Is it possible to not want to be happy?

Oh yeah this happened to me for a while. I think it's fairly common, when you're depressed, to want it to get worse. If I had to try to access that mindset now -- it's foreign to me, with so much distance -- I'd say that happiness feels impossible, so inconceivable that you can't even imagine how you would begin to pursue it, and every suggestion towards that end becomes trite. But depression -- misery, malaise, an awful adhesion between the back and the bedsheets, every morning -- it's not a place you can imagine living. It's too dull, too purgatorial. To get worse is to have a direction, the only one you can imagine. Towards suicide, I guess, or some other kind of self annihilation. And it's not all bad, going downhill. There's all kinds of tiny thrills: the thrill of pity, from those around you; the thrill of novel thinking, as you invent new arguments to justify the unjustifiable. The thrill of wind in your hair, chills and goosebumps. From other depressed people, I've heard similar sentiments. It's even a line from the suicidal alcoholic protagonist in Disco Elysium: "I don't want to get better, I want to get worse."

I think when people say they are content with being unhappy, instead of having their preferences satisfied like you said, they instead have found a comfort zone and are afraid of actually making steps to achieve happiness. Those are just my thoughts though. Feel free to correct me.

To want to be happy is to think it's possible. To want to be unhappy is to avoid the fear of disappointment.

Entirely depends on your definition of happiness here.

If we're talking momentary pleasantness and contentment in the moment due to physical comfort or state of mind in a bliss, then yes I believe every human being has the duty to weight that against greater goods with more lasting effects.

But, it seems plausible in real-life that someone, for some complicated reason, actually doesn't want to be happy.

Uncomplicated examples: (1) A parent could snuggle in a warm cozy bed longer or get up to feed the cranky baby at 3am. Why doesn't the parent want to be happy?

(2) If I am continually high on this narcotics drug I'll be in a state of bliss for the rest of my life - why don't I want to do that?

(3) I am married to someone who loves and pampers me and is wonderfully kind to me -- only problem is that this person abuses his elderly parents. If I ignore this aspect we'll be coming into a lot of money soon and it'll be fantastic and I'm sure his elderly parents deserve what was coming to them anyway etc . Whats the problem here.

Many schools of philosophy and religions teach simplicity, low desires, minimize conflicts and basically live a life that most of us wouldn't regard as "pursuit of happiness". Monasticism has always been a human thing for some of us. Why? I'll only speak on the one I'm familiar with.

Proper Christians are called to live a life of challenge: forgive our enemies, go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, don't worry about what we'll eat or drink or wear, be merciful to the unworthy, go on perilous journeys, count earthly successes as losses, exhibit humility by really believing that we're the first among sinners, and be thankful in all circumstances. All includes many truly miserable ones likes losing a child, being wrongfully accused of a horrific crime, and not choosing death even when facing a degenerative no cure disease that will see us in pain for the rest of a long, handicapped life.

We understand the obvious example of playing a board game where we give up obvious now points/resources for future resources. Some religious people believe we are storing up bigger end game victory points by giving up current small h happiness. Some don't believe there's a meta game but hold themselves to maximizing the overall happiness score for everyone precisely because this is the only one that we have.

We can see from the news that a trillion dollar doesn't buy one respect, and being above every law of the land doesn't earn one peace either. After the ultra wealthy can buy everything, they resorted to buying corruption and filth that doesn't bring them happiness either. One of those types who hoard and lie and cheat and tweet rage at 3am, seem happy?

I think that's a pretty common part of depression, for many people who experience depression.

I think "happiness" is much too clunky and imprecise of a term for something as complex as human emotion.

It can cover such a broad spectrum of feelings like momentary joy, long term contentedness, belonging, fulfillment, usefulness, restedness, acceptance of your own mortality, and so on.

Like, someone voluntarily fighting in the middle of a righteous war to defend their country isn't what most people would define as happy, exactly. They feel like they have a purpose though, and it's not like they'd rather not be fighting in that war, even if it meant a warm bed and some hot tea.

So yes, it's definitely possible to not want to be happy, because happiness can mean many different things or many things at once.

Happiness doesn't inheritely mean a goal either though. I think a tighter paradox would be something like "is it possible to not want to achieve your goals". Which I'd say, no, absolutely not, because goals are inherently something that you want to achieve. Happiness isn't though.

I've certainly met people who sabotage their own happiness, usually for complex reasons that they have semi or no awareness of. I don't recall meeting anyone who did this in a clear eyed, deliberate fashion.