Pleasure, Happiness and Joy

Yes, I recall. Last night once having gone to bed with some low brainer comedy playing on TV, I was slipping in slumber and so switched off TV. Perhaps I slept,  I think, without the need for reassurance that all is well. And then she held my hand indicating she was struggling to sleep.

Helping each other to achieve that state made it more complicated but at last we both slept.

So when I woke up, normally I do before 6 am, I thanked Him for a new day and resolved to be happy as the gift of the day passes. And then the language first and psychology later took control. The question was what is the difference between pleasure, happiness and joy.

This instrument, smart phone and search engines are a boon. My questions were answered to my satisfaction by a couple of articles and vedio clips.

Half an hour into the search for knowledge I understood why it is important to be clear about these three states and what should we be pursuing! I have understood that whereas pleasure originates from sensory organs, can be felt and physical, happiness is a state of mind, emotions and psychological but joy is deeper, lasting and spiritual.

I also understand pleasure is momentary, happiness is longer lasting but joy is eternal. I understand continued search for pleasure is harmful since it results in addiction.

I believe a peep into the sources will help others decide if they should dive deeper and dig into the sources sited for greater understanding and deciding further course for their life, I reproduce some critical portions here.

"Most of us spend our energy seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. We hope that by doing this, we will feel happy. Yet deep, abiding happiness and joy elude so many people.

There is a huge difference between happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is a momentary feeling that comes from something external -- a good meal, our stocks going up, making love and so on. Pleasure has to do with the positive experiences of our senses, and with good things happening. Pleasurable experiences can give us momentary feelings of happiness, but this happiness does not last long because it is dependent upon external events and experiences. We have to keep on having the good experiences -- more food, more drugs or alcohol, more money, more sex, more things -- in order to feel pleasure. As a result, many people become addicted to these external experiences, needing more and more to feel a short-lived feeling of happiness."
(Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-difference-between-happiness-and-pleasure_b_7053946) 

.Dr. Lustig in his book The Hacking of the American Mind, "enumerates seven differences between the two. Quoting him from a 2017 interview with the University of California TV, he clarifies.

The Seven Key Differences: 
• Pleasure is short-lived; happiness is long-lived.
• Pleasure is visceral; happiness is ethereal.
• Pleasure is taking; happiness is giving.
• Pleasure can be achieved with substances; happiness cannot be achieved with substances.
• Pleasure is experienced alone; happiness is experienced in social groups.
• The extremes of pleasure all lead to addiction, whether they be substances or behaviors. Yet there’s no such thing as being addicted to too much happiness.
• Finally and most importantly, pleasure is tied to dopamine (the pleasure biochemical/neurotransmitter), and happiness is tied to serotonin (the happiness biochemical/neurotransmitter)."
(Source: https://blog.deliveringhappiness.com/the-difference-between-happiness-vs.-pleasure-and-why-it-matters-at-work) 

Ultimate state, which I should be looking for is joy. "Despite the different perspectives, the idea that holds greater sway today is that experiencing happiness depends on external factors. Happiness happens to us. Even though we may seek it, desire it, pursue it, etc., feeling happiness is not a choice we make. Joy, on the other hand, is a choice purposefully made.

Happiness doesn’t bring joy, and joy isn’t the byproduct of happiness. Joy is something grander than happiness. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and when we find joy it’s infused with comfort and wrapped in peace. It’s an attitude of the heart and spirit, often synonymous with but not limited to following Christ Jesus and pursuing a Christian life." Here we can substitute Jesus Christ and Christianity with any other idol or faith.
(Source: https://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/difference-between-joy-and-happiness.htm) 

If this helps those unfortunate souls realise that they have developed addiction in pursuit of pleasure, getting rid of the same and inform me of that achievement, I will experience that joy.