Joy as an Antidote: Why Your Brain Needs Joy to Heal

Imagine this: you're going about your day, but something feels off. You're not quite sure what it may be, as your day is going about how it normally would. You realize that you cannot remember the last time you genuinely laughed or did something just because it made you happy.

We spend a lot of time talking and thinking about what's wrong in our life. The stress, the burnout, the anxiety, the overwhelm. Although those conversations matter, we don't talk about joy nearly enough. When I talk about joy, I'm not talking about temporary happiness. Actual joy. Joy isn't just a good feeling you have when things go well. It's actually one of the most powerful tools your brain has for healing.

Joy vs. Happiness -- What is the difference?

You may notice that the terms 'joy' and 'happiness' are often used interchangeably. However, there is a significant difference between the meanings of the two words. It is important to know the difference. Happiness tends to be circumstantial. Maybe you did well on a test you studied hard for, you got good feedback at work, or you got the job you wanted. But if you were to take away the circumstance, the positive feeling would be gone.

Joy is different -- it is an underlying deeper feeling. Take away a positive circumstance, and the feeling is still there. It's less about what is happening around you, and more about a connection to yourself, to the people around or, or to something meaningful. You can feel joy during hard times, doing something small, or doing something ordinary. It doesn't require good circumstances in your life. That's what makes it so much more powerful than happiness as a tool for you to heal. That's what makes joy worth intentionally making room for, even when things get hard.

How Depression, Stress, and Burnout Rob You of Joy

If joy has been hard to reach lately, there may be a reason for that. Depression, chronic stress, and burnout all have one thing in common -- they all make joy harder to reach. Oftentimes, depression has a symptom called anhedonia. Essentially, anhedonia is the inability to find pleasure or enjoyment in things that used to matter to you. Maybe a show you once loved isn't enjoyable anymore or hanging out with friends and loved ones feels like a big ask. It's not that you've become someone else or those things became boring, it's that depression can create a barrier between you and the things you once loved.

Chronic stress has a similar effect on joy, but through a different way. When you're chronically stressed, your body enters a survival mode. When your nervous system is constantly on survival mode, your brain tends to focus on the 'threats' at hand rather than joy. Joy requires you to be present, and you are not able to be present when your brain constantly thinks it is in danger.

Burnout, however, creates a sense of numbness which is distinct from sadness. Things that used to bring you joy and energy now feel like an impossible task added to the list. Rest itself isn't enough anymore. When that exhaustion hits you, oftentimes joy is one of the first things to disappear. But one thing is important to note -- these may make it more difficult to reach joy, but it is not impossible.

The Science: Positive Emotions, Resilience, and Mental Health

What if I told you that joy wasn't old good for your mood, but that it was also good for your brain, body, and your ability to get through hard things. Here's the science behind it:

1. Barbara Fredrickson and the Broaden-and-Build Theory

   Barbara Fredrickson is a psychologist who has spent her career studying what positive emotions to do us. Her broaden-and-build theory shows that joy and other positive emotions don't just feel good, but they also expand your mind (Fredrickson, 2011). They have the ability to make you more creative and more open and connected to others. Every time you experience joy, your brain is building psychological resources that stay with you.

2. The Undoing Effect

   Fredrickson found what is called the 'undoing effect'. After experiencing something stressful, people who had joy physically recovered faster (Fredrickson, 2011). Their heart rate returned to normal quicker and their bodies calmed down faster. With this finding, it is shown that joy isn't just a good feeling, but it helps regulate your nervous system.

3. Resilience Isn't Built in the Hard Moments Alone

   A common misconception about resilience is that it is only built by going through hard things. Although this is partly true, research has shown more than this assumption. Positive emotions are one of the most consistent predictors of resilience. People who regularly experience joy bounce back quicker from adversity. Joy isn't something you feel after you've healed, it's one of the things that is quietly allowing you to heal fuller and quicker.

Behavioral Activation and Scheduling Joy

If you read the last blog post on microshifting, you may be familiar with the concept of behavioral activation. It shows up here as well because the same cycle that drives overwhelm and stress also drives the loss of joy. Here's how it works:

When we're depressed, stressed, or burned out, we naturally stop doing the things that typically bring us joy. It may feel like there's no point or you have no energy or time. But the thing is -- pulling away from these activities actually deepens this cycle. Having less joy means having a lower mood, leading to less motivation to seek joy. Behavioral activation helps to interrupt that cycle by reintroducing those joyful activities intentionally. Instead of waiting until you feel like it or you have the energy, scheduling them in the same way you would schedule a meeting could be helpful. In therapy, this is often called pleasant events scheduling, and it's a well-researched, evidence-based technique used specifically for depression or burnout recovery.

The key insight from behavioral activation is the same one from microshifting. You don't have to feel joyful to do something joyful. Sometimes the feeling follows the action, and your brain doesn't need the experience of joy to remember that joy is possible.

Evidence-Based Ways to Cultivate Joy

Cultivating joy does not have to look like a complete lifestyle change. Making small, intentional changes to bring more joy into your everyday life is all you need. Here are some ways to cultivate joy:

1. Schedule one joyful thing and stick to it

   Behavioral activation research shows that intentionally scheduling enjoyable and joyful activities is one of the most effective ways to restore positive emotion during hard times such as periods of burnout. Block off a joyful activity like you would a meeting, and be sure to show up for it. Your brain needs the experience to remember that joy is still possible during hard times.

   
   

2. Spend time in nature

   Research by Harvard Medical School shows that even 10 to 30 minutes of sitting or walking outdoors is associated with lower cortisol levels and improved mood (Harvard Medical School, 2019). Just 5 minutes of being outside has been shown to significantly improve self-esteem and emotional state. Just being outside helps your nervous system settle. It doesn't have to be long.

   
   

3. Practice savoring

   Savoring is the intentional act of being fully present during a positive experience and consciously appreciating it. According to research by Fred Bryant, it is shown that savoring actively generates, maintains, and extends positive emotions (Bryant, 2021). Even through stressful experiences. When something good happens next time, take a moment to pause and savor that feeling instead of moving onto the next thing.

Conclusion

We spend so much time worrying about the negative things it life, we often forget to make room for the positive. Science has shown that joy isn't just a positive feeling following good circumstances. It is one of the most evidence-based, research-supported tools available for healing from the inside out. If you've been waiting for a the right time to let yourself feel joy again, this is it. Not when things calm down, not when you have more time, now.

If you're going through something that feels bigger than joy strategies can touch right now, you don't have to navigate it alone. The MIND Project offers low-cost therapy and free consultations with a volunteer graduate-level and licensed mental health therapist. Click here to book or find it under our services page.

Written by:

Madeline Morales, BS Candidate

Health Major, University of Houston

Download a Free 30 Day Joy & Microshift Tracker Below!

Free Download

References

A 20-minute nature break relieves stress - harvard health. Harvard Health Publishing | Harvard Medical School. (2019, July 1). https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/a-20-minute-nature-break-relieves-stress

Bryant, F. B. (2021, December 14). Current Progress and Future Directions for Theory and Research on Savoring. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8712667/

Fredrickson, B. L. (2011, June 24). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3122271/

Hunter, M. R., Gillepsie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y.-P. (2019, April 4). Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6458297/