Happiness, pleasure or joy is the emotional state of being happy. The definition of happiness is one of the greatest philosophical quandaries. Proposed definitions include freedom from want and distress, consciousness of the good order of things, assurance of one's place in the universe or society, and so forth. Associated emotions include joy, exultation, delight, bliss, and love, and antonyms include suffering, sadness, grief, and anger.
Philosophies of happiness
Some claims that happiness is a synonym for evolution or growing. If someone evolves, he/she is happy, if not, he/she isn't. Although this theory is questionable, it makes the word "happiness" useable for non-biological living systems, for example an artificial intelligence, or a complex system (see Gaia or Galaxia).
See also: morality, which might be defined as the study of the fair distribution of happiness.
A number of commonly recommended ways to produce happiness:
Achieving happiness
But most of the above, as a side effect of causing happiness, can also be addictive. An addiction can mask unhappiness and prevent one from finding true happiness.
See also
Happiness is also a 1998 U.S film written and directed by Todd Solondz.
Joy is a 1990 novel by Marsha Hunt.
See also: Bill Joy