Happiness is an emotional state, which is characterized by feelings of joy, fulfillment, or

satisfaction. It is not a one-size-fits-all emotion. All happiness is not the same, and there are
even stages and levels of happiness.

Types of Happiness
Knowing which type of happiness you’re experiencing can help you better appreciate your
life, other people, and the things that you have right now.

Joy
The feeling of joy comes from losing yourself in the present moment and appreciating what
you have. It's fleeting in that it can sneak up on you and sometimes can disappear if you try to
analyze it too much. It can also be found in many things if you have the right attitude and
perspective, so it's a relatively accessible form of happiness to seek.
The easiest way to find joy is to engage in activities you know usually bring you joy. This can
be anything from yoga to amusement parks to your favorite music. It's also important to try
some new things to find novel avenues of joy.

Pride
While smug or competitive pride can be a negative thing, feelings of pride in your
accomplishments can be a form of gratitude turned inward and are a great form of happiness
to indulge in. You can take pride in your work and your family, your home and your self, and
in anything you put effort, care, and love into.
You can cultivate a healthy sense of pride by including personal accomplishments in your
gratitude journal or keeping a list of "wins" at the end of each day. This isn't the same as
bragging or being "full of yourself"—you're not saying that you're better than others because
of your accomplishments, but that you're a better form of yourself, and you're appreciating
this fact.
Fostering Relationships
Many firmly believe that money is a secret to a happy life. However, a group of Harvard
researchers launched a study in 1938 where they followed 268 male Harvard undergraduates
for 75 years.
The unique Harvard Grant
Study collected data on the
men’s lives through
surveys and interviews.
They looked at all aspects,
including relationships,
politics and religion,
coping strategies, and
alcohol used.
According to Robert
Waldinger, a psychiatrist
and a professor at Harvard
Medical School, the study
showed that “our
relationships and how
happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health.” He added that
“taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care
too.”
Waldinger, in a TED Talk in 2015, also said that “people who are more socially connected to
family, to friends, to community are happier. They’re physically healthier, and they live
longer than people who are less well-connected.”
In his book about the study, Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study,
Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant, and study director from 1972 to 2004, writes: “There
are two pillars of happiness. One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that
does not push love away.”
He says that many of the things people thought mattered when it comes to happiness don’t.
For example, many believe money and social class are vital to success. These two things were
at the bottom of the list.

Fun
Just because we’re adults, that doesn’t mean we have to make life all about work. In our
hectic, modern lives, many of us focus so heavily on work and family commitments that we
never seem to have time for
pure fun. Somewhere between
childhood and adulthood, we
stopped having fun.
When we carve out some
leisure time, we’re more likely
to zone out in front of the TV or
computer than engage in fun.
Fun can add joy to life, relieve
stress, supercharge learning,
and connect you to others and
the world around you.
Fun brings about positive
feelings like excitement, pride, and hope, and of course, positive feelings make us happy.
Most people have hobbies. Hobbies help us cultivate fun in our lives. It doesn’t matter what
we do, as long as it provides us with a reasonable amount of fun daily or weekly.
It can be sports, cooking, collecting, etc. Either way, it’s a simple way to spice up your life
and take a break from the mundane tasks of life.
Many enjoy travel as a form of fun. From enjoying new, unique cultures to sunbathing or
skiing, it all comes down to great fun in the end.

Excitement
Though it can last longer than joy, this emotion is
still somewhat fleeting—it dissipates rather
quickly and can turn into ennui. However, it can
be a motivating factor. Excitement about a new
job, for example, can motivate you to work harder,
and excitement about a new relationship can
motivate you to put more effort into working
through difficulties. It can also help you to get
through jitters.
Excitement can also extend the positive feelings
you get from an activity. If you focus on your excited feelings of anticipation, the fun of a
vacation can extend into the days and weeks before you even leave. Excitement isn't too
difficult to come by, either, so this is an easy one to pursue. Take on new challenges. Keep
a bucket list. Let yourself revel in anticipation when you have something big coming up.

Gratitude
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, often known as G.K. Chesterton, is a prolific English writer, poet,
philosopher, etc. who coined the quote, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of
thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Choosing to be thankful may
well be an easy and accessible way to
boost your happiness. Gratitude has a
strong positive impact on psychological
well-being as well. It increases self-
esteem, enhances positive emotions, and
makes us more optimistic.
Dr. Amy E. Keller, PsyD, a marriage and
family therapist, doesn’t leave out the
purposeful aspect of building happiness.
When you feel joyful and that your life
has meaning, you’re more appreciative of
what you have. She says, “When I talk
about happiness with clients, I emphasize
feeling purposeful and connected and
cultivating satisfaction and self-worth, as
well as simply feeling pleasure—which of course is also a factor! Gratitude supports
happiness in ways related to all of these.”
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude supports happiness in our lives.

Optimism
Studies also connect optimism with greater outcomes in life. Optimists tend to focus on
possibilities and have a
combination of gratitude and
pride. They're grateful for all of
the possibilities life presents,
proud of their abilities to harness
these resources, and have a strong
belief in themselves and their
ability to make their attempts at
whatever goals they pursue
success.
Optimists, when faced with
disappointment, tend to minimize
it, pinpoint how they can do better
next time, and see mitigating factors that led to their negative outcomes. When they succeed,
they give themselves credit and take it as a sign of better things to come. Optimism tends to
be an overall way of being, so it's less fleeting than other forms of happiness.

Love
Love and happiness are sometimes said to be interchangeable, that love is an infinite source
of happiness, and happiness itself is a form of love. However you look at it, both are vital to
have in your life.
True love is fabled to be extremely difficult to
come by, but in actuality, love can be found all
around you. Family, friends, romantic partners,
and even pets can all be sources of love, and
focusing on all of these relationships can greatly
enrich your life. This is a form of happiness that
can come in endless supply.
Even though stressful relationships can sap us of
happiness, healthy and supportive relationships
can bring great and lasting happiness. Focusing
on relationship skills, spending time with loved
ones, and in other ways cultivating these
relationships can help you to keep this form of
happiness in your life.

Contentment
Contentment means to be happy with what you have, who you are, and where you are. It is
respecting the reality of the present. It is appreciating what you do have and where you are in
life.
Contentment does not mean
the absence of desire. It just
means that you are satisfied
with your present and believe
in the best possible outcomes.
Many people today think that
life is an absolute race where
you must be the best at
everything. We must have a
fancier car, a bigger house, a
better-earning job, or more
money. The moment we achieve one thing, the race for the next thing starts. Rarely do many
individuals spare a minute to just sit back, relax, and be grateful for all they have achieved.
Contentment brings peace of mind and positivity that can facilitate growth and self-
improvement. This does not mean you don’t have dreams and aspirations. But you can accept
the present and still wish for a better future.
Contentment only means to be at peace with the present, not complacent. Therefore,
contentment promotes happiness. When one accepts their situation, you are allowing yourself
to experience a type of happiness. Being grateful for everything you have instead of spending
your time thinking about what you don’t makes life more joy-filled.

The human pursuit of happiness is one of the most common human searches, but it tends to
be an elusive goal as well. Luckily for us, the experience of "happiness" can actually take
many forms and result from a variety of behaviors and life circumstances. Research can now
point us to concrete ways that we can find or develop these various forms of happiness in our
lives.

SOURCES:
https://www.verywellmind.com/happiness-types-4173234
https://www.lifehack.org/929088/types-of-happiness
https://www.kreedon.com/why-athletes-bite-medals/
https://www.getlevelhead.com/blog/joy2
https://www.healthline.com/health/affects-of-joy
https://www.verywellmind.com/healthy-family-relationshps-and-stress-relief-3144541
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/life-lot-more-fun-embrace-imperfection/
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/first-date-ideas
https://touch.kasamba.com/pages/landingpages/default.aspx?DlpID=49103
https://www.pexels.com/search/love/
https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/
https://www.claritychi.com/contentment/amp/