It is not for nothing that it is said about the state of mind of joy that it belongs better shared. The feeling of joy in response to beautiful moments or situations acts like a gift, triggers a smile or laughter. States of joy are cheerfulness, exhilaration, freshness, well-being, confidence and optimism. The mood is elevated. Life is considered beautiful.
What is joy?
The feeling of joy in response to beautiful moments or situations acts like a gift, triggers a smile or laughter. In fact, joy as a basic emotion is genetically determined. The body reacts to this sensation by releasing endorphins, which trigger a feeling of happiness and are therefore also called happiness hormones. Joy is the moment of inner peace, which manifests itself as the certainty of being able to achieve everything or of having mastered the goals we have set for ourselves. This emotion is not a permanent state, but it is felt when needs are met. The expression of joy can be subtle, but also exuberant, up to an emitted cry of joy. In the process, the body relaxes, feels detached, liberated. The feeling of joy contrasts with the feeling of sadness. Without this change, the person would not be able to perceive the different emotions, would not grasp the contrast. That is why sometimes he can even simply be happy about being happy. Joy occurs in different forms, can be a steady one called joy of life, imagining an event that has not yet occurred and becoming anticipation, but can also be Schadenfreude, to be amused by the misfortune of others.
Function and task
Already for the ancient philosophers joy was an important goal in life. The Greek Epicurus is considered the philosopher of joy or simple happiness. Mistakenly, some critics confused Epicurus’ statements with hedonism, which again shows how close joy and hedonism are. Epicurus, however, said that the goal was a blissful life. Man would do everything so that he would feel neither pain nor excitement. Buddhists think similarly. By means of meditation and mindfulness, a state of joy and contentment is to be achieved. This is done through reflection and self-knowledge and is accompanied by the sharing of joy, compassion for one’s neighbor. Achieving happiness, joy and balance become the goal here. Suffering is to be avoided. In fact, joy acts like a magnet. Whoever is joyful radiates this feeling, changes through this emotion. Even if the inner joy is not immediately recognizable, it shows itself in a relaxed face or calm movements. Genuine joy always causes a smile, not only in the expression of the lips, but in the entire charisma. People are attracted to joy. The person who is joyful becomes more tolerant and patient. The moment of joy can be targeted. Already in Christianity the act of charity was a service of joy. Man experiences an inner satisfaction through the help he gives to others. He also becomes aware that life is a gift. Joy triggers gratitude. Even schadenfreude is a normal psychological phenomenon of everyday life and sometimes does good to recognize that certain achieved goals have succeeded. The failure of others mirrors one’s own success. Some people even rejoice in the misfortune of their fellow human beings, forgetting that life is never the same and that they too are never spared from misfortune. Schadenfreude, however, can also take place openly, as mockery, irony or sarcasm.
Diseases and ailments
Just as joy is part of the daily life of healthy people, even if not every day, there are people who are incapable of joy. The symptoms are joylessness and depression. No goal, no other person, no mood can trigger the emotion of joy. In psychology, a person who has exuberant fits of elation and bursts of joy, accompanied by subsequent gloomy moments and deep sadness is manic-depressive. Exuberant lightheartedness does not appear pathological until it shows itself in an exaggerated form. If a healthy person meets a manic-depressive, the elation quickly seems inappropriate and unbearable. The emotion seems to be exaggerated. Joylessness is therefore a mood disorder or a sign of alarming mood swings.A person prone to depression is not able to go through life unconcerned or to react emotionally to a joyful event. Compassionate joy for others cannot be possible if the person is not even joyful about his own conditions, just as it is hardly possible to love others without loving or at least appreciating oneself. Lack of joy leads to listlessness, dejection, discouragement and resignation. The whole mind and body reacts to this inability of joy. Gloom also manifests itself especially in exhaustion.
