Joy is Uplifting

Joy is uplifting, it’s happy moments or great contentment that washes over you. It can be intense, or subtle, brief, or long lasting. It can be found in the present moment, or when you come back to a memory you have. Some find this happiness while losing themselves on the dance floor, others while catching up with friends over a meal, or looking into the eyes of their lover.

In Greek there are eight words for joy, the most prevalent is chara [khar-ah’]. Chara means joy, calm delight, or inner gladness. It is related to chairo [khah’-ee-ro], which means to rejoice and charis [khar’-ece], which means grace.

For each of us there is a diversity of experiences that bring into being the positive thoughts, feelings, and bodily awareness of joy within us.

Joy can be a “response to the goodness of the order of the world” (Thompson, 2015, p. 35). In other words, we experience joy when we believe that our life is being well-lived. This appraisal is difficult if we are living life in a way that is inconsistent with the basic needs of human existence (e.g., trying to live without others). In this sense, joy functions as a barometer of our “attunement with the world” (Thompson, p. 35).

A few studies have examined the connection between joy and subjective well-being. Researchers have developed measures of joy as both a temporary state (feeling happiness in the moment) and as a more enduring personality trait (a tendency to experience joy more or less often than other people).

These measures are moderate to strong predictors of measures of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Moreover, joy can be related to gratitude and spirituality. In a recent study where we looked at joy over a period of time, gratitude predicted increased future joy. Somewhat surprisingly, happiness also predicted increases in gratitude over time, suggesting an intriguing upward spiral between gratitude and joy. In other words, it looks like gratitude increases joy, but in turn joy also increases gratitude; and this “cycle of goodness” might be important to our happiness. Joy also predicted increases in happiness over time, supporting the idea that joy can be important to subjective well-being. If joy can be important to subjective well-being, how can we encourage it?

Although the study of joy is still in its infancy, several conclusions from research can be drawn.

1 / Joy is caused by a distinct pattern of thinking

People experience joy when they feel (re)connected to someone or something important.

2 / Joy predicts increased happiness over time

3 / Joy and gratitude are linked

Although gratitude and joy are distinct, they support each other in a “cycle of goodness” that enhances your well-being.

4 / Joy seems essential for “the good life,”

Don’t miss the opportunity to pursue this emotion. In the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, “For to miss joy, is to miss all.”

Source for the above paragraphs

Through her research, Pamela Ebstyne King, Ph.D., has sought to understand joy. Dr. Pamela says that a helpful way of thinking about happiness is understanding what matters most in human life. She reviewed philosophical, theological, and psychological approaches, and identified three areas that deeply inform this form of happiness.

1 / Growing in authenticity and living more into one’s strengths

2 / Growing in depth of relationships and contributing to others

3 / Living more aligned with your values

Dr. Pamela considers that the more a person is able to live a strength-based life, reciprocate relationships with others, and live in alignment with their values, the more happiness they will experience in life.

This suggests that this form of happiness isn’t just an individual pursuit, but one that deeply involves our connections with others. We can discover and experience this form of happiness in a variety of ways—doing those things we love to do, growing in intimacy or providing for others, and clarifying and coherently pursuing our values. When these domains of the self, others, and values overlap, that is perhaps when we experience the most forms of happiness.

Ways to explore finding more joy …

1 / Let go of the past

Your past is not your future unless you live there – and living there prevents you from learning how to find this form of happiness in the present. If you’ve lost a loved one, ended a relationship or have been struggling financially, these are certainly valid reasons to feel down. Let yourself feel sad or lonely, but never hopeless. Ask yourself what you can learn about yourself from your experiences and emotions. Then let go of the past. You deserve to feel this form of happiness again.

2 / Practice gratitude

One way to move on from the past and feel happiness in your life is to practice gratitude. By choosing to be optimistic and focus on the good things in your life, you can actually train your brain to feel this form of happiness more often. Tony Robbins says, “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” That’s how gratitude creates a cycle of positive emotions: The more you practice gratitude, the more positive emotions you will feel.

3 / Use the law of attraction

The more positivity you feel, the more you will attract positivity in your life – that’s the law of attraction. This principle has been around for thousands of years and is used by the world’s most successful people to design the lives of their dreams. It isn’t complicated: What you focus on, you attract. Focus on creating happiness in your own life and sharing it with others, and you’ll naturally attract even more happiness.

4 / Surround yourself with positive people

Surrounding yourself with good people goes hand in hand with the law of attraction and is vital to every area of your life. When you’re surrounded by positive people, it will be nearly impossible to feel pessimistic. They’ll lift your spirits and help you find the good in any situation. Letting go of people who don’t make you feel happy – or who actively work against it – isn’t always easy. However, you cannot learn how to find happiness with their toxic negativity holding you back.

5 / Change your physiology

We’ve all heard the expression “fake it ‘til you make it.” If you’re still having trouble shifting your focus to feel this form of happiness instead of negativity, put on a smile. You’ll tell your brain you’re happy – even if you’re not. Change your posture by standing up tall, throwing your shoulders back or even adopting a power pose. Confident physiology can change your entire demeanor.

All sources, Psychology Today, George Mason University, Greek Meaning, Ways to Explore Finding More Joy