Are There Different Types of Happiness?

Are There Different Types of Happiness?

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 take many forms and result from a variety of behaviors and life circumstances. Research can point us to concrete ways that we can find or develop these various forms of happiness in our lives.

A Word From Verywell

We don’t have to know the cause of every emotion we experience

Good Stress

Stress can bring up big feelings

Family Turmoil

Family can be one of our earliest sources of challenging feelings

Surprise

This type of emotion can be positive, negative, or neutral

Anger

This is a powerful emotion characterized by feelings of hostility, agitation, frustration, and antagonism towards others.

Gratitude

It can disappear if you don’t actively focus on it, but it’s also an important form of happiness.

Burnout

This fatigue and lack of enthusiasm can result in feelings of irritability, sadness, and even fear

Pride

Feelings of pride can be a form of gratitude turned inward

Basic Emotions

During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions that he suggested were universally experienced in all human cultures

Excitement

This emotion can last longer than joy and can be a motivating factor

Financial Problems

11.4% of the U.S. population is living in poverty

Joy

The feeling of joy comes from losing yourself in the present moment and appreciating what you have.

Other Types of Emotions

The six basic emotions described by Eckman are just a portion of the many different types of emotions that people are capable of experiencing.

A Word From Verywell

Emotions play a critical role in how we live our lives, from influencing how we engage with others in our day to day lives to affecting the decisions we make.

Happiness

Happiness is often defined as a pleasant emotional state that is characterized by feelings of contentment, joy, gratification, satisfaction, and well-being.

Love

Although stressful relationships can sap us of happiness, healthy and supportive relationships bring great and lasting happiness.

Sadness

This is a transient emotional state characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief, hopelessness, disinterest, and dampened mood. Sadness can be expressed in a number of ways including: crying, dampened mood, lethargy, quietness, withdrawal, self-medicating, and ruminating.

Relationship Issues

Falling in love and ending a relationship can breed emotional turmoil

Even ‘Good Stress’ Can Cause Complex Emotions

Even good stress can bring up feelings of frustration, worry, and sadness

Fear

This emotion can also play an important role in survival

Combining Emotions

Robert Plutchik put forth a “wheel of emotions” that worked something like the color wheel

Disgust

This emotion evolved as a reaction to foods that might be harmful or fatal

Other Theories of Emotion

While Eckman’s theory is one of the best known, other theorists have proposed their own ideas about what emotions make up the core of the human experience.

Optimism

Optimists tend to focus on possibilities and have a combination of gratitude and pride

Contentment

Being content means being happy with what you have

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