We explain the difference between joy and happiness with table. Joy and happiness are emotions related to satisfaction. Considering that one refers to the cause and the other to the nature of the feeling, there are differences between them.
According to the author of Catcher in the Rye JD Salinger, the only difference between joy and happiness is that happiness is like a solid and joy is like water.
Happiness is an emotion that primarily involves joy and satisfaction, while joy is stronger and less common than happiness. Joy is more associated with a relationship with people, selflessness and personal sacrifice.
We often use the word ‘joy’ when talking about religion and generally confuse it with the term happiness. Joy is considered a spiritual state that some may be unaware of.
Comparison table between joy and happiness (in tabular form)
Comparison parameter Happiness Joy
| Type of experiences | You feel happy when you experience earthly experiences and have material objects. If you make a lot of money, you may be momentarily happy. | Joy is a feeling caused by spiritual experiences and can arise after you care for others or feel gratitude. You can feel joy through spiritual experiences or religion. Joy depends on your belief system. |
| Types of emotion | Happiness is simply a burst of joy derived from good events and well-being. As a state of mind, it fades after a period of time, but the feeling of joy increases. | Joy is inner peace. It is similar to personal achievement caused by a pile of events that lead to periods of happiness. We can define joy as a way of thinking, not as a state of mind. |
| Time frame | It is not permanent; its duration will last depending on external circumstances. It fades, which means it comes and goes. So happiness is not about feeling happy all the time. You are only happy in happy times. | It lasts longer than happiness and its duration will depend on internal circumstances. This feeling develops over time. Joy can be more constant than happiness. It is more durable, but not permanent. Stay cheerful regardless of the events that may be affecting your life. |
| Materialistic – Non-materialistic | Happiness is conditional and materialistic, which means that you need something physical to pursue it. You could have won the lottery, but your happiness could disappear as you spend the money you got. Also, you can feel happy when you only invest in yourself. | Joy is unconditional, non-materialistic and independent of external things. You can relate it to money and material objects; however, joy is based on the experience of helping others with your own resources. Instead, it is better to help others financially. |
| Destination | It is definitely not the final destination. Happiness is not something that hits your life to stay forever. Contrary to popular belief, happiness does not ‘come’ just because of lucky events. However, good habits can increase your happiness. | It can be considered as the final destination: to be happy regardless of events. Joy is the ability to smile in the midst of a terrible situation. Joy never comes to either of you; you build it yourself. |
| Other determining causes | It can be affected by people’s opinion. People can “ruin” our happiness with a comment they post or a reaction they have. We will always be influenced by what others think of us. | The opinions of others will always affect, but not to the extent that we do not feel joy. Cheerful people know how to deal with negative comments. This type of person knows how to talk to problem people and give an accurate answer. |
What is joy?
Joy is a state of mind that makes a person feel calm and happy despite the circumstances. It is not related to material objects or actions, but to belief systems. Joy is harder to understand than happiness.
Joy is seen as an elevator built with different “levels” of happiness that take you to for a short period of time.
Joy is a selfless feeling that makes us rejoice in the achievements and happiness of others. If you feel joy, you can enjoy the achievements of others as much as they do.
What is happiness?
It could be said that happiness can be a temporary state of mind, a state of satisfaction linked to an event or achievement. Such a definition shows us that saying “happily ever after” is completely wrong.
Happiness is defined as a state, a sudden explosion of pleasure that occurs after a personal experience or achievement. Joy is seen as an elevator built with different “levels” of happiness that take you to for a short period of time.
Another definition describes happiness as a fleeting state of mind or feeling of satisfaction caused by an action we have performed. This can include watching TV shows we like or hanging out with someone we were waiting for.
We associate happiness with a beautiful feeling, but it can be selfish if we do things that go against our principles just to get it.
Main differences between joy and happiness
- Researchers claim that happiness can be the result of feelings after doing well at work or in any aspect of life; however, this description is better suited to playfulness.
- We can feel momentarily bad when things explode. The same is true of happiness. We can feel happy when everything is going well, but joy does not depend on good or special moments.
- Although happiness comes and goes. Joy, on the other hand, can linger longer. It doesn’t come and go as easily as happiness.
- Experts also believe that it comes from genetic factors, while joy is mainly related to spiritual factors, beliefs, and religion. So both may seem contrary.
- Even if you enjoy each special moment, your moment of happiness will always pass. However, if you have joy in your heart, your joy will not fade as the special moments pass.
- While it is impossible to be happy in the midst of trouble, you may feel joy with and without them alike.
- Joy lasts longer, while happiness can last for minutes, hours, days, or even seconds.
- Joy can be the combination of all the happy moments that we have had in life. Happiness is only limited to happenings and events.
- Joy is never associated with possessions or objects, but happiness is completely materialistic.
- You can feel just as happy when you are bored or tired after working hard. You may not feel so happy after so much work.
- It will be easier for you to overcome misfortune with joy. If bad luck comes to you, poor you, you will not feel happy; you will cry a lot.
- Joy and happiness are valuable, but joy can represent a lifetime and is not as difficult to achieve as happiness.
Final Thought
Happiness and joy are beneficial to our lives, but we cannot induce them by force. The more we think about happiness and joy, the more unhappy we will be because of those thoughts.
We feel joy when we are optimistic and see the positive side of things all the time. We are happy when something good happens in our life or when we have achieved something that we were looking for. Joy is minimalist, while happiness is not.
You cannot create happiness, but joy can be created from your actions. You can cultivate joy over time.
