# happy (emotional)

a state where a human feels pleasure and contentment

- Computed level: L18 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: emotion  ·  Arena: happy

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [state](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-state.condition), [feel](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-feel.sensory), [human](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-human.person), [pleasure](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-pleasure.feeling), [content](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-content.material)

**Through:** when a human perceives pleasure and contentment through sensory feeling, the condition of happiness emerges

**Novel properties:**
- sustained positive affect
- inner fulfillment
- emotional satisfaction

## Examples
- In 2018, a child laughed and clapped at the Monterey Bay Aquarium while watching sea otters break abalone shells. *(everyday life)*
- After Brazil won the 1970 World Cup, millions in Rio de Janeiro flooded the streets, dancing and singing until dawn. *(institutions)*
- In a 2023 fMRI study at MIT, dopamine spikes were recorded in subjects viewing photos of loved ones. *(neuroscience)*

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-happy.emotional*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-happy.emotional.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*