Happiness or joy? What’s the difference? When are we happiest?

“I’m a happy person, I smile most of the time and I’m happy, but I haven’t felt true joy since I was 20,” said Álvaro Roca, a 38-year-old publicist.

Roca remembers that when he was in college, and even before, during his last few years in school, he felt happy but also felt a sense of peace, calm and serenity, feelings that are now elusive.

“I think as I got older and had more responsibilities, it became harder to feel completely happy, but seeing my parents happy gave me hope that happiness would return,” he added.

Happiness, understood as a subjective feeling of well-being and satisfaction with life, is a complex phenomenon. “It can be defined by different authors, studies and approaches. In general, happiness is an emotion, a feeling and a state that, to be precise, is related to feeling satisfied, fulfilled or content,” says Tatiana Montoya, Professor of Psychology at Unifranz Franz Tamayo University.

Happiness is a deep and lasting emotional state characterized by peace, serenity, and stability in calm.

While definitions may vary from person to person, there are some common elements that are often associated with the experience of happiness: meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose, physical and mental health, or the ability to enjoy the present moment, to name a few.

On the other hand, neuro-linguistic programming expert Emilio Cabrera explains in his book On the Good Life that joy is a short-lived emotion that occurs when something concrete brings satisfaction.

Cabrera noted that happiness can be felt, for example, when a person fulfills an obligation, when they are with family or friends, when a person is pleasantly surprised, etc. However, such emotions, while positive, are not permanent.

Although happiness is temporary, it is necessary as a way of facing life and as a path to achieving happiness.

A cheerful personality or a happy person is one who smiles and laughs, that is, one who has a tendency to laugh. A cheerful personality or the ability to feel joy is an important attitude to overcome difficulties in life.

On the other hand, a happy person is one who says that he or she has found happiness. Since it is a permanent state, an unhappy person may experience moments of happiness, while a happy person may not know what happiness is.

Montoya said that for many people, finding happiness is a personal journey that involves exploring and nurturing different aspects of life. From personal development to connecting with others and contributing to the community, there are multiple paths to greater happiness and fulfillment.

Research shows that happiness follows a U-shaped curve throughout life. Like Alvaro Castro, people tend to feel happier in their 20s because their lives are ahead of them, with few problems and many expectations. As they age, this feeling diminishes as responsibilities and difficulties increase, reaching its lowest point between the ages of 30 and 40.

After age 40, happiness starts to rise again. From age 50 to 60, people begin to feel a greater sense of accomplishment, as do the PR professionals’ parents.

At 60, you see things differently, you start to appreciate what you have now. The perspective of endings starts to set in, the perspective of experiencing the present moment starts to set in. We are not rational beings, we are rational emotional beings.

Obstacles lead to unhappiness

Contemporary society faces significant challenges that hinder the pursuit of happiness. Stress, anxiety, social pressure, and an obsession with material success are just some of the factors that interfere with our emotional and mental health.

“Unhappiness, in contrast to happiness, also occurs as people’s neuroplasticity decreases, and these people tend to be rigid about feeling a variety of emotions. It is important to feel anger, love, joy, happiness or sadness. The more flexible we are with our emotions and feelings, the easier it is for us to feel happiness,” explains the academic.

Montoya believes that people who are unwilling to experience a range of emotions are more likely to be unhappy.

In recent years, in response to these concerns, there has been a growing interest in practices such as meditation, mindfulness, and positive psychology that aim to promote mental health and emotional well-being.