Word-Of-the-Week #1012: Joy
December 28, 2023 by Susan Clarke
Joy – a deep feeling of happiness or contentment.
Do you know that feeling joy is strongly associated with subjective well-being, which is essential for human flourishing? When was the last time you felt connected, or reunited with something or someone that’s really important to you?
This week features excerpts from Washington Post writer Richard Sima, “Want to feel happier? Try snacking on joy. Learning to find the joy in mundane experiences is a way to cultivate a more meaningful life. I ran this last year and updated it by adding “My Joy Jar” experience.
“Here’s an antidote to an ever-stressful, busy and uncertain world. Try finding and savoring little bites of joy in your day. I call them “joy” snacks.
By mindfully tuning into the pleasant, nice and sometimes routine experiences of every day, we can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something more meaningful and even joyful.
Lunch with a co-worker. Walking the dog. Texting with a friend. Watching a favorite show. Eating a favorite meal. Calling your mom. Just hanging out.
New research shows that finding and savoring these nuggets of joy can be a way of consistently cultivating a good, meaningful life.
Understanding the science of joy
Surprisingly, joy has been relatively neglected by scholars.
But recent research suggests that joy is a distinct positive emotion for “when we feel connected, or reunited with something or someone that’s really important to us,” said Philip Watkins, psychologist who studies joy, gratitude and happiness at Eastern Washington University.
Big events like weddings or reunions are well-known smorgasbords for joy. But smaller bites of joy in everyday life matter, too, and are easier to attain if we don’t overlook them.
Previous research has shown we derive meaning in life from three key factors — feeling like our life makes sense, having a purpose driven by goals we care about and feeling like our lives matter.
A February study published in Nature Human Behavior involving more than 3,000 participants across multiple experiments reported that valuing one’s life experiences, or experiential appreciation, is another potent way of making life feel more meaningful.
There is also joy to be had when you take the time to reconnect with the person that is always with you: yourself.”
In September I took a trip to Chicago (where I lived in the 1980’s) with my niece. We had such a great time and when I got home, I was filled with so much joy! And I thought to myself, My Joy Jar is full!
So, this year my holiday gift to my special friends was a Joy Jar that I made. The concept is to fill it with experiences or thoughts that make you feel happy and joyful. It can be something little or something profound. Hopefully, you find at least one thing per day that makes you happy, write it down and put it into the jar. After a month, a few months, a year, or whenever you are feeling down and need a pick me up, pull out a note and read it and remember how it made you feel happy and joyful.
This week’s focus is on feeling joy. Do you feel that your life makes sense and that it matters? Does your life feel purpose driven by goals you care about? Have you taken time to reconnect with yourself? How would it feel to find and savor little bites of joy in your day?
I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.