We explain what joy is, its social function and the origin of the term. Also, in what ways can it manifest itself.
What is joy?
Joy is one of the primary emotions of humans (and of certain higher animals), described as a fleeting and pleasant sensation, often comparable to happiness well-being or pleasure. “Being happy” or “being happy” are understood as synonyms, and are generally interpreted as a positive and desirable emotion, represented through dancing figures, icons of abundance and, above all, the smile.
In the same way as other basic emotions, such as fear or anger, joy constitutes an adaptive response of human beings to their environment. When we are happy, not only does our body react to that well-being by triggering biochemical and hormonal reactions, but it also serves as a reinforcement for beneficial behaviors, or to transmit our enthusiasm to others, thus reinforcing the social and emotional bond.
The word joy comes from Latin alacer, alacriswhich can be translated as “fast”, “lively” or “lively”, and where the Italian word comes from allegroused in music for melodies that exhibit these characteristics. In part, this is due to the fact that joy is traditionally associated with certain energetic physical behaviors, such as running, dancing, jumping, laughing, etc.
In general, joy is manifested in the body and facial features by:
- Laughter, smiles or inclination to celebrate the festive now. Raised tone of voice.
- Eyelid elevation and narrowing of their opening (the “smile” of the eyes).
- Presence of energy in the body which prevents us from being still, and which is therefore expressed in dances, jumps, applause, etc.
However, joy can take many forms, from a loud explosion of joy to a calm, silent happiness.
Thus, depending on the stimulus to which we respond, we can experience more intense or more controllable joys that, depending on it (and also on our personality), we can manifest in a socially conventional way, or not. That is why states of uncontrollable and persistent euphoria are not considered happy, but rather a symptom of mania or hypermania.
At the same time, joy should not be confused with happiness, which implies a more lasting state of satisfaction and more linked to the rational evaluation of one's life and one's own performance; nor with pleasure, which is usually described as a physical sensation of transitory well-being, such as sexual pleasure.
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References
- “Joy (emotion)” on Wikipedia.
- “Joy” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Emotions for children – joy” (video) on Smile and Learn.
- “Etymology of Joy” in Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary (Chile).
- “Happiness” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
