In Robert Heinlein’s novel “Farnham’s Freehold”, the protagonists accidentally end up in a very technologically advanced feudal society that depends on a drug called “Happiness” to control things and keep social classes rigidly separated. The hypothesis of this question: the drug is a pleasant tasting drink you take daily. It has no known negative side effects. It rapidly induces a feeling of deep contentment, peace, clarity of mind and general satisfaction with your life. You will not become physically dependent on it. You don’t have to pay anything to get it. A small, unchanging dose must be taken every day to maintain this effect, but you don’t control its distribution. It is distributed by the ruling class of your society, but no one is coerced to take it, as they are psychologically dependent on it. After many centuries of Happiness distribution, no one has shown desensitization or needed a higher dose. The protagonists in the book rejected their doses, escaped briefly and were recaptured. Would you take Happiness? Why or why not?
I think I would fight against it for a very long time. Like there’s a part of me that would know that happiness that comes from an external chemical when there’s nothing wrong with me trying to be happy all natural would be like a false happiness and so that would bristle me.
At the same time though, if shit got bad I probably would occasionally use it just to escape how bad things get and if I become psychologically dependent on and have to start taking it forever then that’s the rub you know.