New words bring new concepts; "Compersion"

[Stella_Omega]

Compersion is a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's current or former romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest. This can be experienced as any form of erotic or emotional empathy, depending on the person experiencing the emotion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compersion

This turns out to be a word I've needed since my earliest years!

 

[mikey2much]

Compersion is a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's current or former romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest. This can be experienced as any form of erotic or emotional empathy, depending on the person experiencing the emotion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compersion

This turns out to be a word I've needed since my earliest years!

Its the flip side of jealously

 

[Stella_Omega]

Its the flip side of jealously

yes, exactly that-- used to be all I could say was "I don't feel jealousy" but there wasn't anything to describe what i do feel-- now there is.

 

[PennLady]

I discovered the word "ultracrepadarianist" in college, defined as someone who offered opinions on things they knew little or nothing about. I thought it was a great word.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultracrepidarianism

 

[Stella_Omega]

That's a good one too, but I want to talk about this concept that is the material opposite of jealousy.

Not that I have much to say about it, although I guess-- in my writing I have never been able to use jealousy as a plot motivator, and I've never had much patience with it in the novels I read, either.

 

[PennLady]

You could have an ultracrepidarianist as your antagonist, maybe? Someone incapable of compersion, and when the protagonist(s) realize this, they know which way to go for a happy, or happier ending.

Now I need a word that sums that empty feeling after the team you like loses a game they could have won and jeopardizes their playoff chances.

I don't have much patience with jealousy either. I used it once in a story, but it was just for one scene and the story itself didn't hinge on it. Perhaps used once in a while it's okay, but it'd be nice to see more compersion.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

Sometimes a new word is just perfectly cromulent.

 

[3113]

Compersion is a state of empathetic happiness and joy experienced when an individual's current or former romantic partner experiences happiness and joy through an outside source, including, but not limited to, another romantic interest. This can be experienced as any form of erotic or emotional empathy, depending on the person experiencing the emotion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compersion

I agree it's a useful word, but I don't know, Stella. "Com-per-sion." It has no flare, no personality. I mean, look at Jealousy. The sounds of that word really suit what it's about. "Jell-o-see." There's something squishy and fluid and bouncy and uncertain about it. You can see it paired up with a sick feeling in the stomach when one person sees another's pleasure and becomes jealous.

But Compersion? How does that reflect in sound or tone or even how it looks on the page that radiant delight of romantic empathy? Shouldn't, in fact, the word start with an "E" for "empathy" and "elation" and have more energy about it?

Compersion sound so placid. So dull and kinda clinical....it's nice the word exists but they really should have come to us if they wanted to create a good sounding and looking word for such a thing. Don't ya think?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I disagree, 3. 'Compersion' has a warm, purring cat sound to it as though it were made up of 'contented' and 'emersion'. I can see my marriage pods in "Midsummer Fest" having compersion as one of the primary emotions allowing a successful omnigamous relationship.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I agree with both of you-- there is a placidity to the sound of the word, that doesn't jive with the sense of pleasure I, at least, feel when I experience this emotion.

But there it is. They didn't ask us. They just went ahead and filled the niche, linguistically speaking...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

But exciting or comfy, it does motivate me to get back to work on the prequel to "Midsummer Fest". Oh dear, I feel a novel coming on . . .

 

[Stella_Omega]

But exciting or comfy, it does motivate me to get back to work on the prequel to "Midsummer Fest". Oh dear, I feel a novel coming on . . .

Glad to hear it!

 

[Handley_Page]

Its the flip side of jealously

I do not think it is a word used much (if at all) over here. But my Oxford talking thing has a comprehensive guide to jealousy:

jealousy /delsi/ n. ME.
1 a The consuming fear, suspicion, or belief that one is being or might be displaced in someone's affections; distrust of the fidelity of a spouse or lover. ME.
b Of God: intolerance of the worship of other gods. ME.
c Resentment or envy of another person or of his or her possible or actual success, advantage, or superiority; rivalry. LME.
2 a Anger, wrath. LME-M17. b Devotion, eagerness. LME-M16.
3 Concern or anxiety for the preservation or well-being of something or someone; vigilance or care in guarding something or someone. LME. 4
Suspicion; apprehension of evil; mistrust. obs. exc. dial. LME.
5 = JALOUSIE. Chiefly Jamaican. L18.


The Thesaurus is also informative:-

noun 1. show jealousy at her rival's success grudgingness, resentment, resentfulness, ill-will, bitterness, spite, envy, covetousness; green-eyed monster.
2. the jealousy of her husband suspicion, suspiciousness, distrust, mistrust, doubt, insecurity, apprehension about rivals, possessiveness.
3. guard his honour with jealousy vigilance, watchfulness, heedfulness, attentiveness, care.

Antonyms: ADMIRATION; TRUST.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Oxford Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

[annanova]

There's an on-going story here that relies heavily on compersion. That's where I came across the word and I find the concept intriguing.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

LInk?

 

[annanova]

link

Sorry about the delay.

I haven't read all his stories, but the concept of compersion is discussed in the "Road Trip" series.

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=868670&page=submissions