The 3 differences between joy and happiness

It is said that we all seek happiness, but it is often confused with joy. A fundamental part of human development is understanding human emotions and attitudes.

For this reason, we must know the differences between joy and happiness to properly identify them and work on our personal growth if we want to achieve or strengthen one or the other.

What is the difference between joy and happiness?

Joy and happiness seem to be the same, but their differences are substantial. Because they both refer us to optimistic and positive issues, we tend to believe that being happy is the same as being happy.

However, they are two different things and we are going to explain each one to you; in this way you can better understand yourself and recognize if you are experiencing a state or an emotion. You will surely be surprised when you know the differences between joy and happiness.

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1. Emotion and feeling

Emotions and feelings are different things

. An emotion is a reaction of the brain to a stimulus, either internal or external. They are a transitory state that momentarily shakes us out of a balanced state of mind. Emotions can lead us to act in certain ways in response to them, or on the other hand it can also happen that we repress them and thereby generate other types of situations in our being.

On the other hand feelings are the result of having experienced an emotion. In some ways the feelings are more rational, although they do not stop being based on the range of emotions that floods us after some significant event. They last longer than an emotion, and their undertones are deeper and with stronger roots.

The fundamental difference between joy and happiness is that one is emotion and the other feeling. In this sense it is easy to identify joy as an emotion. It is our response to an external or internal situation that makes us feel good and that we express with euphoria, laughter, tranquility and a feeling of well-being. The duration of this emotion is proportional to how long the stimulus lasts or how long we think about it.

Once the intensity of joy has passed, it gives way (or not) to a feeling of happiness. The way in which we manage those moments of joy, largely determines the subsequent feeling we will have. However, you can also feel happy after having gone through an episode of less optimistic emotions, such as sadness or anguish. This is due to the feeling of happiness is a little more rational.

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2. Duration

Joy and happiness have different duration. Due to these fundamental differences between one and the other, it is easy to understand that emotions have a shorter duration compared to happiness. Although you also have to understand that there is no feeling without prior emotion. Emotions become the engine and raw material to build a feeling. It is in us that this feeling is positive and lasting.

For example, we have received the good news that we got a scholarship or a good job. This external stimulus comes to us and causes us an emotion. If it was something we wanted very much, it will surely flood us with joy. This joy will accompany us for many days, even once school or work has started, However, if we do not manage and take advantage of it, negative emotions such as fear or anxiety.

At the same time, if we manage our emotions well and cultivate resilience and proactivity, this joy will help us build a feeling of happiness once we have started our studies or our new job. When the euphoria for the good news has passed, what will last is a state of happiness that is in our hands to make it lasting.

That is why it is said that a key difference between joy and happiness is the duration of one and the other. Joy is sudden emotion that lasts for a maximum of a few weeks. While happiness can even be permanent, as a person can maintain a continuous feeling of happiness, even despite having bad times or situations. A person who feels joyful may also feel happy, but a happy person does not always show up with the euphoria of joy.

3. Expression

The way to express joy and happiness is different. Although we believe that they are the same and manifest in the same way, in reality joy and happiness are different even in their way of expressing themselves and it is important to recognize one and another, because we usually think that a happy person should manifest in such a way that this state and attitude towards life is evident, and it is expected to be with the same euphoria as the joy.

However, the way to express an emotion and a feeling is different. In addition to the fact that each person has their particularities to express their moods. For this reason is that do not pigeonhole joy or happiness. If we understand that emotions and feelings have a singular form of expression, we will avoid interpreting one or the other in the wrong way.

Joy is an intense emotion more focused on euphoria. Its expression is spontaneous, it comes suddenly with an external or internal stimulus, it manifests itself when something expected or to our liking comes into our lives. Laughter and smile, a slightly higher volume of voice, a relaxed and energetic body expression, a A gaze that shines, a posture of security or also a relaxed and peaceful face, are expressions of the joy.

There are people who have a continuous happy expression, undoubtedly this contributes to a general state of well-being and a better way to face problems. Happy people are not always in this euphoric state.. Happiness manifests itself with a confident personality, a frank smile, looking straight when greeted, positive attitudes and comments, and an aura of peace and harmony.

Bibliographic references

• Cottrell, L. (2016). Joy and happiness: a simultaneous and evolutionary concept analysis. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 72 (7), 1506-1517. doi: 10.1111 / jan.12980.
• Delamothe T. (2005). Happiness. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 331 (7531), 1489–1490. doi: 10.1136 / bmj.331.7531.1489