hyperthymia

These two women were lucky to be born with a joyous temperament, which in its most extreme forms is called hyperthymia.

This novel's central figure is a woman ostensibly afflicted with hyperthymia - an excess of happiness.

A lesser form of hypomania is called hyperthymia.

The clinical, psychiatric understanding of hyperthymia is evolving.

In psychiatry, hyperthymia is rarely discussed, and is not an accepted diagnosis.

But little is actually known about people with hyperthymia for the simple reason that they don't see psychiatrists complaining that they are happy.

It is not known where to place hyperthymia on the affective spectrum, how to diagnose it, or what such a diagnosis means.

If dysthymia is hyperthymia's dark twin, then hyperthymia may not always be so rosy.

Cyclothymic disorder involves rapid cycling from moderate depressive to manic symptoms, and hyperthymia is a state of elevated mood.

But unlike hyperthymia, mania is an inherently unstable state of euphoria, irritability and often psychosis that causes profound morbidity and impaired functioning.

While that book revolved around a young man who suffers serious brain damage, the central figure of "Generosity" is a woman ostensibly afflicted with hyperthymia - an excess of happiness.

But hyperthymia certainly doesn't look like an illness; there appears to be no disadvantage to being a euphoric extrovert, except, perhaps, for inspiring an occasional homicidal impulse from jealous friends or peers.

Walker has sought to defend biohappiness on the grounds that happiness ought to be of interest to a wide range of moral theorists; and that hyperthymia, a state of high baseline happiness, is associated with better outcomes in health and human achievement.