You are in line for grocery check out, where it’s easy to tune everyone out. But, today, you decide to give up your spot for the person behind you. Or you are taking the time to identify the silver lining in a bad situation.
How might a small act like this influence your mood later today, tonight or throughout this week?
Scientists from the BIG JOY Project, a collaboration between UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and other research institutions revealed a remarkable discovery: individuals who engage in daily “micro-acts” of joy can experience a substantial 25% boost in emotional well-being over a week. Participants completed an online survey about their emotions, stress levels, and social tendencies. Subsequently, for seven consecutive days, they engaged in small, happiness-boosting activities, termed “micro-acts” of joy.
Examples include making a gratitude list or journal or engaging in acts of kindness such as visiting a sick neighbour or doing a nice gesture for a friend – or a stranger. Some micro-acts involve celebrating another person’s joy or engaging in self-reflection, or meditation.
In a world facing global conflicts and societal challenges, the BIG JOY researchers believe in the transformative power of small acts of joy. The project aims to spread the message that individuals can control their happiness more than they realize.
However, the researchers emphasize that micro-acts are not substitutes for therapy or medications for serious mental health challenges. Additionally, they are not a solution for those facing unmet basic needs. Nonetheless, the hope is that the joy stemming from micro-acts will inspire individuals to contribute to the greater good in their communities, workplaces, schools, or admired organizations.
“So many of the things that are causing us stress and sadness are out of our control,” Judith Moskowitz, a social scientist at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine says. “So these micro-moments can give you something to hold on to,” she explains, and help you stay engaged.
“Decades of research have shown that even in the context of really stressful events or sickness, there is absolutely the capacity to experience moments of positive emotion as well,” she says.
Rather than thinking of joy as something that happens to you, it may make sense to think of it as a skill that you can get better at through practice, says Simon-Thomas,a BIG JOY project leader, and science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.. “If you want to stay physically fit, you have to keep exercising,” Simon-Thomas says, and the same likely goes for well-being, she says.
One way to get started with the Big Joy concept, is to plan out the moment of your micro-act each day. Maybe build it into your daily dog-walking routine, that’s a good time to make a mental gratitude list, or look for an opportunity to chat with a neighbor.
“Part of this is intention setting,” Simon-Thomas says. “If you have a map to where you’re going to go, you’re much more likely to go there,” she says.
