User talk:MeghanMadison

Joy

A: Joy is a state of positive emotion that resembles the feeling of happiness. Success, love, good fortune and health can cause joy. Basically any person, place, or thing has the potential to elicit the feeling of joy. B: Joy can also refer to a person’s name.

Synonyms: happy, blissful, glad, blessed, felicity, fortunate, delight, luck, pleasure, contentment. Anonyms: grief, misery, anger, sadness, unhappiness, sorrow, depression, gloom.

Relationships found in marriages, families, and friendships can bring bout joyous emotions. People also find joy within religious relationships with their God or spiritual beliefs. Joyful economics suggests that when a person attains financial stability, joyful emotions might be expressed.

Philosophers and theorists define joy in terms of living an overall good life or by being content with life earnings, experiences, and achievements.

Definition

Organs within your limbic system recognize life events and respond accordingly based on level of awareness, emotion, and consciousness. These signals trigger emotional reactions that guide your attitudes and behaviors.

Expressions

•	Smiling •	Hugging •	Kissing •	Celebrations •	Gifts •	Kindness •	Cheers •	Laughter •	Tears •	Giving •	Enthusiasm

Joy is known as a divine principle that occurs when our conscious is clear. Joy is contagious when spread by social contact. Smiling, hugging, and laughter communicate good feelings. Each of these expressions are uplifting and motivating.

Theory

Well-known philosopher Aristotle deemed joy as the ultimate end goal in each individual’s life. Aristotle believed that joy, unlike other goods, is never a path to something else; but only a path to eternal happiness. In order to be joyful, Aristotle taught his students to accept the present as it is as well as make life changes that can better the future. Individuals should find a joyous balance between past, present, and future. A person should also find harmony with the universe, nature, and most importantly life. A joyful person will achieve a sense of feeling healthy and free.

The cognitive appraisal theory of emotions suggests that there is a relationship between emotions and individual’s appraisals of different situations. Based on the cognitive appraisal theory of emotions, research has proved which emotions are associated with specific appraisals. Researchers, John B. Nezlek, Kristof Vansteelandt, Iven Van Mechelen, Peter Kuppens, found that goal achievement is associated with the emotion of joy. Relationships between joy and positive-Encounters and joy and other-blame (negative relationship) were approximately the same strength as the hypothesized relationship between Joy and Success.

Relationships

Joy is expressed when we are loved and feel loved by another person. When individuals create relationships with one another it is usually because they bring joy and happiness to one another. In an article written by Dr. Brenda Shoshanna she describes five ways to keep joy in relationships. 1.	Stop blaming your partner for your disappointments- if you dislike something about your significant other, it does not necessarily mean they did something wrong because those are your own personal feelings (Shoshanna, 2001). 2.	Discover the art of true giving- or in other words, giving sincerely. When someone is a giving person because they plan do get recognition from it does not mean they are sincerely giving. When someone is giving because it brings joy to their heart they are sincerely giving people (Shoshanna, 2001). 3.	Give up trying to change the other person- in order to develop joy with another individual one must accept the other person as they are rather than trying to change their superior characteristics (Shoshanna, 2001). 4.	Learn how to really listen- for a person to deeply engage with another they must be able to, not only hear what they are saying, but listen and feel for them. If and when the other person notices you are truly listening to how they feel they will then begin to feel joy towards you and your relationship with them (Shoshanna, 2001). 5.	Develop patience – there is no rush in the development of joy. However, you can increase the amounts of joy by following each of these steps above (Shoshanna, 2001).

Faith

The Old Testament determines the meaning of joy in religious terms. Christians experience religious joy by worshiping the Lord. Christians believe that they can do all things through Christ who gives them strength. With strength, individuals are able to achieve life goals that bring joy to their lives. Bible verses emphasize joy in faith.

The commonest is simchah (1 Sam 18:6, etc.), variously translated in English Versions of the Bible "joy," "gladness," "mirth"; from sameah, properly "to be bright," "to shine" (Proverbs 13:9, "The light of the righteous rejoiceth," literally, "is bright"), but generally used figuratively "to rejoice," "be glad" (Lev 23:40 and very frequent).

Joy referred to as a religious emotion is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament. Religion exercises consist of prayer, singing, shouting, and rejoicing. These expressions resemble emotions of joy. Joy is the ultimate desired outcome in an individual’s faith.

"In thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps 16:11; compare 16:8,9).

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you (PSA 5:11)

Economics

Some people believe wealth creates joy, while others believe that wealth creates greed. It has been proven that increasingly large incomes bring happiness (Pizzigati, 2004). People find joy and happiness based on whether or not they consume more than their neighbors, and other competition (Pizzigati, 2004). But once people have escaped deprivation, happiness decreases (Pizzigati, 2004).

References

Lewis, C. S. Surprised byJoy. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1955

"Joy and Happiness." A Companion to the Eighteenth-Century English Novel and Culture. Eds. Paula Backscheider and Gatherine Ingrassia. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005

Beck, Sanderson (1999). Emotion: Joy, Enthusiasm, Happiness. Retrieved [Date unavailable] from http://www.san.beck.org/Life9-Emotion.html#3

Shoshanna, Dr. Brenda (2000). 5 ways to create joy in your relationship. iVillage Inc.: http://www.ivillage.com/5-ways-create-joy-your-relationship-0/4-a-283529 Smith, C. A., & Lazarus, R. S. (1993). Appraisal components, core relational themes, and          the emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 7, 233–269. Pizzigati, S. (2004). Greed and good (1st ed.). New York, NY: The Apex Press.

Nezlek, J. B., Vansteelandt, K., Van Mechelen, I., & Kuppens, P. (2008). Appraisal-emotion relationships in daily life. Emotion, 8(1), 145-150. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.8.1.145