It Is Easier to Be Compassionate than to Be Joyful

Appreciating joy is being super happy for all the success of everyone else. Even if their  happiness may be misguided or temporary, you enjoy their joy. 

It's very hard to have appreciative joy because people are succeeding in things that you might like to have in relationships, work, and so forth, or they are excited about things that you are not excited about at all. I can hardly get excited about tickets for the 49ers game and I don't really need to drive over there and get in the parking lot, but I'm very excited for you.

Nowadays it is harder to have appreciative joy and compassion because compassion puts you in a position of delivery of services. You are “in charge” and that gives you a sense of psychological power. 

In appreciative joy you don't have that power because their joy is from their situation that you're not a part of. It's harder to do than compassion as you feel less in control.