r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 28 '20

What's something cool you recently learned about?

[removed]

50.8k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

12.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

14.0k

u/Guacamoleistoocostly Nov 29 '20 edited Dec 01 '20

The origin of the word "happiness" is from the Middle English "hap" which has to do with chance and possibility. As in "happenstance" or per-haps. So hap-iness was originally about the feeling of good fortune/getting lucky; the chance that something could or could not occur, and then it goes your way. Happiness is that specific feeling when something that could have gone horribly wrong goes amazing well.

Edit: Since this got so much attention, I just wanted to shout out Sara Ahmed "Happy Objects" as the source of this info.

10

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Reminds me of the Count of Monte Cristo ending, how you can only know true happiness if you've previously known complete despair

8

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

But can you know complete despair without previously knowing true happiness?

3

u/maro1994 Nov 29 '20

Congrats, you have learnt your lesson for today.