Written by We have heard the song “Joy and Happiness,” which almost acquaints the two concepts. A January 25, 2023, article in BetterHelp defined the difference between the two. According to the report, joy is a feeling evoked by well-being or good fortune, whereas happiness is a state of being (BetterHelp editorial team). Satisfaction is related to the concept of joy because it is the acquisition of something that provides a sense of joy.
Happiness is achieved under any condition that one is in. No matter what the outside looks like, the inner feeling or state of mind is where happiness is obtained. For example, one may not have the money needed to acquire things, but being happy is appreciating what one has. Happiness is not contentment. It simply means that one enjoys where they are now.
The truth is that one should never be satisfied by their state but love whatever situation they are presently in, so be happy that they are in it. One reason is that you do not have to be alive to appreciate the world that one is in, which should create a state of happiness.
One can use joy to create happiness but realize that attaining things does not create true happiness. The attainment of things is satisfaction. If one is hungry, they are satisfied because they are full. That is not happiness because satisfaction fleets.
When it comes to obtaining goals, joy equates to the satisfaction of attaining them, but happiness is knowing that one can look to achieve more and go higher. The comfort zone is so deceptive because it is attributed to satisfaction. Those trapped in it often confuse joy and temporary satisfaction with happiness. This is a reason why the need for more temporary satisfaction is needed to keep that monster-filled.
On the other hand, happiness is acquired when one harnesses fear and agrees to step out of the comfort zone, with the goal being to attain another level. Humans only get one life, so true happiness should be what is sought. Temporary satisfaction or joy can only hold a person for so long. Unfortunately, some want to turn joy into a permanent vacation. Doing so will never achieve true happiness.
Again, satisfaction and joy are byproducts of happiness; they are not synonyms. Satisfaction and joy can be a source of grief and counterproductive to happiness. For example, close to 50% of all marriages in America end in divorce. Psychology Today states statistics from the APA. It says, “American Psychological Association research found that an affair causes 20-40% of divorces.” The 20-40% of reasons for divorce come down to the need to fulfill temporary satisfaction, which equates to joy.
Real happiness can be attained even in this circumstance, given a proper mind frame. Understanding that the person that one contracted with decided to break that contract, and now that you are out of it, one can move to find something better. Someone else’s attempt at joy can become your happiness because you have been set free. Yes, it is painful, but it also is gaining a gold medal or NBA championship. You are going to experience pain to achieve happiness. Still, those that are happy are not satisfied. The late Kobe Bryant, for example, had five NBA championships under his belt but wanted more. He continuously worked to attain another. His work ethic of finding a way to improve to win another title is what drove him, and the journey to achieve was where the happiness was attained. (Chambers)
Sacrifice is the difference between joy and happiness. Joy is the desire not to receive pain for satisfaction. It is a reason that some acquaint joy with happiness. Some run from the pain associated with achieving goals that acquaint with happiness. They need help understanding what it takes to have happiness. True happiness is not the absence of pain but the acceptance of it. That acceptance creates an understanding that what one is going through establishes the possibility of success. The potential is the thrill, and it allows those hunting for happiness to understand that attaining that goal means it is time to go back to work to get that goal. Doing it again relates to happiness.
A Ph.D. psychologist wrote a 2017 article in Psychology Today stating, “Other work has shown that experiencing relief from pain increases our feelings of happiness and reduces our feelings of sadness. Pain may not be a pleasurable experience itself, but it builds our pleasure in ways that pleasure alone simply cannot achieve. Pain may also make us feel more justified in rewarding ourselves with pleasant experiences—just think how many people indulge themselves a little after a trip to the gym.” (Bastian)
Satisfaction, joy, and happiness are different aspects of a similar lexicon. As mentioned, satisfaction is a fleeting feeling. Joy is attaining, while happiness is the desire to achieve a goal and the ability to have joy and satisfaction where one is. Happiness is not staying in position. It comes from stepping out of the comfort zone and knowing one can endure the abyss. It is the thrill of the hunt. Satisfaction comes with staying in the comfort zone, with the thoughts of joy equaling happiness.
It, again, is a reason why a person is never satisfied because those feelings fade. For instance, when one gets a new car, they automatically get jealous of a person that gets a newer car. Car dealers and manufacturers know this, so they create commercials to make people feel that trading in their vehicle for a new one will make them happy. It is like Apple. When a new phone comes out, lines are out the door because they have successfully lured people who live in their comfort zones to view temporary joy as happiness. Kelly Goldsmith, associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University in the Owen Graduate School of Management, said this about Apple’s marketing of iPhones “In this case, having the newest iPhone can boost your self-esteem and remind you that you’re not outdated. “Every time you look at that phone, it tells you something about who you are, and it reinforces certain aspects of your own identity.”
The psychology behind marketing makes many feel that they must be a part of the group, and not having that temporary joy means you are not a part of the group. The happy people have the previous generations and are satisfied with their continued performance. It is interesting, but happiness is attained by not following the crowd. Originality achieves happiness, and knowing that one has been the first or only to achieve a goal is related to the feeling of pride and not the sense of imitation. To achieve happiness, one must understand that pain is a part of achieving the goal. Attempting to find happiness pain-free means that joy is the goal. Joy is a movable goalpost because it is intertwined with satisfaction. Realize that you will not experience happiness without experiencing some discomfort in the process of achieving it. The discomfort is a badge of honor and the real goal to attain. Happiness can encompass joy and satisfaction because it is a feeling, but satisfaction and joy cannot equate to happiness. Pleasure is not happiness. Joy and satisfaction are not happiness. Happiness comes from the sense of achievement and not acquisition. The feelings are not mutual.
Do you want joy and satisfaction, or do you want happiness? First, You must separate the two and then agree to do what it takes to acquire happiness. Happiness comes from hard work and realizing that taking the journey is where it can be found. True happiness will provide joy and satisfaction, not the other way around.
Bibliography
Better Help Editorial Team, & Hollis , K., LCSW, LICSW (2023, January 25). Joy Vs. Happiness: What’s The Difference And How Can They Be Achieved? BetterHelp. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/happiness/joy-vs-happiness-whats-the-difference/
Buscho, A. G., PH.D. (2022, February 1). Is Your Marriage Doomed After an Affair? PsychologyToday. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/better-divorce/202202/is-marriage-doomed-after-affair
Chambers, B. (2016, March 1). KOBE BRYANT’S INSANE WORK ETHIC. CoachingClipboard. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://coachingclipboard.org/2016/03/01/kobe-bryants-insane-work-ethic/
Bastian, B., PH.D. (2017, June 22). In Pursuit of Happiness: Why Pain Helps Us Feel Pleasure. Psychology Today. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-other-side/201706/in-pursuit-happiness-why-pain-helps-us-feel-pleasure#:~:text=Other%20work%20has%20shown%20that,pleasure%20alone%20simply%20cannot%20achieve.
Stieg, C. (2020, December 8). The psychology behind a new iPhone release—And why it’s so hard to resist. CNBC Make It. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/the-psychology-of-new-iphone-releases-apple-marketing.html