Dennis Prager felt ecstasy after the 2016 election but only relief after 2024. He explains the difference: relief is what you feel when something painful ends, while happiness is broader and celebratory. He's normally in a stable mood and rarely experiences such intensity.
2016, I was just overjoyed. I rarely get depressed and I rarely get ecstatic. I'm in an essentially happy, stable mood all the time, as you can testify to. But I was sort of ecstatic that night, I admit it. This time I was relieved. And then somebody said to me when I told them that, he said, "What's the difference between relieved and happy?" It's a very fair question. So I said, If you're being tortured and they stop, your primary emotion is relief. Not, oh, am I a— I'm leaving. Your primary emotion is not, oh, what a great day. It's thank God this is over.
Life, Legacy, and a Dangerous Mission in the Soviet Union | Sunday Fireside Chat
