I asked me that question. I recently bought a new playstation 5 and it felt great. However the happiness was very different to the feelings I feel when I read a good book, have positive social interactions or when I follow politics.
I found different answers to my question. I am only a layman I will give you some answers I found online and add my unqualified bullshit as usual.
www.verywellmind.com
The name the following 7 types: joy, excitement, gratitude, pride, optimism, contentment and love
I give some quotes:
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."
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."
Gratitude
"Gratitude can disappear if you don't actively focus on it, but it's also an important form of happiness. Those who feel gratitude on a regular basis tend to be happier and healthier than those who are less prone to these feelings, according to research."
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."
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."
Contentment
"Contentment means being happy with what you have. Those who are content are less disappointed by life's drawbacks and feel lucky to have what they have in their lives already."
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."
Things I can sometimes feel: excitement (probably my best category -> I always look for goals that I set myself and that I work for). Joy way too seldom but at least sometimes. Gratitude and contentment somewhat. I can feel pride but there is also a lot of self-hatred. Optimism I am horrible at that. Though I think the future of me looks objectively pretty grim. Love from my friends. But I lack an intimate relationship with a partner which hurts me deeply. And I have the feeling it is pretty pretty hard to find the right one with a condition like mine. I could add more remarks but I look at other defintions first.
I think this list might be even more interesting for me. I ruminate a lot about the following. I recently read the biography of David Foster Wallace and he described that he learned a lot of positive attitudes of stupid people. Less overthinking or overanalyzing and instead finding fulfilment in simple truths. I was in the psychiatry and met a lot of "stupid" people in the sense they were not analytical and pretty simple minded. I think the potential advantage is less ruminating, less sorrows, more "happiness?". It is more complex but I tried to sum it up. And when he described that I always had to think about me and my sister. We are pretty diametrical. I think she read a lot of guidebooks on mental health and fully internalized them. Live for the moment, be proud of who you are etc. Very simple truths. Though she did not have luck with that so far. Maybe she has a better life quality than me but my approach future-oriented and self-disciplined had so far more "success". But it is of course up to the definition of success.
I think my sister fully aims for hedonic and social happiness. My version rather is the eudaimonic and cognitive happiness. However due to the fact I rarely allow me hedonic happiness it feels even better when I can feel it. The problem of her is in my opinion the following: We both are mentally ill and it is already pretty hard to always aim for hedonic pleasure and with such an illness it is even way harder. Short-term pleasure used on the longrun feels so shallow and superficial for me. Moreover it is like a drug that builds up a tolerance. You always feel the need for bigger excitement. Maybe this is the reason why many rich people ruin their life by starting to take cocaine.
I really try not to become smug or arrogant with my approach. When I was a teenager and child I fully aimed for hedonic happiness (also because of the way we were raised.) However I felt deeply empty and pretty sad. With education instead I satisfy/recognize needs and desires which lie deeper. The cognitive stimulation is for me the best form of distracting me of worries. It is obvious that my mind torments me with overanalyzing. This is clearly a disadvantage but I have to deal with it as good as I can. As a child I was always fascinated by the USA. The entertainment industry and food (my ways to cope) seemed to be so more bigger. Though this was more of a poison than the right medicine. Gladly I changed my mind as a teenager and searched for something that feels more meaningful. Something which fills the void better. Interestingly my change of mind started with the begin of my first mixed-manic episode. I think I would be a completely different person without that. Maybe I would have become like my dad. This would be at least something positive in my hellish condition.
I know such a short thread. I used many quotes though when I don't add my remarks I either feel like a thief or a fraud.
Hugs :)
I found different answers to my question. I am only a layman I will give you some answers I found online and add my unqualified bullshit as usual.
The How to Find Best Types of Happiness in Your Life
The pursuit of happiness is a universal goal and right, and research shows concrete ways that we can reach this goal.
The name the following 7 types: joy, excitement, gratitude, pride, optimism, contentment and love
I give some quotes:
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."
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."
Gratitude
"Gratitude can disappear if you don't actively focus on it, but it's also an important form of happiness. Those who feel gratitude on a regular basis tend to be happier and healthier than those who are less prone to these feelings, according to research."
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."
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."
Contentment
"Contentment means being happy with what you have. Those who are content are less disappointed by life's drawbacks and feel lucky to have what they have in their lives already."
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."
Things I can sometimes feel: excitement (probably my best category -> I always look for goals that I set myself and that I work for). Joy way too seldom but at least sometimes. Gratitude and contentment somewhat. I can feel pride but there is also a lot of self-hatred. Optimism I am horrible at that. Though I think the future of me looks objectively pretty grim. Love from my friends. But I lack an intimate relationship with a partner which hurts me deeply. And I have the feeling it is pretty pretty hard to find the right one with a condition like mine. I could add more remarks but I look at other defintions first.
- Hedonic happiness: This form of happiness comes from experiencing pleasure or positive emotions, such as excitement, joy, or contentment.
- Eudaimonic happiness: This form of happiness comes from living a life that is meaningful and fulfilling, such as pursuing goals and using one's strengths to contribute to society.
- Social happiness: This form of happiness comes from positive social interactions, such as having close relationships with friends and family or feeling a sense of belonging in a community.
- Spiritual happiness: This form of happiness comes from a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, such as a higher power, nature, or the universe.
- Cognitive happiness: This form of happiness comes from developing one's knowledge and skills, such as through learning, problem-solving, or creative pursuits.
I think this list might be even more interesting for me. I ruminate a lot about the following. I recently read the biography of David Foster Wallace and he described that he learned a lot of positive attitudes of stupid people. Less overthinking or overanalyzing and instead finding fulfilment in simple truths. I was in the psychiatry and met a lot of "stupid" people in the sense they were not analytical and pretty simple minded. I think the potential advantage is less ruminating, less sorrows, more "happiness?". It is more complex but I tried to sum it up. And when he described that I always had to think about me and my sister. We are pretty diametrical. I think she read a lot of guidebooks on mental health and fully internalized them. Live for the moment, be proud of who you are etc. Very simple truths. Though she did not have luck with that so far. Maybe she has a better life quality than me but my approach future-oriented and self-disciplined had so far more "success". But it is of course up to the definition of success.
I think my sister fully aims for hedonic and social happiness. My version rather is the eudaimonic and cognitive happiness. However due to the fact I rarely allow me hedonic happiness it feels even better when I can feel it. The problem of her is in my opinion the following: We both are mentally ill and it is already pretty hard to always aim for hedonic pleasure and with such an illness it is even way harder. Short-term pleasure used on the longrun feels so shallow and superficial for me. Moreover it is like a drug that builds up a tolerance. You always feel the need for bigger excitement. Maybe this is the reason why many rich people ruin their life by starting to take cocaine.
I really try not to become smug or arrogant with my approach. When I was a teenager and child I fully aimed for hedonic happiness (also because of the way we were raised.) However I felt deeply empty and pretty sad. With education instead I satisfy/recognize needs and desires which lie deeper. The cognitive stimulation is for me the best form of distracting me of worries. It is obvious that my mind torments me with overanalyzing. This is clearly a disadvantage but I have to deal with it as good as I can. As a child I was always fascinated by the USA. The entertainment industry and food (my ways to cope) seemed to be so more bigger. Though this was more of a poison than the right medicine. Gladly I changed my mind as a teenager and searched for something that feels more meaningful. Something which fills the void better. Interestingly my change of mind started with the begin of my first mixed-manic episode. I think I would be a completely different person without that. Maybe I would have become like my dad. This would be at least something positive in my hellish condition.
I know such a short thread. I used many quotes though when I don't add my remarks I either feel like a thief or a fraud.
Hugs :)
