From New Scientist:
Imagine that you are totally paralysed but still have all your mental faculties. You can communicate only through rudimentary speech or limited movements such as blinking or moving your eyes. You wouldn't be happy, would you? It turns out that you probably would: contrary to most people's assumptions, happiness is the norm among people with locked-in syndrome (LIS).
In the largest survey ever of the feelings and emotions of people with LIS, 72 per cent communicated that they were happy with their lot. . .
Me: One must read the whole article to understand the details of the survey. It is indeed surprising and counter-intuitive, but heartening!
Adrian Owen of the Center for Brain and Mind at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, said that the study challenges preconceptions about life in a lifeless body. "We cannot and should not presume to know what it must be like to be in one of these conditions, because many patients can find happiness in ways we simply cannot imagine."