Latest news with #BigJoyProject
Toronto Sun
31-07-2025
- Science
- Toronto Sun
7 simple ways to be a bit happier each day
Published Jul 31, 2025 • Last updated 5 minutes ago • 7 minute read Act of kindness. Photo by Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. With the stresses of daily life, it can often seem difficult to find moments to smell the proverbial roses. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But you don't necessarily need a lot of time or effort to experience meaningful joy, a recent study reported. The study, which researchers dubbed the Big Joy Project, enrolled more than 17,000 people across 169 countries to receive one daily joy-boosting activity for a week via email. Each activity was based on scientific research and – importantly – was accessible and brief, requiring only five to 10 minutes. Despite the low time commitment – past online intervention studies lasted multiple weeks – the researchers were 'surprised' by the effect the program had in sparking joy across the world. Compared with how they felt before the program, participants said they saw meaningful improvements in emotional well-being, increases in positive emotions and a better sense of control over their own happiness afterward. Participants also said they felt more willing to help others. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The benefits extended to other aspects of health: Participants also reported feeling less stressed and generally healthier, and sleeping better after the week. 'You can make small changes in your life that have big effects,' said Darwin Guevarra, an assistant professor of psychology at Miami University and an author of the study. The Big Joy Project was meant to show people that 'joy is a skill they can build,' Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California at San Francisco and a study co-author, said in an email. Here are seven, short, science-based practices you can try – think of them as joy snacks. – – – Seek out awe Awe is a powerful emotion we feel when we encounter something vast, complex or beyond what we normally experience. It can produce 'little earthquakes in the mind,' as one awe researcher put it, that change how we see the world and our place in it. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Awe makes us feel more connected and makes us (and our worries) feel small – but in a good way. Research has linked the emotion to a panoply of psychological and physical benefits – less stress, less rumination and more connection and life satisfaction. In short, it is awesome that our brains can experience awe. Awe is not hard to find, if you know where to look and the mindset to be in. In the current study, people were told to watch a short, awe-inspiring video of Yosemite and to write what they liked about it and how it made them feel. Nature is an endless source of awe, but so are inspiring people performing acts of kindness or courage like those profiled by our friends at The Optimist. With the right mindset, we can find awe in the everyday and transcendence in the mundane. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Just remember to apply the AWE method when you notice something that you had missed: Attention: Give your full attention to things you appreciate, value or find amazing. Wait: Slow down, pause. Exhale + Expand: Amplify the sensations you are experiencing. – – – Tune in to gratitude Gratitude has been found to improve our mental health, even if we don't always remember or realize how much a simple gesture of thanks can mean to ourselves and others. You can start small: In the study, participants were asked to make a list of eight things or people they feel grateful for. But the more specific and concrete you get, the more benefits you reap. In a 2022 study of 958 adults, Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, and her colleagues found that writing gratitude letters resulted in larger boosts to well-being than gratitude lists. In addition, writing gratitude letters to specific people in the participants' lives had the greatest benefits. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – Do something kind Doing good is good for you. Studies have found that giving to others also seems to take away our own pain, and spending money on others tends to 'buy' more joy than spending it on ourselves. Spreading kindness sets up a virtuous cycle – altruism tends to beget more altruism because doing good feels good, too. A big reason acts of kindness make people happier is that 'these pro-social behaviors are actually social, too, right?' Lyubomirsky said. 'It forces you to connect with other people.' The Big Joy Project asked participants to think of five people they might see that day and one thing they could do for each to brighten up their days. The participants were also encouraged to say or message something kind to someone. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – Celebrate another's joy Unlike a food snack, a joy snack multiplies when we share it. When someone shares something positive with us, we can capitalize on it by expressing excitement and joy for them – a behavior that relationship researchers call capitalization. Research shows this practice is mutually beneficial. It's not hard to see why: Capitalization 'establishes immediate connection, it has someone listening to you,' Guevarra said. 'So it not only boosts your joy, but it boosts another person's joy for sharing something.' It can be simple yet effective: In the Big Joy Project, participants were asked to find someone to talk to and ask them to share a fun, inspiring or proud moment, and encouraged to respond positively. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In our daily lives, we can practice recognizing when a loved one is sharing something positive and be ready to celebrate with them. – – – Tune in to what matters Having a sense of meaning is strongly associated with a happier and longer life. Reflecting on what core values you appreciate can help you make better sense of your life. 'Sometimes we don't have clarity about what's important to us. And just taking the moment to think about that is important,' Guevarra said. In the Big Joy Project, participants were asked to rank four values – virtue, fairness, goodwill and unity – and write about how these values appear in their lives. – – – Reflect on the good you can do Having a positive impact and feeling as if we matter are common sources of purpose found across cultures and predict having a meaningful or happy life, research shows. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the Big Joy Project, participants listened to an audio-guided reflection on how they can contribute goodness and compassion to the world. The purpose is 'orienting yourself to the world' so you can be a force for good, Guevarra said. – – – Shift your perspective Negative experiences don't always lead to negative consequences, research shows. Our beliefs and expectations about difficulties can affect not only how we respond to them, but also how well we feel afterward. Rethinking these difficulties and finding the silver linings can help you feel better in both the moment and the longer term. In the Big Joy Project, participants wrote about a recent experience of frustration, upset or anxiety but also three positive things that came as a result. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – A 'gateway' to more joy The fact that even small joy snacks can be mentally nourishing should not dissuade people from trying longer, heartier practices, researchers said. The practices in the Big Joy Project can serve as a 'gateway' to doing more things, Guevarra said. 'It becomes part of your daily routine, it becomes part of your daily life, and it becomes a part of your character,' he said. Indeed, people who did more of the daily practices had more improvements than those who did only a few. Interestingly, these joy snacks were even more beneficial for those from less privileged backgrounds. People from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds, or people who had the most financial strain or felt they had the least social status tended to report larger improvements to their well-being after the program. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Practices focusing on joy are not some luxury we should put off until later, after we have overcome hardships. Rather, they help us get through hard times,' Epel said. The study did not have a control group – meaning researchers weren't able to compare similar people who did not get the emails with those who did – and it isn't possible to know why and how the different micro-joy acts are effective, said Lyubomirsky, who was not involved in the study. But 'they succeeded in increasing joy, and that's what their goal was,' she said. – – – Finding the best joy snack for you There are many sources of joy, but you will probably find some joy snacks more appetizing than others. 'Everyone is different and has their preferences,' Epel said. 'But there are also some universals.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The key is to find the right 'fit,' said Lyubomirsky, who also writes a newsletter on happiness. That is, how enjoyable, meaningful or natural it is to do something. You may already have some idea of which practice calls to you the most, but it could be worth trying out a different joy snack each day to see what sticks, Guevarra said. 'Sometimes a snack is amazing and you really like it and you go back to it and sometimes you're like, 'I'm not going to try that thing that I just tried again,' ' he said. 'But I think the attempt is super important … and I think intentional integration of it in your life is super important.' And given the stresses we encounter in our lives, we can all spare a few minutes each day for a joy snack or two. 'This is a good time to turn our focus to these practices such as acts of kindness as an essential shield and buffer to the cruelty and suffering filling up the news,' Epel said. 'These prosocial micro-acts are happening around us, and to us, every day, and we just need to notice and amplify them out to people we encounter in a typical day.' You can sign up and try out the Big Joy Project at Celebrity Toronto & GTA Canada Sunshine Girls Canada
NZ Herald
27-07-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
7 simple ways to be a bit happier each day
Despite the low time commitment – past online intervention studies lasted multiple weeks – the researchers were 'surprised' by the effect the programme had in sparking joy across the world. Compared with how they felt before the programme, participants said they saw meaningful improvements in emotional wellbeing, increases in positive emotions and a better sense of control over their own happiness afterward. Participants also said they felt more willing to help others. The benefits extended to other aspects of health: participants also reported feeling less stressed and generally healthier, and sleeping better after the week. 'You can make small changes in your life that have big effects,' said Darwin Guevarra, an assistant professor of psychology at Miami University and an author of the study. The Big Joy Project was meant to show people that 'joy is a skill they can build,' Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the University of California at San Francisco and a study co-author, said in an email. Here are seven, short, science-based practices you can try – think of them as joy snacks. 1. Seek out awe Awe is a powerful emotion we feel when we encounter something vast, complex or beyond what we normally experience. It can produce 'little earthquakes in the mind,' as one awe researcher put it, that change how we see the world and our place in it. Awe makes us feel more connected and makes us (and our worries) feel small – but in a good way. Research has linked the emotion to a panoply of psychological and physical benefits – less stress, less rumination and more connection and life satisfaction. In short, it is awesome that our brains can experience awe. Awe is not hard to find, if you know where to look and the mindset to be in. In the current study, people were told to watch a short, awe-inspiring video of Yosemite and to write what they liked about it and how it made them feel. Nature is an endless source of awe, but so are inspiring people performing acts of kindness or courage. With the right mindset, we can find awe in the everyday and transcendence in the mundane. Just remember to apply the AWE method when you notice something that you had missed: Attention: Give your full attention to things you appreciate, value or find amazing. Wait: Slow down, pause. Exhale + Expand: Amplify the sensations you are experiencing. 2. Tune in to gratitude Gratitude has been found to improve our mental health, even if we don't always remember or realise how much a simple gesture of thanks can mean to ourselves and others. You can start small: in the study, participants were asked to make a list of eight things or people they feel grateful for. But the more specific and concrete you get, the more benefits you reap. In a 2022 study of 958 adults, Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, and her colleagues found that writing gratitude letters resulted in larger boosts to wellbeing than gratitude lists. In addition, writing gratitude letters to specific people in the participants' lives had the greatest benefits. 3. Do something kind Doing good is good for you. Studies have found that giving to others also seems to take away our own pain, and spending money on others tends to 'buy' more joy than spending it on ourselves. Spreading kindness sets up a virtuous cycle – altruism tends to beget more altruism because doing good feels good, too. A big reason acts of kindness make people happier is that 'these pro-social behaviours are actually social, too, right?' Lyubomirsky said. 'It forces you to connect with other people.' The Big Joy Project asked participants to think of five people they might see that day and one thing they could do for each to brighten up their days. The participants were also encouraged to say or message something kind to someone. 4. Celebrate another's joy Unlike a food snack, a joy snack multiplies when we share it. When someone shares something positive with us, we can capitalise on it by expressing excitement and joy for them – a behaviour that relationship researchers call capitalisation. Research shows this practice is mutually beneficial. Recognise when a loved one is sharing something positive and be ready to celebrate with them. Photo / Getty Images It's not hard to see why: capitalisation 'establishes immediate connection, it has someone listening to you,' Guevarra said. 'So it not only boosts your joy, but it boosts another person's joy for sharing something.' It can be simple yet effective: in the Big Joy Project, participants were asked to find someone to talk to and ask them to share a fun, inspiring or proud moment, and encouraged to respond positively. In our daily lives, we can practise recognising when a loved one is sharing something positive and be ready to celebrate with them. 5. Tune in to what matters Having a sense of meaning is strongly associated with a happier and longer life. Reflecting on what core values you appreciate can help you make better sense of your life. 'Sometimes we don't have clarity about what's important to us. And just taking the moment to think about that is important,' Guevarra said. In the Big Joy Project, participants were asked to rank four values – virtue, fairness, goodwill and unity – and write about how these values appear in their lives. 6. Reflect on the good you can do Having a positive impact and feeling as if we matter are common sources of purpose found across cultures and predict having a meaningful or happy life, research shows. In the Big Joy Project, participants listened to an audio-guided reflection on how they can contribute goodness and compassion to the world. The purpose is 'orienting yourself to the world' so you can be a force for good, Guevarra said. 7. Shift your perspective Negative experiences don't always lead to negative consequences, research shows. Our beliefs and expectations about difficulties can affect not only how we respond to them, but also how well we feel afterward. Rethinking these difficulties and finding the silver linings can help you feel better in both the moment and the longer term. In the Big Joy Project, participants wrote about a recent experience of frustration, upset or anxiety but also three positive things that came as a result. A 'gateway' to more joy The fact that even small joy snacks can be mentally nourishing should not dissuade people from trying longer, heartier practices, researchers said. The practices in the Big Joy Project can serve as a 'gateway' to doing more things, Guevarra said. 'It becomes part of your daily routine, it becomes part of your daily life, and it becomes a part of your character,' he said. Indeed, people who did more of the daily practices had more improvements than those who did only a few. Interestingly, these joy snacks were even more beneficial for those from less privileged backgrounds. People from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds, or people who had the most financial strain or felt they had the least social status tended to report larger improvements to their wellbeing after the programme. 'Practices focusing on joy are not some luxury we should put off until later, after we have overcome hardships. Rather, they help us get through hard times,' Epel said. The study did not have a control group – meaning researchers weren't able to compare similar people who did not get the emails with those who did – and it isn't possible to know why and how the different micro-joy acts are effective, said Lyubomirsky, who was not involved in the study. But 'they succeeded in increasing joy, and that's what their goal was,' she said. Finding the best joy snack for you There are many sources of joy, but you will probably find some joy snacks more appetising than others. 'Everyone is different and has their preferences,' Epel said. 'But there are also some universals.' The key is to find the right 'fit,' said Lyubomirsky, who also writes a newsletter on happiness. That is, how enjoyable, meaningful or natural it is to do something. You may already have some idea of which practice calls to you the most, but it could be worth trying out a different joy snack each day to see what sticks, Guevarra said. 'Sometimes a snack is amazing and you really like it and you go back to it and sometimes you're like, 'I'm not going to try that thing that I just tried again,' ' he said. 'But I think the attempt is super important … and I think intentional integration of it in your life is super important.' And given the stresses we encounter in our lives, we can all spare a few minutes each day for a joy snack or two. 'This is a good time to turn our focus to these practices such as acts of kindness as an essential shield and buffer to the cruelty and suffering filling up the news,' Epel said. 'These prosocial micro-acts are happening around us, and to us, every day, and we just need to notice and amplify them out to people we encounter in a typical day.'
Forbes
27-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Want To Be Happier? Follow What Your Nervous System Is Telling You
Photo by FPG/We've long been told that happiness is a mindset, a perspective, maybe even a daily practice. But something else is also deeply embodied, radical and accurate: happiness isn't just in our heads, it's in our nervous systems, too. From the firing of the prefrontal cortex to signals traveling along the vagus nerve, the body continually broadcasts cues about how safe, connected and emotionally stable it truly feels, whether or not we are consciously aware of it. That's why emerging research reframes happiness not as a fleeting emotion, but as a full-body physiological state, shaped by autonomic rhythms, gut ecosystem, sleep patterns and digital habits. Elevated heart rate variability (HRV), for instance, a testable marker of vagal resilience, correlates with emotional regulation, reduced inflammation and sharpened cognitive clarity. In controlled settings, individuals with higher resting HRV tend to perform better on attention, decision-making and memory tasks, and recover from stress more quickly. Moreover, recent sleep studies also link vagally mediated HRV during REM sleep to improved emotional memory integration. In practical terms, a regulated nervous system boosts mood and rewires how the body processes and carries emotional experiences forward. If your system is dysregulated, gratitude journaling and mindset shifts can only do so much. Meanwhile, a global intervention study called the Big Joy Project tested whether brief, daily "joy snacks" (think expressing gratitude, noticing awe or performing small acts of kindness) could boost well-being in just one week. Across 17,000 participants in 169 countries, these science-based micro-practices improved mood, sleep, perceived control, and sense of connection, with greater benefits reported among less privileged groups. Researchers emphasize that joy is a skill people can build with intention. At the neurological core of joy is integration, especially between the prefrontal cortex (which governs self-regulation and focus) and the amygdala (the brain's alarm center). In minds attuned to happiness, these regions communicate fluidly, enabling emotional agility, impulse control and perspective-taking. The vagus nerve plays a central role in this integration. It connects the brainstem to the heart, lungs, gut and immune system. When vagal tone is strong, it signals safety across your body, lowering stress, improving digestion and reducing emotional reactivity. Studies have shown that higher vagal activation predicts better social connections, higher trust, and increased subjective well-being. Notably, research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that increased vagal activity might not only lower stress but also support emotional intimacy and sexual health, suggesting that joy and pleasure arise from regulated physiology. Heart rate variability has become a go-to biomarker for resilience and mental stamina. A 2024 review reported that HRV training enhances mood, focus and vitality in diverse populations. Furthermore, the gut-brain axis, our internal two-way communication highway, continues to reshape our understanding of mood. Strains such as Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus plantarum have been shown to lower cortisol levels, reduce anxiety and improve emotional resilience. These "psychobiotics" are now being incorporated into supplements designed to regulate mood by promoting overall microbial balance and gut health. Enter: whole foods rich in fiber, omega-3s, B vitamins and fermented foods that boost gut diversity and neurotransmitter precursors, such as GABA and serotonin. Research in Nutritional Neuroscience suggests that regular consumption of fermented foods is linked to reduced social anxiety and enhanced well-being. Regulation extends beyond biology. It's reinforced in how we live. A 2025 report from Stanford's Human Technology Lab suggests that digital boundaries (such as limiting doomscrolling and evening screen time) can lead to higher HRV and reduced anxiety, especially in women who juggle caregiving and emotional labor. High-performing individuals are responding with tools like Apollo Neuro (a wearable device that uses gentle vibration to stimulate the vagus nerve), Sensate (a sound-based vagal stimulation device) and HRV biofeedback apps such as Elite HRV and Inner Balance. These tools make regulation real-time and empowering, not reactive. Additionally, joy snack practices rooted in gratitude, awe, novelty and social connection, drawing from both scientific interventions and personal experience, have become mainstream. These small acts are not insignificant; they strengthen emotional reserves, reduce stress and increase one's willingness to help others, to name a few. Together, these tools and micro-practices are reshaping happiness from external attainment to internal regulation, making joy measurable, trainable and fiercely embodied. In the past, joy was often about external achievement or emotional suppression. But the future is different. It asks us not just to feel good, but to feel safe enough to feel everything. Happiness isn't just lightness. Its presence, regulation and the courage to slow down. In a world that's rushing us forward, the most radical act of self‑care may be to listen: to our bodies, our rhythms and the wisdom waiting inside us.
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
7 simple, science-based ways to be more joyful
With the stresses of daily life, it can often seem difficult to find moments to smell the proverbial roses. But you don't necessarily need a lot of time or effort to experience meaningful joy, a recent study reported. The study, which researchers dubbed the Big Joy Project, enrolled more than 17,000 people across 169 countries to receive one daily joy-boosting activity for a week via email.
Jordan News
10-07-2025
- Health
- Jordan News
Boost Your Happiness: Simple Daily Habits That Work, According to Science - Jordan News
Boost Your Happiness: Simple Daily Habits That Work, According to Science A new scientific study has revealed that spending just five minutes a day on simple activities can significantly boost positive emotions and increase happiness — offering an easy remedy for coping with daily stress. اضافة اعلان Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted a study involving participants from around the world as part of the 'Big Joy Project.' The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in early June. The study concluded that dedicating just five minutes per day to what researchers call 'micro-acts of joy' — small, intentional actions designed to spark positive feelings — can lower stress levels, improve overall health, and enhance sleep quality. According to Dr. Elissa Epel, a leading expert in stress and aging sciences and the study's lead researcher, simple actions like listening to spontaneous laughter, pausing to admire a flower during a walk, or doing a small favor for a friend can have a measurable impact on mental well-being. 'We were surprised by just how much emotional health improved among participants,' she said. The study involved a large sample of 18,000 participants from the U.S., the UK, and Canada and ran for two years through 2024. It is considered the first of its kind to examine the lasting impact of short, low-effort happiness-boosting practices. Interestingly, the study found that participants who engaged in these activities for just one week experienced improvements comparable to those achieved through months-long therapy or training programs. The study introduced seven happiness-boosting activities, one for each day of the week. These included: Sharing joyful moments with others Performing acts of kindness Writing a gratitude list Watching awe-inspiring nature videos Professor Epel explained that the activities were designed to enhance three core emotional states: Hope and optimism Awe and admiration Playfulness and amusement Each task was crafted to take less than ten minutes, including answering a few short pre- and post-activity questions. To measure impact, participants completed psychological and physical health assessments at the beginning and end of the trial week. These evaluations covered indicators such as: Emotional well-being Positive feelings 'Happiness-making ability' Stress levels Sleep quality 'Emotional well-being' here refers to how satisfied a person feels with life and whether they experience a sense of purpose, while 'happiness-making ability' reflects one's sense of control over their emotional state. The results showed improvements across all indicators, with higher commitment levels directly linked to better outcomes. Participants who completed the full seven days saw greater benefits than those who participated for only two or three. Remarkably, the study also noted that ethnic minority groups experienced greater improvements than white participants, and younger individuals responded more positively than older adults. Despite the strong results, the exact mechanism by which these simple actions influence mood remains under investigation. Professor Epel theorizes that these small activities may interrupt negative thought patterns — such as chronic worry or self-criticism — and redirect mental energy toward more positive pathways. — Daily Mail
