The 8 types of joy and how to identify them

Of all the wide range of emotions that we can experience, probably the one we are all wanting to experience is joy. It is a fundamental emotion whose presence not only gives us pleasure but also seems to facilitate our lives in all situations. aspects and domains and also usually implies that everything or at least something that matters to us and excites us is working as we would like.

But the truth is that we do not always experience joy for the same things or in the same way, or sometimes this it can be superficial or manifest despite being non-existent, or even be a sign that something is working in a way wrong. It is because of that we can talk about different types of joy, which we will see throughout this article.

• Related article: "The 8 types of emotions (classification and description)"

What is joy?

Joy is one of the basic and most important emotions of the human being, being also one of the most rewarding and appetizing. It is a sensation that is linked to the existence of a series of physiological activations and effects (among them an increase in the heart rate and respiratory and the secretion of hormones and endorphins) and that generally occurs based on an experience (whether this or internal) that the subject values ​​at a cognitive level as favorable.

It usually generates typical behavioral manifestations such as smiling (Sincere joy is the only emotion that in this act generates the activation of certain eye muscles), or laughter. It generally appears associated with and is one of the fundamental parts of the concepts that we call happiness, fulfillment or well-being.

Regardless of the well-being it generates, joy is a deeply adaptive emotion: it facilitates exploration and contact with others and with the environment, in addition to stimulating creativity and flexibility mental. It has been found to speed up information processing and facilitate the search for new and more efficient methodologies.

Makes socialization and community life easier and it also favors the repetition of the behaviors that have generated this sensation. Likewise, the joy favors that the set of information is observed more than each of the elements that are part of the situation, something that in turn can cause you to lose attention to detail and even take more risks in the performance.

In fact, it has been observed that feeling joy is positive for health, since it improves our immune system, it is linked to a better cardiac recovery after coronary events and improves the prognosis of the subject in a large number of alterations, diseases and injuries. It also reduces or counteracts the reactions of negative emotions, such as anxiety or sadness.

Different types of joy

Most of us and in a generalized way we tend to think of joy as a concept unique and unitary, and it is not usual for us to stop to talk about the possible existence of types of joy. However, it is possible to make a brief classification based on its suitability in relation to the situation experienced or even the level of realism with which it is experienced.

1. Authentic joy

We understand by authentic or felt joy that type of joy that is truly experienced by whoever says it does, existing a positive state of mind in which physiological arousal and arousal and a feeling of happiness, a desire to experiment and wellness. This sensation appears naturally and is expressed fluidly outwards., being the product of a situation or achievement considered positive by the subject.

2. Hilarious joy

Hilarious joy is that which appears as a result of a sense of humor or physiological reactions that do not necessarily appear in a situation of happiness and well-being but after the capture and processing from generally unexpected stimuli or situations that are comical to us. It is one of the most common types of joy.

3. Derived from hedonia

Joy can have different origins, and participates in such relevant phenomena as the perception of happiness. As far as this is concerned, you can become happy and experience joy on the basis of different aspects. One of them is derived from the experimentation of pleasure, obtained through the satisfaction of the most basic needs and desires of the person, as well as the avoidance of what generates discomfort.

4. Derived from eudaimonia

Along with hedonia, another of the causes of happiness and joy that is usually part of it is what is known as eudaimonia: in this case, well-being and joy derived from the fact of working on one's own development and the pursuit of goals and purposes. It's about the joy that self-realization brings.

5. Feigned

We understand by feigned joy that set of samples of a positive, expansive and even happy state of mind that is carried out on purpose and without there really being an emotionality that justifies them, said joy being a counterfeit generated with some kind of purpose. So we are really dealing with someone who is not really feeling joy. To recognize it, the most effective way is to pay attention to whether there are discrepancies between the gestures of the mouth and those of the eyes when smiling.

6. Cynical

It is a type of joy very similar to the feigned and that in fact could be considered a subtype of this, the cynical joy is that joy manifested as a mask or defense mechanism in order to avoid showing another emotion, generally negative.

7. Pathological: manic and hypomanic states

It is likely that at a general level, whenever we imagine the presence of joy, we do so in a context in which it is positive, improves our mood and facilitates our well-being, being generally caused by a beneficial event that gives us joy emotion.

However, it is also possible to find people who experience a type of joy that is not normative but pathological, which escapes the control of the situation and which it can become overwhelming and maladaptive and even dangerous.

This is what happens in some pathologies such as the manic episodes typical of bipolar disorder, some cases of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders or after substance intoxication. More than authentic joy, we would be talking about situations of euphoria, in which expansiveness, logorrhea and increased speed of thought arise. In such circumstances it is possible to lose control of the situation and suffer a decrease in the capacity for judgment and risk analysis, to the point where delusions of grandeur, irritability and hostility towards others may even appear.

8. Parathymic

It is understood as such a type of joy which is considered pathological because said emotion appears, it is a situation that does not correspond to something that the subject generates joy or that appears at a time or before a situation that should not generate it (it is not necessarily that it occurs in a situation in which it is socially considered improper, but also even the emotion of joy appears even though what happened may actually be sad for the subject itself) or in which the physiological expression does not accompany the emotion felt.

9. Moria: the empty joy

Another type of joy, present among other cases in people with brain injury, brain tumors, cognitive impairment or dementias, is moria. It is understood as such a positive and expansive mood but empty in content, which appears without there being a reason for such joy. It is common for people with this symptom to show an urge to joke, eccentric behavior and extreme joviality regardless of the context.