Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

JOYFUL by Ingrid Fetell Lee is subtitled “The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness” and this designer and writer does a wonderful job describing how to find joy through 10 “sensations” of joy: energy, abundance, freedom, harmony, play, surprise, transcendence, magic, celebration, and renewal. 

For example, Fetell Lee writes a great deal about the role of color and/or shape.  Her blog – filled with vivid photos – is titled The Aesthetics of Joy and here is her 2018 TedTalk “Where Joy Hides and How to Find it:”

Although rather academic at certain points (over ten percent of the book contains sources and footnotes), JOYFUL also provides a helpful toolkit designed to give readers a vehicle with which to translate the book's ideas into their own lives. The text will likely appeal to AP Psych students and others who have researched various aspects of happiness, positive psychology, and emotional well-being. 

Fetell Lee suggests: “Maybe instead of chasing after happiness, we should be embracing joy.” If you are interested in exploring the links between the physical world and the emotion called joy, look for JOYFUL on our shelves soon. You will smile even when you see the cover!