Joy is a joyful feeling that is transparent in actions and appearance, in liveliness. However, you can be happy without showing it, that is, happiness can be expressed with a simple smile. However, not joy: the person who feels joyful is totalized by the feeling of it, at every level of his being and from the physical to the spirit.
The happy one moves quickly, walks almost jumping and has a lively look. He has a bright tone of voice, he laughs and makes people laugh. Inside he is serene and vibrant, has positive feelings AND is capable of contemplation and gratitude. He absorbs and digests all darkness. In this PsychologyFor article we will discover what are the types of joy and examples so that you can know in detail what the value of joy is.
pathological joy
If you wonder what are manifestations of joy, you should know that this emotion can transform into overexcitement and agitation. Specifically, pathological joy is an overheating, overregulation, and excessive externalization : you shout with joy, you jump and nothing is conserved inside, not even the energy.
This condition of pathological joy, however, only maintains some thematic analogies with normal joy, and differs above all in the fact that is not motivated that is, it is not determined by significant events that have to justify it, so you have to learn to manage it with some treatment.
false joy
There are people who, even experiencing the sensations and emotions typical of depression, manage to smile, function at work and socially, and even appear happy on the outside and capable of efficiently managing their lives. In these cases the expression “smiling depression “, precisely to indicate the typical attitude in these cases.
With statements such as “I’m fine”, “everything is fine”, the subject shows a smile of circumstance. He tries hard to hide the feelings of fragility, sadness, disorientation, lack of hope. If you want to know more, consult our post Smiling depression: symptoms and treatment.
contagious joy
Feelings of joy are contagious. According to researchers at the University of Manchester and Warwick to overcome the vicissitudes of life, you need to surround yourself with positive friends that help us precisely to overcome the dark moments.
One of the examples of contagious joy that verify its power is the study in question, which was carried out analyzing the behavior of 2,000 American high school teenagers. The data collected has shown that those who had surrounded themselves with positive friendships for a period of 6 to 12 months, had more easily and successfully coped with a period of hopelessness.
Professor Thomas House of the University of Warwick explained: “Joy and happiness are fundamental to combat the state of suffering of some people with special social difficulties, people suffering from loneliness or even people who are victims of abuse suffered during childhood.”
Joy at work
Have a positive and proactive attitude towards daily activities and colleagues favors two processes that are not taken for granted in the world of work:
- Efficiency : This type of joy encourages you to face work activities with more energy. It helps you make the tasks you do every day more interesting, attractive and within reach. The way you approach things greatly influences your perception, so the better prepared you are for the work, the more stimulating, the lighter, the more pleasant it will seem to you.
- Socialization : Joy improves the perception that others have of you. Although you may find it hard to believe, even the grumpiest colleague prefers to have a cheerful, enterprising and collaborative person on the other side of the desk, rather than someone with an avoidant, passive and anxious nature.
In this article you will find more information about how to be happy at work.
sincere joy
Joy and seriousness are not mutually exclusive: you can be a person of contagious joy and, at the same time, very serious with respect to the fundamental precepts of social life. Joy is, in fact, healthy and predisposes us to a long and happy life.
This type of sincere joy sculpts our face so that it shows more youth and friendliness. Among the characteristics of sincere joy we highlight that It is captivating and opens doors – You can win sincere friends and preserve old friendships, even save marriages.
Alcoholic joy
The fact that alcohol is a gift for a good mood is something that everyone likes to drink, especially in larger quantities. In fact, it acts on our nervous system and inhibits neural activity thanks to the activity of some neurotransmitters, making us happy.
On the other hand, this apparent state of bliss is short-lived, while drinking often and abundantly can cause long-term depression Drinking from time to time and in moderation at some times in life is fine, the important thing is not to overdo it.
induced joy
Laughter is good and feels good. Not only that: you can laugh and get all the benefits, even without a reason, without humor and without seeing something funny. The joy that makes you feel good extends life, reduces stress and, above all, it can be induced to pleasure.
We can name some of the examples of induced joy included in therapeutic sessions and it is that, for some time, a discipline that makes people laugh has been spreading: Laughter Yoga a form of yoga based on the conviction that laughter is a spontaneous therapeutic event for the body and spirit.
Laughter yoga aims to reactivate precisely these mechanisms that are spontaneous in childhood, to obtain all the benefits that can come from induced joy.
Moria
Moria is the medical term for behavior characterized by psychomotor excitement with jovial euphoria and a tendency toward childish pranks found in frontal syndrome. It is, in effect, a mental attitude that is part of the group of disorders of the affective-emotional sphere characterized by the presence of inappropriate and/or incoherent behavior.
Reported for the first time by Bruns and Jastrowitz in frontal lobe tumors, it is a condition that manifests itself in prefrontal syndrome, associated with disorders of the cognitive-intellectual sphere. Exists euphoric and uninhibited behavior or downright hypomanic, often associated with silly, sloganeering, vulgar and often stereotypical language.
Healthy joy
Smile and health are two essential allies of each other! The feeling of healthy joy and smile is a very strong defense for our body : It’s good for us, but also for others!
Children smile more than adults. The worries of everyday life can sometimes take away time and the desire to smile, but it is worth stopping from time to time and recovering the joy. Its benefits are many, both for the physical and psyche of the individual. The characteristics of healthy joy are:
- Allows better circulation of the blood with benefits also on the immune system.
- Helps get through treatment and therapy periods sometimes decreasing and deadlines.
- Helps prevent stress and anxiety or other diseases related to the psyche.
- Improves interpersonal relationship : everyone likes smiling people!
Now that you know what the types of joy and examples are, answer the question: Do you consider yourself someone who is happy? To do this, you can take our Joy and Happiness Test to discover if you are a person with a tendency to be happy.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of joy and examples we recommend that you enter our Emotions category.
Bibliography
- The University of Manchester (2015). Healthy mood spreads through social contact, depression doesn’t. Retrieved from: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=14994