Are happiness and joy the same thing?

Happiness and joy are both great emotions to experience that a lot of us long to experience.  Happiness and joy are both really enjoyable, but they are different from each other.  One of the main differences between joy and happiness is that joy is more internal, whereas happiness is external.  Joy is a state of being that someone achieves over time, whereas happiness is triggered several times throughout a day. Happy moments are great, but joy is more of a lasting state than happy moments can be.  Happiness is a great goal, and joy is an even greater goal to have more lasting positive mental health benefits for someone.

Joy is a state of contentment that one achieves through several practices.  Being consistent with gratitude practices, mindfulness, among other things, can help one feel joy.  When someone is in a state of joy, they can have peace and contentment about the things that are in their life.  Sure, there will still be some negatives because no one’s life is perfect.  However, when one is in a state of joy, the good things outweigh the bad things in a way that helps them achieve joy.  Even if there are several good things in someone’s life, it takes intentional practice to achieve joy.

Happiness is an emotion that outside sources can trigger, sometimes several times a day.  It is more of a passing feeling rather than a state of being.  Outside sources that can trigger happiness could be other people, hobbies, foods, experiences, among other things.  Whereas joy is more of a state to be in, happiness involves more of going after the external things that trigger happiness for you.  For example, if someone triggers happiness by spending time with friends, they have to go after that to experience happiness intentionally. That same person will need to pick up on how much they appreciate their friends while also picking up on the other great things in their life to get to a state of joy.