Joy

I notice that there are different emotions that I can identify as a type of joy (what I generally refer to as such—something that brings a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure), and many of them are expressed with a smile.

Serene Joy (felt as plenitude)

It is when I feel my whole body in harmony, a calm "energy" flowing through it, with no "center of tension" being overloaded as in other emotions, nor an absence of feelings. 

My breathing is soft, almost imperceptible. It feels effortlessly complete, as if I am not even breathing but simply being fully filled with life and oxygen. 

The air seems to enter through my nostrils without touching their walls. I feel as if everything is possible, even doing nothing, just enjoying the pure sensation of peace, plenitude, calm, and well-being. 

There is no specific motivation to act. Everything seems to make sense, everything fits together, everything is exactly as it should be.

There is a sense of comfort and belonging to the world, of feeling at ease in it.

Few thoughts come to mind, as if there were nothing left to think about or achieve—there is a feeling that, in those moments, the purpose of life has been fulfilled, so the mind has no problems to solve, no need to seek distractions to entertain itself. 

There is a sensation of certainty, as if all the hardships suffered until that moment no longer matter, as if they were trivial, and what is real is only what exists now.

Although other emotions also color the world with their moods—making everything seem sad during sadness, everything seem irritating in anger, and everything seem hostile in fear—these emotions are generally more restricted in their perception of stimuli.

In these cases, it is the associated mood states that tend to generalize to other situations.

In depression (a more complex and pathological state that can involve more emotions and sensations), everything can truly be perceived as empty of meaning, sad, and fearful.

The notion of time is altered. While in negative emotions time seems to pass slowly in an unpleasant way, here it feels as if only the present moment exists, expanding itself. 

However, once this joy fades, it feels as though it was very brief.

Note: This joy was described based on my memory of this feeling, as it is rare and difficult to elicit through any stimulus, unlike emotions such as fear and anger. 

However, despite being rare, it is a remarkable experience.

Euphoric or Exuberant Joy

In this feeling, there is a sensation in the upper chest, as if it is opening up and being filled with air in a revitalizing way, which makes me lift it. 

My whole body becomes vibrant, and this may arise in anticipation of something very good to come or from experiencing something like that. 

My breathing also feels more open—I inhale more deeply, and the air touches the lateral walls of both nostrils. 

A smile is expressed with the mouth open, allowing air to sometimes enter and also exit through it. My body feels the need to move, and the movements are elevated, firm, sometimes fluid. 

My eyes open wider, and I direct my gaze in various directions, as if to take in everything around me with great enthusiasm and interest in the world.

Angry Joy

This type has already been described in the post about anger (see here). It relates to achieving something very difficult, like winning a game.

Sad Joy

This kind of joy arises when I remember something good — for example, a joyful moment that now belongs to the past. It can be related to people (saudade, a Portuguese term conveying a bittersweet mix of joy and sorrow), to times (nostalgia), or to places (homesickness or topophilia). 

It can also be connected to the feeling that, overall, things are going well, or that, despite life's sorrows, one has the support of loved ones — among other similar situations.

Tears may well up, but they do not begin with a lump in the throat; rather, they emerge from a deep relaxation in this area, like a loss of muscle tone, similar to the relief described below. 

Even the quality of the voice changes: it becomes deeper, with the air seeming to come from deep within, more velvety, softer, and may even tremble slightly.

Relief

Relief is when I know that something aversive to me has finally passed, or that the situation that made me apprehensive will no longer happen, or was not as I had imagined it to be. 

It is a sensation of release, of dropping something heavy, of bodily relaxation, a quick yet generally long exhalation through the mouth, but in a relaxed manner—because a tension in the throat dissolves. 

The voice and laughter become light and slightly shaky, but not due to muscular tension; on the contrary, because they are completely relaxed.

Check here how I described the flow of sensations involved in emotions in general.

Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E