Euphoria: The Evolution to Happy

To us, the word euphoria means something like intense joy, elation or a kind of overwhelming happiness that lifts us out of ourselves. Euphoria may be extreme joy in our minds, heightened sensations or even drug-induced mania. But its origin tells a more layered story—one that has less to do with happiness, and more to do with strength and ability. 

The word euphoria comes from Ancient Greek. It combines eu, meaning “well,” and pherein, meaning “to bear” or “to carry.” So at its root, euphoria meant “well-bearing” or “the ability to bear well” in the physical and existential sense. To be in euphoria originally meant to have the strength to carry something well. It referred to stamina, endurance, fertility and overall bodily ease. 

The connection between the word euphoria and the body makes its transition to becoming a medical term a smooth one. In 17th-century Europe, doctors used the word to describe a patient's ability to tolerate pain, an illness or a particular treatment. If someone seemed relatively comfortable or unbothered through an experience as intense as tuberculosis, a doctor might write “experiencing euphoria” in their notes. 

It was in the 18th and 19th Centuries that the word became bonded with substance use. People who drank tonics or herbal teas containing opiates might express a feeling of wellness, although temporarily. 

By the late 19th Century, the word euphoria took a turn for the emotional, the psychological and the existential. Instead of referring to a physical state of being, the word described elevated moods. It became synonymous with blissful states of being and that breakthrough feeling after extreme trial. 

Now, when we use the word euphoria, we can be describing anything from a state of being achieved from a perfect espresso pull or a life-changing moment like giving birth or seeing the northern lights. But the word still carries its echoes from the halls of 17th Century hospitals, where even crippled with pain, one bore it well.