Want To Feel Happier? Try Out These 7 'Micro-Acts' Of Joy
HuffPost
Experts explain the science behind how these little positive habits can make a big difference.
During the cold days of winter and through the tough realities that many of us face on a daily basis, it’s hard to feel a zest for life. But while you may not be able to control the seasons or the challenges that arise, experts say you can work to increase joy in your life to help deal with the gloom.
A key way to do this is through daily, small moments — what some experts are calling “micro-acts.” The idea was coined by folks behind The Big Joy Project, a joint effort between researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and documentarians with the film “Mission: Joy.”
The Big Joy Project created a web-based global study that challenged people to take part in 7-minute micro-acts of joy. While it’s not a clinical term, “a micro-act of joy is a little activity or exercise or practice that is pulled from the scientific literature on what are called positive psychology interventions,” said Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, the science director at the Greater Good Science Center.
These micro-acts are “exercises or activities or practices that have been shown to result in improvement in a skill that is central to experiencing more joy in life, or just shifting the proportion of experiences that a person might have in a given day that is more conducive of joy,” Simon-Thomas said.
After practicing micro-acts of joy for a week — that is, seven minutes a day for seven days — people’s happiness and peace of mind and well-being went up 25.59%, according to Peg Callahan, the producer and co-director of “Mission: Joy.”
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