The Language of Joy
How our words are our little personal windows into the human experience of ourselves and others.
If you ask people what they strive for in their lives two words come up continuously. Joy and happiness. Our words are our little personal windows into the human experience of ourselves and others and joy and happiness are no exception.
It’s hard to describe. Biologically it feels like a siren call from neurons in your brain. The pursuit of joy is a profound human endeavour, the culmination of our hopes, dreams and desires and it is personal to each and every person who inhabits this planet. There are characteristics and even practices that manifest in the language we use to describe these activities.
Joy and happiness have been given many names, unsurprisingly the terminology around joy has exploded in various languages. According to Ethnologue, there are 7, 151 languages spoken today. That is a lot of words for joy! Not including the gestures and body language that enriches these explosions of emotion and layer our communication every day. Linguists call these semiotics.
The word, Joy, as we know it in the English-speaking world, first appeared in Old English. It derives from the old french word, “Joie”. You may have heard of joie de vivre, which refers to a literal zest or energy for life. Is joy energy? It definitely feels that way. Presenter and writer Angela Scanlon recently wrote a book called Joyrider which is a great description of how we ride joy unpredictably throughout our lives. “The Lexicon of a language is like a map of a country you have never been to,” according to Tim Lomas a Psychologist at the University of East London. His current research project involves exploring the lexicography of untranslatable words relating to well-being called “The Happy Words Project”.
The origin of joy has intrigued people for thousands of years. It goes back farther than the supermarket health and wellbeing section, far beyond the realms of the concept of our very being, that was forged in the fire of those primitive caves thousands of years ago. The self-help and wellness industry offers a confounding array of labels to describe joy and happiness but this is all part of the rebranding of the world's concept of joy in the 21st century. In this realm the pursuit of joy is often accompanied by declarations to the universe through manifestation practices, crystals and mindfulness apps, breathing strategies and handwritten gratitude lists scribbled in the darkness of night. We all do it. I do it. Strategies like this are our armour against the world. It gives the little voice inside us a little pep talk. Everything will be OK. Fear, not this has happened for a long time. Japanese nobility created a whole tea ceremony centred around the idea of joy.
The word happiness was given to us by the Vikings. The Norse word happ is handy if you ever find yourself back in 13th-century Scandinavia where it meant “chance, luck fortune or fate”.Indo -European is one of the original language families for the majority of Europe. Historian Darrin Mcmahon wrote in Happiness a History, “in every Indo-European language, without exception, going all the way back to ancient Greek, the word for happiness is cognate with the word for luck.” Cognate is a linguistics term which means deriving from, so linguists can trace the words back to the words where they originally come from. Cool huh? Whilst some cultures find joy in the fulfilment of desires, maybe through getting a new boat (if you're a Viking) or taking a gamble and receiving a windfall (again handy if you are a marauding Viking…), other cultures look to the world around them as manifestations of joy and happiness.
It is not just words that convey joy but numbers and colours. The number five is auspicious in Chinese culture and the five principles of life are called Wufu. According to traditional Chinese thought, the most important goals in life are good luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth. According to traditional Chinese thought, the most important goals in life are good luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth. The colour red is very important and symbolises good luck and at Chinese New year gifts and presents are given in red envelopes and packaging. Also, a red dragon is very symbolic and culturally significant of this attainment of joy and good luck.
The Japanese also pursue Joy in a whole different way than their western counterparts. Joy is linked to the imperfect world in which someone lives and how the individual perceives themself. Let's consider the Japanese worldview of Wabi-Sabi. On its own, Wabi translates as the loneliness of living in nature away from society and Sabi means elegance. Interestingly the same Japanese character can translate as tranquillity. It acts as a reminder of our own connection with the past.
Japan is famous for its stunning aesthetics. architecture and its fondness for forest bathing and bonsai trees, so much so that we are constantly trying to replicate it in our own homes. If you look in a dictionary Yorokobi is the Japanese word for Joy but the Japanese have another view of contentment that is hard to track even on paper. Wabi-Sabi is a way of life and being that goes beyond language and refers to the contentment of existing in the world with nature.
Wabi translates as the loneliness of living in nature away from society and Sabi means elegance. Interestingly the same Japanese character can translate as tranquillity. It acts as a reminder of our own connection with the past.
In contrast, if we go East the Japanese pursue Joy in a whole different way that is all-encompassing of the world in which someone lives and includes how the individual perceives themself. Let's consider the Japanese worldview of Wabi-Sabi. On its own, Wabi translates as the loneliness of living in nature away from society and Sabi means elegance. Interestingly the same Japanese character can translate as tranquillity. It acts as a reminder of our own connection with the past.
Wabi-Sabi is a mindset, the view of the whole of its people on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. It revolves around the full appreciation of life in all its beauty and fragility. Wabi hinges on the acceptance that our true needs are simple. Rather than being a fleeting feeling of euphoria, it is a feeling of acceptance and stillness. It is a way of living that has grown in popularity in the West over the past hundred years or so. It is interesting to see how its meaning has shifted as it has entered other languages. We consume wabi-sabi food and use wabi-sabi in our own interiors and gardens. This idea of joy has no English equivalent but if you see it as being at peace with imperfection you are on the right track.
Another feeling of contentment and joy that has grown in popularity in recent years is Hygge, pronounced: “hoo-gah”. Denmark has a reputation for being home to the happiest people in the world. Hygge centres around creating a warm atmosphere and spending time with friends and family. The word Hygge stems from Hyjje meaning to think in Old Norse. Hygge is a very modern phenomenon coming into the public consciousness through books and the media. Norwegians also have a word for cosiness too, koselig although it does not have the same ring as Hygge. Think of that next time you see a Hygge tea and cup set in the department store.
There are so many descriptions of joy that leave their traces in our languages and cultures, it would be impossible to cover them all but the few discussed here show that the concept of joy transcends words itself into our very being and it is also how we interact with the world; whether it is cosying under a blanket with a hot drink, accepting the world for what it is and retreating to nature or taking a moment to relish our achievements or pure luck. Joy is difficult to translate into other languages but the feeling that we all experience inside are similar across cultures.
Thousands of books are published across the world every year as people pursue happiness. In a world where there is so much stress and worry joy really is the antidote that people seek and we show this through our choice of language.
That is what makes it so special. It binds us all no matter where we are all over the world. The language of joy has been on a journey of its own across time periods and countries. In our modern world joy has been turned into a multitude of brand names but it all links back to the same principles of happiness and joy over a lifetime. You could be forgiven for thinking that you need to spend money to be truly happy but our pursuit of joy is all around us and it's free. It will be intriguing to see how it evolves in the future and how these words continue to reflect us as people for generations to come. The language of Joy is still telling our most human story even with all the brand packaging.
It is important to look back and see how these words and ideas have evolved and changed over time and the legacy they leave for future generations. We enjoy counting our blessings and taking stock of how lucky we are. Taking the time to enjoy our lives and truly absorb our surroundings grounds us in our lives. Family is very important to us and we also find joy in our environments. When it is cold we fancy a bit of cosiness and warmth around a fire because it gives us a real sense of happiness as well as warmth. Joy is out there for everyone to see and experience and we chronicle it through our words. We see it on the face of children who openly share their happiness without abandon. Through hugs and kisses. The colour of the envelopes we give to loved ones on special occasions. Joy comes in many words and guises but it's clearly a universal life force that everyone values. Happiness is a language in itself!