Dedicating just seven minutes over seven days to a micro act of joy could help us rewire our brains and feel happier in life, according to neuroscientists.
And given the weight of the past few years – a pandemic, war, cost of living crisis – it’s certainly worth a shot.
“Findings from neuroscience, psychology, medicine, public health, and other fields increasingly confirm ... that joy can begin within us when we choose to do even a tiny action in the direction of joy,” Dr Elissa Epel, of the Department of Psychiatry at University of California and author of The Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease, tells HuffPost UK.
It’s increasingly believed we can train our brains to access joy more quickly and easily. And this is beneficial because when we face adversity, we can return to the exercises that direct our brain to a place of peace and a more sustainable source of joy.
Just like you can make bad habits – smoking, biting your nails, etc. – you can also make a positive habit of being more joyful.
“Habits are formed when we repeat behaviours – when a behaviour triggers a positive emotional response, we are likely to remember this and do it again,” says the happiness expert.
“We can make that work even more for us by becoming highly aware of what makes us feel positive, savouring the experience, and making us more likely to do it.”
Experts in the neuroscience of joy – including Dr Epel – have joined forces for The BIG JOY Project, which provides quick, science-based actions to train our brains to create and maintain joy more quickly and easily.
It is the largest–ever citizen science project studying joy, with a focus on learning about our ability to create joy within, rather than waiting for our external circumstances to change.
Over 50,000 people globally have participated to date and so far, the findings are extremely positive. The majority of people are showing an immediate increase in positive emotions after trying joy practices, say researchers.
And doing them every day has been found to increase emotional wellbeing at the end of the week.
So what kind of micro acts of joy can you be doing on a daily basis to boost your own happiness and wellbeing?
Here’s what Dr Epel suggests:
Focus on gratitude. Make a list of things you are grateful for, small and large.
Experience the wonder and awe in nature. Try a “dwell in awe” video or take an awe walk in nature.
Reframe negative events to find a silver lining. Shift your perspective through finding the benefit within a daily hassle.
Engage in kind acts. Say or send a kind message! Can you try to do five kind acts to others.
Capitalise on positive events for others. Solicit and actively listen to a positive story.
Affirm important values. Rank the importance of four core values and write a brief account of how the top value shows up in life.
You can choose one of these to do for seven minutes per day each week – or you can mix things up and try a different one each day.
If you find there’s one that makes you feel particularly joyful, you could stick with this one practice and keep trying it every day.
“Our body loves to have predictable daily rituals,” says Dr Epel. “They make us feel ease and comfort when we know what comes next.”