Joy is an emotion experienced by many, but understood by few. It’s usually mistaken for happiness, yet is unique in its impact on both our mind and body. Joy is not just a mere fleeting emotion – it triggers a host of significant physiological & psychological changes that can improve our physical and mental health. And, luckily, for us, there are many easy things we can do each day in order to boost the amount we feel. Joy often refers to a broad sense of being satisfied with life that appears after experiencing a sense of awe or wonder. Many of us might better associate it with feeling blessed. While joy is experience, naturally, happiness is often pursued. Even the way we express joy is different from our other emotions. The smile it produces is different from how we might smile when we’re happy. Joy creates an involuntary genuine smile that reaches our eyes. This type of smile associated with the range of benefits, such as improvements in physical health, better recovery after illness, and stronger bond with others. Joy also triggers a series of changes in our body. When joyous, our breathing becomes faster, our hearts beat increases, and our chest and entire body feel warmer. These sensations are caused by the release of adrenaline that makes our body prepared for engagement and movement, making us feel more mentally prepared to take on life challenges. These physiological changes are also associated with improved mood. In the brain, joy triggers activity in several pleasure– related hotspots that are distributed throughout the brain. The sensation of Joy is then spread to other parts of the central nervous system through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.
The neurotransmitter dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, and endorphins are released when we feel joy.
Interestingly, joy is both a trait and a state. This means that while some of us only experience it as a result of a joyful situation, others have a capacity for it, meaning they are able to experience joy regardless of whether they have encountered something joyful. Some people may find it easier to experience joy, that doesn’t mean there aren’t easy things we can all do to help boost our experience of it.
1. FOOD: sharing food with others can help us experience more joy, and this isn’t just being in the company of others boost our experience of joy. The very act of sharing food can also spark it. That is why research shows that eating with others can enhance what’s known as psychological flourishing the highest level of well-being. Preparing food with friends and family can also stimulate joy. So if you are looking to add a bit more to your daily life, perhaps go out for dinner with friends or better yet, arrange a dinner party where you all prepare eat, and enjoy the meal together.
2.PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:
Whether or not, we actually experience joy, while exercising depends a lot on the circumstances surrounding the physical activity, rather than the activity itself. When running with others, we tend to experience more joy, then when running on our own. If you want to use exercise to get more joy in your life, tried to set yourself a challenge, you want to achieve and team up with friends on your journey to achieving it.
3.WRITING: Another simple way you can boost feelings of joy is by writing down how you feel. Participants who spent one hour a day writing about intense positive experiences, such as the joy of seeing a family member returning home, or seeing a bosom friend after a long time, returning home, or watching your child or grandchild walk, for three months experienced better moods, compared with participants who wrote about different topics. Those who write about their positive experiences also made fewer visits to the doctors in the three months period. However, while joy is wonderful to experience, it isn’t the only emotion we will encounter in our life. It is important to try and embrace all the emotions we experience be that sadness, anger, happiness, or joy.
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