How often do we laugh not because we are truly happy, but because it is a social norm?
We laugh to hide pain, mask sadness or not to show our vulnerability. We laugh to meet the expectations of others or simply because "it is necessary".

Laughter can be empty, mechanical, without true joy. It can be a reaction to something that actually has nothing to do with a person's inner state. We have all seen it: laughter that does not reach the eyes, that does not warm, but only dully bounces off others.

What about joy?
Sometimes joy does not manifest itself in laughter.
It is quiet. Light. It does not scream, but warms. It is an internal state of peace and satisfaction, when the soul feels that everything is right, that you are in your place, that the world around is harmonious.

Joy can be in a quiet evening at home, in a warm look, in a moment of peace, when words are not needed to feel happiness. It does not always require loud expression. And even if you do not laugh, there can be a feeling of complete fulfillment inside.

What do these contrasts tell us?
Laughter and joy do not always go hand in hand.
Sometimes laughter can be a mask. And joy is a much deeper, often hidden experience that does not always manifest itself in the outside. We often confuse these two states, but true joy does not depend on the volume of laughter.

It does not require spectacles, does not require a show. Joy is a state of mind that comes not from what's going on around you, but from what's going on inside you.

And perhaps the deepest joy is the one that requires nothing. Not even laughter.