Joy on Display

A recent study of things desperately desired by typical Americans reveals that joy ranks number 5.

In a survey of more than 700 subjects, Kathy Caprino — a senior contributor at Forbes, marriage and family therapist, and career coach — asked respondents to identify what they most desperately wanted in life. The question was: “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?”

Think about that for a moment. How would you respond?

The number 1 response was happiness. Joy came in at number 5. Money — which, one would assume, would help you grab number 1 or number 5 — was number 2. Other answers were freedom, peace, balance, fulfillment and confidence.

The participants in the survey clearly identified a distinction between happiness and joy. Usually those who discuss this distinction say that happiness is a form of contingent joy. Happiness, according to this line of thought, is a momentary feeling of elation stimulated by some external yet positive event that has occurred in one’s life.

Joy, on the other hand, ...