A couple of times, I have expressed my joy at fairly complex things – games, stories. To some, this probably came across as intellectual posturing. But my joy is genuine, and there’s evidence for its universality, in different forms.
An exquisite piece of music may be joyful to many, being able to move an audience with little to no effort. The desired effect is the first bundle of joy from such things. A simple, single note rarely evokes much feeling. But put in some variations, combine a few of them together, and then that added complexity makes the whole thing more interesting. The intricacies of the composition is consumed directly, and we can see how that is possibly the most common form of joy found in complexity.
The second bundle of joy is from the personal sense of achievement in having been able to digest a thing of complexity. This is also fairly common, or at least commonly understood as being joyful. It comes from a combination of intellectual curiosity and capability. From a certain point of view, all problems are puzzles – from elementary homework to the secrets of the cosmos. And we love solving puzzles for the resulting sense of achievement, of overcoming a challenge.
There is yet another, third joy to be found in things with complexity. This is in understanding the effort that went into their creation. Anything with complexity takes extra effort to be put into a fair form. Their consumption doesn’t always reveal that effort. You might find an heirloom ring with an intricate filigree beautiful. But having an idea of jewelsmithing could make those fine metal lines even more delightful.
With at least 3 layers to it, there is much joy and beauty in complexity. But as I guess it is with all beauty, joy, too, is in the eye of the beholder. In more ways than one.