I would say it&#x27;s not pleasure vs joy, but happiness vs meaning. Many things can bring us happiness, including money, possessions, and even &quot;being ahead&quot;. But these things don&#x27;t bring meaning to out lives. The things that you listed that bring us joy actually give our life meaning. We want our lives to be meaningful much more than we want happiness. We ought to optimize our life to make it meaningful. That&#x27;s the only way we&#x27;ll feel that we had a good life.