Today I’m laying the foundation of this joy series by defining joy. If you’re new to this series, start with yesterday’s post about the 31-day joy challenge. I understand joy to be an exuberance, happiness, and on some level a state of mind. My perception is that joy is one step above happiness. Can the definition of joy confirm or change my understanding of the word?
Merriam-Webster and dictionary.com have slightly different definitions of joy.
joy
- the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son’s success.
- a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.
- the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
- a state of happiness or felicity
- a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : DELIGHT
b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : GAIETY - a state of happiness or felicity : BLISS
- a source or cause of delight
Two things stand out from these definitions.
- Four words appear in both dictionarys as catalysts for each version of the word.
emotion, expression, source, and state. - Happiness does not singularly make up joy.
Altogether, what beautiful words make up joy: delight, gaiety, bliss, pleasure, fortune, value, and possessing desire. Sure, many are synonymous with happiness, but they are not the same. To be happy is to show pleasure or contentment. To delight is to please greatly. Both are pleasurable emotions, but delight is bigger. Joy is so much more…what?
Joy as an Emotion – Feeling
A positive reaction to life, moods, or relationships.
feeling that is a reaction to life, moods or relationships.
Joy as an Expression – Showing
A grin. A laughter. A hug. A thank you. A mid-day text. A wink.
My husband says I’m not great at receiving gifts. I tend to remain impassive whether or not I like the present. That is not what expressive joy is. How do I, how do you, make yourself known? This is through verbal and nonverbal means. What would it be like to grin from ear to ear, or jump up and down at a gift? Not having it start a thought/question chain in my brain. Wow, how thoughtful, how did he know? when did I mention this? I look at our kindergartner when receiving a present, no matter what, it is the best thing anyone could have given. Oh, to have that delight. Oh, that she keeps that joy.
Gifts aside, in what other areas of my life do or can I show joy?
Joy as Source – Living
What causes joy in life? That is not the right question. I shouldn’t be looking for what the source of joy is. Rather, joy is the source of what in my life?
I told you about how I want to be that woman who makes everyone at ease. That is a woman who has joy as a source. A source of confidence, a source of happiness, a source of contentment.
So, how does joy become a source in my life? Wow, I have no idea. That must be what this month is for.
Joy as State – Being
The definition of state is “the particular condition that someone or something is in at a specific time.” This is where happiness comes into play. Joy is the state of happiness. The time aspect intrigues me. It is transient.
Answering the Original Question, How to Define Joy?
Well, there it is, two definitions and my interpretation of them. Joy is a complex term that is fleeting and foundational. It can be a surface-level emotion tied to things, success, and well-being. But diving into joy as a source will take some figuring out.