How Daily Moments of Joy Can Help Long-Term Well-Being

An analysis released from scientists behind a research initiative called the BIG JOY Project finds that people who commit daily “micro-acts” of joy experience about a 25% increase in emotional well-being over the course of a week.

“We’re really excited,” says Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a BIG JOY project leader, and science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. “There are statistically significant, measurable changes [including] greater well-being, better coping, less stress, more satisfaction with relationships.”

The BIG JOY Project is a collaboration between UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and other research institutions.

This project did not begin as a typical research study, but rather a ‘citizen-science’ project which is still open to anyone who wants to participate. Here’s how it works. Participants take an on-line survey to answer questions about their emotions, stress, and their social tendencies. Then, every day for seven consecutive days, they agree to try small, happiness-boosting activities, what the researchers have dubbed “micro-acts” of joy.

All of the recommended micro-acts have been linked to emotional well-being in prior published studies. Examples include making a gratitude list or journal, or engaging in acts of kindness such as visiting a sick neighbor 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, meditation, or taking the time to identify the silver lining in a bad situation, known as positive reframing.

Each day, people answer questions about what they did and how they felt afterwards. At the end of the week, they take another survey to gauge how their emotions and sense of well-being have changed.

A sense of agency

When people intentionally plan out a daily micro-act, it may help them feel as if they have a bit of control over their emotions, explains researcher Elissa Epel, a BIG JOY collaborator, and a professor of psychiatry, at the University of California, San Francisco.

Since all participants chose to be part of the project, it’s likely they were hoping for a benefit. But it’s not clear if everyone — even people who don’t believe small acts can be beneficial – would see the same results. “We haven’t randomly assigned a group of people to do the seven day [program],” Simon-Thomas says, so without control group data, the results are all preliminary. The researchers plan to run some controlled studies and publish results in the future.

Of course, it’s important to point out what micro-acts cannot accomplish. They are not a replacement for therapy or medications used for serious mental health challenges, including depression. And, the researchers point out, it’s also not appropriate to think micro-acts can help overhaul the struggles of someone whose basic needs are not met. “It would be embarrassing and shameful to be like, hey, you don’t have enough to eat, why don’t you try Big Joy,” Simon-Thomas says.

But she says, the hope is that the joy that emanates from micro-acts may help spur some people to get involved in the greater good — whether it’s in your community, your workplace, your school, or an organization you admire.

Starting a new practice

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.

Excerpted from “Can little actions bring big joy? Researchers find ‘micro-acts’ can boost well-being” from NPR. Read the full article online.