Make small changes to your surroundings and create extraordinary happiness in your life with groundbreaking research from designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee. Next Big Idea Club selection–chosen by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, and Adam Grant as one of the “two most groundbreaking new nonfiction reads of the season!” “This book has the power to change everything! Writing … book has the power to change everything! Writing with depth, wit, and insight, Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy.” –Susan Cain, author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution
Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people–regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity–are mesmerized by baby animals, and can’t help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons?
We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward–through mindfulness or meditation–and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?
In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight–and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.
A completely original treatment of a completely new and original idea: we all have within the power to design joy into our lives. Joyful is an inexhaustible and exciting guide to what makes life good.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s a research-based look at the aesthetics of joy, but the information is presented in a casual way that makes you feel like you’re chatting with a best friend. It’s not a heavy read by any means (rightly so, as it’s titled Joyful!) and is filled with fascinating anecdotes.
Reading this inspired me to make a variety of changes in my own home, including making our laundry room (the way we enter our home 99% of the time) a more welcoming space, with cheerful yellow paint and inviting decor. It is SUCH a nicer way to walk in the door.
I could go on and on, but in short, this book is a must-read for anyone searching for ways to appreciate the little things in life. The biggest takeaway for me was that, with time, we lose that childlike wonder at things that spark joy for us. Joyful is all about owning and reclaiming those things which bring us happiness.
Joy is the most basic building block of happiness, and this mesmerizing book reveals where to find it — and how to create it. Ingrid Fetell Lee’s blockbuster debut will open your eyes to all the places where joy is hiding in plain sight. And it just might cause you to become more joyful too.
I’ve never reached out to an author to request their permission to endorse their book…until now. Ingrid Fetell Lee invites us into a dimension of the human experience that was, ironically, hidden to most of us. She shows us how we can mindfully see joy in the simple aesthetics of our surroundings –and it has already changed my everyday life. If I’m feeling blue, I remember to look at the new leaves on the tree outside my window. It is simple but profound. Joyful is irresistibly compelling. The idea of Joyful fills me with joy.
I so enjoyed the emphasis on design and how it impacts are everyday state of mind how fascinating it is that color and pleasant homes boost our immune systems order from chaos but a little whimsical taste thrown in a little gem to enchance our lives
How I loved this book. It’s not only crammed with examples of the most joyful things – balloons, flowers, celebrations, glitter balls – but it’s also a deep dive into *why* those things bring us joy and also how we can figure out exactly what brings us joy and add more of it to our lives.
The former health reporter in me is a sucker for this sort of book. So much interesting research about how our environments and the way we design our lives influences our sense of joy. A lovely mix of science, the author’s own experiences, and user-friendly tips.
Joyful is an invaluable field guide to discovering delight in all its forms. It’s hard to look at the world — and your place in it — quite the same way again.
Joyful overturns conventional wisdom about happiness: that it comes from within, and that experiences — not things — make us happier. Ingrid Fetell Lee’s delightful book evokes the same positive feelings she describes. It is full of whimsy, wonder, energy, and joy. I loved it.
This book has the power to change everything! Writing with depth, wit, and insight, Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy.