Happy means feeling pleased, content, or joyful about something. When you're happy, you might smile without thinking about it, feel lighter, or want to share your good mood with others. You could be happy because your best friend is coming over, because you figured out a tough problem, or simply because it's a beautiful Saturday morning.

The word covers a wide range of positive feelings. Sometimes being happy means calm contentment, like the satisfaction of finishing a book you loved. Other times it means excitement and energy, like the happiness you feel when school lets out for summer. You might feel happy about big things (moving to a new house, getting a dog) or small ones (finding a smooth rock, hearing your favorite song).

People often chase happiness, but it's worth knowing that nobody feels happy all the time. Happiness comes and goes naturally. You can be generally happy with your life even when you're having a frustrating day, just like you can feel a moment of happiness even during a difficult time.

When something makes you happy, you might say it brings you joy or gladness. When you're extremely happy, you might be thrilled, delighted, or overjoyed.