I am on a mission to have more joy. After watching Mission: Joy, the documentary film about experiencing joy during troubled times, I was very curious about research that has been done about joy. I had no idea people were studying joy! As a health care provider, I wonder what I can do to help my patients have more joy. How would it benefit their overall health? Wondering what the science says about it, I did a little bit of a search to see what the effect of joy is on our health and life. Let’s have a little chat about the science of joy.
What is the definition of joy?
According to Peg Callahan, director and filmmaker of the documentary Mission:Joy, the terms joy and happiness are often used interchangeably, even in studies. Some believe, however, that joy is a deeper, more lasting feeling than happiness, which can be fleeting. Joy is also thought to “be an inside job”. Meaning, it is something that we can make for ourselves, within ourselves. Research has looked at what we can do to increase the feeling of joy in our lives. Often that involves gratitude.
Sonia Lyubomirsky is a psychologist who has studied happiness. She defines happiness as experiencing frequent positive emotions, like joy, pride, and interest with less negative emotions like anger, sadness, and anxiety. Happiness is related to life satisfaction and moments of pleasure, like eating an ice cream cone.
Dr. Pamela King feels that joy is more related to what we value in life. She feels that joy is related to living an authentic life that is in keeping with our values and morals and involves cooperation and connection with others. She suggests that joy not just an individual process, but one that also involves deep interactions with others. Where happiness is considered hedonistic – having to do with things- joy is eudemonic-a life well-lived. One definition of joy is the thriving of the soul and doing what you were meant to do as a human. In other words, fulfillment.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu states that “joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not”.
For the rest of this post, I will use the term joy, meaning both joy and happiness.
What do studies about joy say?
Joy makes us feel better and even increases overall health. It affects our brain, notably by releasing dopamine and serotonin. People with depression have limited amounts of these important neurotransmitters.
The “build and broaden” theory by Barbara Frederickson, PhD states that joy:
- Is always present. It may be buried, but it is always with us
- It broadens our perspective, as opposed to depression that narrows our view
- It makes us feel curious and playful, wanting to connect with others
- It lessens the time we spend in negative states, and allows for physiological recovery from these negative states
- It increases our creativity and resilience and knowledge
The Dalai Lama would say that broadening our perspective, that is, seeing the bigger picture is what helps us feel joy. Broadening our perspective involves seeing the positive and good in otherwise challenging situations. It helps us to let go of attachments and regret, and helps us develop gratitude. Though he was driven out of Tibet by the Chinese, he feels they did him a favor. In exile he has been able to reach a wider audience that if he were cloistered in the palace in Tibet. Because he was exiled, he has been able to learn more about the world and cultures around him.
Is gratitude related to joy?
U.C. Davis professor Robert Emmons studies gratitude. His team found that people who focus on gratitude do not ignore the difficulties in life, rather, they find what they can to appreciate. Grateful people are healthier and experience less stress, and are rated as more generous and helpful by others. Other research has shown that gratitude stimulates the hypothalamus and the reward centers in the brain. Something as simple as smiling releases a cascade of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine that reduce stress and make us feel good. But have you ever noticed that smiling is contagious? When we are grateful and joyful, others feel that from us, then in turn spread it to others as well. It seems then that the two are related.
What are some of the benefits of feeling joy?
According to the documentary Mission:Joy, studies show that people who feel joy:
- Are more productive and creative
- Are more effective leaders
- Have more satisfying and better-paying jobs
- Have better and more social support
- Are more likely to marry and less likely to divorce
- Are more likely to volunteer and contribute to charity
- Are more resilient
- Have more effective immune systems, greater overall health and longevity
I don’t know about you, but I’ll take what they’re having! That all sounds good to me!
What can I do to have more joy?
OK, for a bit of a cliff-hanger here, that is the topic of my next post as I delve into the “Eight Pillars of Joy” as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu talk about in their book, “The Book of Joy”. The book also has several practices that can help you cultivate joy.
Robert Louis Stevenson said ‘and the true realism, always and everywhere, is that of the poets: to find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all’.
What Is Joy and What Does It Say About Us? | Psychology Today
Measuring Gratitude – Gratitude Works (ucdavis.edu)
Love, compassion and ethics – a dialogue with the Dalai Lama at Happiness & Its Causes 2015 – YouTube A long but interesting video about happiness, starting with Barbara Federickson who is studying happiness and well-being, and he Dalai Lama.
The Science Behind the Joy of Sharing Joy | Psychology Today
Joy: An introduction to this special issue (tandfonline.com)