Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Joy?What Is Happiness?DifferencesPsychology of Joy and HappinessHow to Be HappyHow to Be JoyfulCan You Experience Joy and Happiness Simultaneously?Can You Be Joyful and Unhappy?How to Be Joyful and Happy

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Joy?

What Is Happiness?

Differences

Psychology of Joy and Happiness

How to Be Happy

How to Be Joyful

Can You Experience Joy and Happiness Simultaneously?

Can You Be Joyful and Unhappy?

How to Be Joyful and Happy

Close

Most of us including Merriam Webster consider joy andhappinesssynonymous. If you’re joyous, you’re happy, right? Wrong. Joy and happiness, while similar, are not the same. You can be happy but not joyous and vice versa. That’s because joy and happiness arepositive emotionsexperienced differently. And both serve different purposes.

Sounds confusing? We know. Below, we’re breaking down the differences (and similarities!) between joy and happiness and whether you can experience both emotions simultaneously. And because we’re a bit ~extra~, we also outlined a few activities that can help you cultivate both joy and happiness. Happy reading.

So, What Is Joy, Exactly?

“Joy is a deep primary emotion individuals experience when they feel truly connected in relationships, are in alignment with their values, and/or have a sense of meaning and purpose,”Lindsey Rae Ackerman, LMFT, vice president of Clinical Services at Clear Behavioral Health, explains.

A complex emotion, joy signals pleasure but can also come with “a combination of grief andgratitude,” saysDaniel Boscaljon, PhD, cofounder of Alchemy of Love. “Joy is the ability to affirm the goodness of life even in the midst of sorrow.”

And Happiness Is What?

Research has mixed definitions of happiness, but according to Ackerman, it’s “an emotional state that can occur through momentary experiences and is often dependent on external factors such as an achievement or gaining material satisfaction.”

“Happiness often occurs spontaneously, in a moment arising through a convergence of time and place,” Boscaljon adds.

Are There Different Types of Happiness?

The Difference Between Joy and Happiness

Joy and happiness may be synonyms, but they are different experiences. “The two are fairly distinct, according to most researchers,” saysMatt Sosnowsky, LCSW, founder and director of Philadelphia Talk Therapy.

“Happiness is temporary and ephemeral, whereas joy is more enduring.”

“If happiness is the emotion we experience during lunch with a good friend, joy is the aggregate satisfaction we feel from all of ourmeaningful relationships,” Sosnowsky says.

The Psychology of Joy vs. The Psychology of Happiness

Positive psychologyhas long focused on the differences between joy and happiness. In fact, the father of positive psychology,Martin Seligman, defined “wellbeing as a construct comprised of four domains: positive emotions, relationships, meaning and accomplishment,” Sosnowsky notes. “Moments of happiness might be akin to positive emotions.”

Sosnowsky continues, adding that “joy can be found across all four buckets in things like our connection to others, living in accord withour ethics, or commitment to something larger than ourselves— it comes from the inside-out, rather than outside-in.”

Recap“Since happiness stems from external sources of pleasure, it activates the brain’s reward system and is correlated withdopamine,” Ackerman says. “Joy, however, is connected to an individual’sintrinsic motivationand is correlated with parts of the brain that are tied to emotional regulation.”

Recap

“Since happiness stems from external sources of pleasure, it activates the brain’s reward system and is correlated withdopamine,” Ackerman says. “Joy, however, is connected to an individual’sintrinsic motivationand is correlated with parts of the brain that are tied to emotional regulation.”

Things That Can Spark Happiness

Though happiness often happens unintentionally because it tends to be spontaneous, there are ways to spark happiness, says Boscaljon. For instance, you can spend time in nature, socialize with people you like, or engage in hobbies you enjoy.

Sosnowsky recommendsbeing presentin your experiences to amplify your happiness. This could look like practicing mindfulness, as “it helps us to be more present for the experiences happening around us many of them happy ones,” he explains.

Cultivating True Joy

Ultimately cultivating true joy comes from “providing a deeper appreciation for the arcs of life,” Boscaljon says. “Finding meaning and purpose through human experiences and appreciating the difficulties added to life enables a truly joyful perspective.”

Can You Have Joy And Not Be Happy?

You can be joyful and unhappy at the same time. Sosnowsky sees parenting as an example, noting that “many parents experience a deep sense of contentment in their role as a caregiver but may also feel chronically exhausted and stressed.” Another example could be an exhausting assignment at work. Your job brings you joy but certain assignments make you unhappy.

Ultimately, experiencing just joy (and not happiness) can help youbuild emotional resilienceand support you with major life stressors.

Reconnecting With Joy and/or Happiness

There are numerous ways to find joy and happiness in your life.

Try ThisIf you’re having trouble, go with Ackerman’s plan:Give yourself small wins to help promoteself-esteem.Set small achievable goals to put you in forward-moving progressFocus on practicing self-compassion skills and gaining clarity on your core values.Act with integrity in your daily life.“These steps will cultivate meaning and purpose while also aiding in decision-making both big and small.”

Try This

If you’re having trouble, go with Ackerman’s plan:Give yourself small wins to help promoteself-esteem.Set small achievable goals to put you in forward-moving progressFocus on practicing self-compassion skills and gaining clarity on your core values.Act with integrity in your daily life.“These steps will cultivate meaning and purpose while also aiding in decision-making both big and small.”

If you’re having trouble, go with Ackerman’s plan:

“These steps will cultivate meaning and purpose while also aiding in decision-making both big and small.”

Boscaljon says being more present in your life will ultimately bring more joy and happiness. “To reconnect with joy and happiness is to make more time to be present to yourself and the world around you,” he explains. “This requires having developedself-awarenessand a deep familiarity with your inner world, including your emotions, to know how it is that you’re feeling.”

Wrapping Up

Happiness and joy are both pleasurable, but happiness is short-term, spontaneous, and tends to be linked to external factors. Joy is more long-term and tends to be linked to intrinsic factors. You can cultivate both, but remember happiness, despite what modern wellness culture says, is not a constant state, Ackerman notes.

Instead, know that emotional experiences are complex, and while we should cultivate joy and happiness when we can, we should realize that no emotion is permanent.

Which Human Emotion Are You? Take the Quiz

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Snyder CR, Lopez SJ.Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. SAGE Publications; 2007.

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