Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
In short: Joy is good for your brain as well as your mood. When you feel it, your body relaxes, your thinking opens up, you remember and learn more easily, and you feel closer to the people you share it with. You don’t need big events for this: small, frequent moments of joy, noticed and enjoyed, do the work.
When was the last time you felt pure joy? Perhaps you bumped into an old friend in the street. Perhaps a favourite song came on the radio while you were cooking, and you turned it up. Perhaps you stopped on your way home because the sky had gone pink. For a moment, everything else went quiet. You felt lighter, warmer, more yourself.
That moment did more than feel nice. It did your brain good, too. I’d like to show you how, in plain words, and then give you a few simple ways to have more of those moments in an ordinary week.
What does joy do to your brain?
When you feel joy, your brain sends out its own feel-good messengers. You don’t need to know their names. What matters is what they do, and they do three things.
Joy makes you want to do it again
Your brain has a way of rewarding you for the things that please it. Something delights you, your brain takes note, and it nudges you to look for the same thing again. That is why joy is such a strong motivator. A walk that left you glowing is a walk you’ll want to take tomorrow, without having to talk yourself into it.
Joy steadies your mood
Joy also calms. It softens worry and lifts a low mood, and it is tied in with the things that keep you on an even keel, such as your appetite and your sleep. On days with a little joy in them, everything else feels more manageable. If rest is the missing piece for you, my article on simple habits for better nights may help.
Joy brings you closer to others
Think of laughing with friends until your cheeks ache, or sharing a happy moment with someone you love. Joy that is shared creates a bond. You feel connected, trusted, part of something. This is one reason friendship matters so much for our health.
Does joy really help you think better?
Yes, and this is the part people find most surprising. Joy doesn’t only change how you feel. It changes how well you think.
When you’re in a good mood, your mind is more open. It makes links between ideas that it wouldn’t make when you’re tense, and so you become more creative and better at solving problems. You’ve probably noticed it yourself: the answer you couldn’t find at your desk arrives while you’re laughing with a colleague over coffee, or humming in the shower. A mind under pressure narrows. A mind at ease looks around.
Joy also helps you remember and learn. A brain that feels good is better at building and strengthening its own connections, and that is what learning is. Think of how easily you remember the words of a song you love, or the details of a wonderful day, compared with a list you forced yourself to study when you were fed up. If you’d like to look after your thinking in other ways as well, I wrote about how to boost your mental energy.
Why do we so often leave joy for later?
Because it looks like a reward, something you earn once the work is done, the house is tidy and everyone else has been taken care of. So it slides to the end of the list, and the end of the list never comes.
I’d love you to see it the other way round. Joy isn’t the prize for a well-run life. It is part of what helps you run it: clearer thinking, a steadier mood, warmer relationships. A few minutes of joy in the middle of a busy Tuesday are not time taken away from what matters. They help you do what matters better.
What helps? Five ways to bring more joy into your days
1. Seek out what brings you joy
Time with people you love, music, a hobby you’ve been curious about: make room for it. Put it in your diary if you need to, the way you would an appointment. Start by asking yourself what you enjoyed last week, and plan one of those things for this week.
2. Practise gratitude
Turning your attention to what is good in your life is one of the surest ways to feel more joy. In the evening, name two or three good things from your day, however small: the warm bread, the message from your sister, the ten minutes in the sun. I explain why this works so well in how gratitude can change your outlook.
3. Find the humour in everyday life
Laughter lifts your mood faster than almost anything. Look for the funny side of small things: the cat’s outrage at the rain, the cake that collapsed, your own muddle with the car keys. Watch something that makes you laugh out loud. Ring the friend who always sees the comic side.
4. Share your joy
Joy grows when it’s shared. Tell someone about the lovely thing that happened. Do something kind without being asked. Celebrate other people’s successes as if they were yours. Small acts of kindness give joy to two people at once.
5. Take care of yourself
It’s hard to feel joyful when you’re exhausted, hungry or wound up. Movement, good food and ways to let go of stress prepare the ground in which joy can grow. Self-care isn’t a luxury here: it’s the soil.
Joy is a powerful emotion, and it’s far more available than we tend to think. Look for it, notice it, share it, look after yourself, and your brain will thank you. If you’d like to go further, I answer many more questions in 18 FAQs on joy.
Frequently asked questions
Is joy the same as happiness?
They are close cousins. Happiness often depends on what is happening around you, while joy is quieter and can be there even on an ordinary or difficult day. For your mind, both are welcome, and small regular moments count more than rare big ones.
Can I feel more joy if I am not a naturally cheerful person?
Yes. Joy is less a character trait than a habit of attention. If you make room for the things you enjoy and take a moment to notice them, joy grows, whatever your temperament.
How quickly will I notice a difference?
A moment of joy changes how you feel straight away: your shoulders drop and your thoughts loosen. The lasting effect on your mood and your thinking comes from repetition, so give it a few weeks of small daily moments.
What if I cannot feel joy at the moment?
Be gentle with yourself. Tiredness, stress and grief all dull joy for a while. Start very small, with daylight, a short walk, a friendly voice, and do not force a feeling that is not there.
When should I talk to my doctor?
If nothing has given you pleasure for a couple of weeks or more, if you feel low or anxious most days, or if your sleep, appetite or memory have changed in a way that worries you, please talk to your doctor. That is not something to sort out alone.
Would you like some help?
Making room for joy, alongside good food, rest and movement, is one of the things we work on in my group programmes in nutrition and health, such as Six Tuesdays in Montignac. If you’d like to hear when the next group opens, write to me at hello@catherinepolet.coach.
Would you rather work one to one? I also coach online. Book a free 20-minute call, and tell me what used to make you light up. We’ll look at how to bring it back into your week.
About Catherine
I’m Catherine Polet, a holistic nutrition health coach, yoga and autogenic training teacher for more than 30 years, author and speaker. I help people find a way of eating and living that suits their own body, online in English, French, Spanish and German, and in person in Southwest France.
