Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
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- Create Date：2021-06-10 05:31:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ingrid Fetell Lee
- ISBN：0316399272
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Summary
Next Big Idea Club selection -- chosen by Malcolm Gladwell， Susan Cain， Dan Pink， and Adam Grant as one of the "two most groundbreaking new nonfiction reads of the season！"
Inc's "10 Most Inspiring Books of 2018"
Real Simple's "Best Books of 2018"
Elle's "29 Best Books of 2018"
TechCrunch's "Favorite Things of 2018"
"This book has the power to change everything！ Writing with depth， wit， and insight， Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy。"--Susan Cain， author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution
Designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee presents groundbreaking research to explain how making small changes to your surroundings can create extraordinary happiness in your life。
Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset， or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring？ Is there a reason that people -- regardless of gender， age， culture， or ethnicity -- are mesmerized by baby animals， and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons。
We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy。 Increasingly， experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward -- through mindfulness or meditation -- and muting the outside world。 But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy？
In Joyful， designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood。 Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology， she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive， while another fosters acceptance and delight -- and， most importantly， she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller， healthier， and truly joyful lives。
Inc's "10 Most Inspiring Books of 2018"
Real Simple's "Best Books of 2018"
Elle's "29 Best Books of 2018"
TechCrunch's "Favorite Things of 2018"
"This book has the power to change everything！ Writing with depth， wit， and insight， Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy。"--Susan Cain， author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution
Designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee presents groundbreaking research to explain how making small changes to your surroundings can create extraordinary happiness in your life。
Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset， or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring？ Is there a reason that people -- regardless of gender， age， culture， or ethnicity -- are mesmerized by baby animals， and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons。
We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy。 Increasingly， experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward -- through mindfulness or meditation -- and muting the outside world。 But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy？
In Joyful， designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood。 Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology， she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive， while another fosters acceptance and delight -- and， most importantly， she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller， healthier， and truly joyful lives。
Reviews
Chloe Pesch
，
I was super engaged at the beginning of this book but it was harder for me to be invested as it went on。 I'm not exactly sure why， maybe because it seemed a little repetitive and seemed to become less applicable to my actual life。 I was super engaged at the beginning of this book but it was harder for me to be invested as it went on。 I'm not exactly sure why， maybe because it seemed a little repetitive and seemed to become less applicable to my actual life。 。。。more
Ulrika Malmgren
，
I'm conflicted。 One the one hand I feel like the author cherry picked some scientific studies which confirmed her experiences and it was hard to take seriously。 On the other hand， after reading this book， it's easier for me to spot little things which make me happy and to feel ok about certain behaviours （such as choosing bright colours to decorate in for example）。If you want to practise finding joy in every day life， read it。 But don't sweat it if you find yourself skipping a page here and ther I'm conflicted。 One the one hand I feel like the author cherry picked some scientific studies which confirmed her experiences and it was hard to take seriously。 On the other hand， after reading this book， it's easier for me to spot little things which make me happy and to feel ok about certain behaviours （such as choosing bright colours to decorate in for example）。If you want to practise finding joy in every day life， read it。 But don't sweat it if you find yourself skipping a page here and there。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
I found this book so much more than your typical self help trope of happiness， mindfullness， be your best etc。 etc。 Instead the author attempts to delve into what joy actually is， and it wasn't dream jobs with purposes， spending time with family， exercising and healthy food， financial security ， helping others， expressing gratitude or the usual。 The author is a designer which was clearly evident in her descriptions and explanation。 Each chapter focused on an abstract concept such as playfulness， I found this book so much more than your typical self help trope of happiness， mindfullness， be your best etc。 etc。 Instead the author attempts to delve into what joy actually is， and it wasn't dream jobs with purposes， spending time with family， exercising and healthy food， financial security ， helping others， expressing gratitude or the usual。 The author is a designer which was clearly evident in her descriptions and explanation。 Each chapter focused on an abstract concept such as playfulness， magic， celebration and abundance all create joy。 And abundance doesn't mean having a 6000 square foot house， but it means walking into the candy store or ice cream store and being delighted at the myriad of choices。 Celebration doesn't mean over the top parties for 6 year olds， it means just letting loose and having fun。 As a relatively happy person， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I can't quite put a finger on it， but it was interesting to put some context about some of the things I like to do anyways - have fun， choose clothes and home furnishings that i like， not have lots of minimalist design etc。 etc。 I was feeling joyful so I rounded up to 4 stars from a solid 3。5。 However， this book would have gained much more by having pictures or photographs。 The author describes mainly things in great details， furniture， flowers， rooms and adding an inlay of photographs would have helped to connect the vision。 This book isn't for everyone， but if you like the sort of 'pop science analysis' of the everyday， you'd enjoy it。 。。。more
Giulia Guzzardi
，
«𝐿’𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒， 𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑜。»𝗗𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗢 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭🏡 Ingrid Fetell Lee， esperta di design， ha indagato l'𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹'𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲， scoprendo relazioni universali che affondano le radici nelle nostra storia primordiale e che hanno trovato riscontro nelle neuroscienze。🟡 L'autrice individua gli 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶 （colori， forme， texture， composizioni e accostamenti） 𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 benessere e 𝗯𝘂𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲， e spiega co «𝐿’𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒， 𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑜。»𝗗𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗢 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭🏡 Ingrid Fetell Lee， esperta di design， ha indagato l'𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹'𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼 𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲， scoprendo relazioni universali che affondano le radici nelle nostra storia primordiale e che hanno trovato riscontro nelle neuroscienze。🟡 L'autrice individua gli 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶 （colori， forme， texture， composizioni e accostamenti） 𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 benessere e 𝗯𝘂𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲， e spiega come utilizzarli per creare un ambiente allegro e motivante。💥 Per una persona curiosa （quale mi reputo io） è tipo un eden in cui si susseguono una "chicca" dopo l'altra。 Non facevo in tempo a entusiasmarmi per una cosa che lei subito me ne mostrava un'altra。 💻 Ho letto il libro con il computer affianco perché ero troppo interessata a vedere con i miei occhi quello che lei mi stava raccontando a parole。 🏆 Per me， 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼 （credo che lo farò rientrare all'interno del mio personale "𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤"） 。。。more
Dan Organ
，
No big insights here。 Joy can be found in lots of ordinary things: colour， music， texture， balloons， circles and curves， surprises and even in nature with our seasons， changes in light and temperature and natural circadian rhythms （which have been muted by the invention of modern lights， heating and living indoors）。But also in finding balance in your life。 The opposite of depression is play。 In play you find surprise， creativity and imagination etc which ignite joy。 We need to push aside our wor No big insights here。 Joy can be found in lots of ordinary things: colour， music， texture， balloons， circles and curves， surprises and even in nature with our seasons， changes in light and temperature and natural circadian rhythms （which have been muted by the invention of modern lights， heating and living indoors）。But also in finding balance in your life。 The opposite of depression is play。 In play you find surprise， creativity and imagination etc which ignite joy。 We need to push aside our worries and make space in our lives as adults to play in order to experience more joy。There I saved you reading 368 pages。 。。。more
Kristin
，
Although there was SO much information there that I wanted to research further （like how can I get to the nearest hot air balloon festival？？）， it was an important read， because life is too short to not experience or learn to experience joy。
Caroline
，
We all feel joy， but do we know why， exactly， certain things bring joy？ Ingrid Fetell Lee makes this intangible feeling tangible in Joyful。 Joy is everywhere， and in many things we take for granted。 It’s in physical view and arrangement， shape and color， places and experiences。 Identifying these is fascinating enough， but then Lee presents the science （often rooted in primal， evolutionary preferences）， to round out and deepen what on the surface can seem like a pseudo-psychological， lightweight We all feel joy， but do we know why， exactly， certain things bring joy？ Ingrid Fetell Lee makes this intangible feeling tangible in Joyful。 Joy is everywhere， and in many things we take for granted。 It’s in physical view and arrangement， shape and color， places and experiences。 Identifying these is fascinating enough， but then Lee presents the science （often rooted in primal， evolutionary preferences）， to round out and deepen what on the surface can seem like a pseudo-psychological， lightweight topic。 Reading this is like getting a new set of eyes， forcing readers to see everything with the kind of wonder they left behind in childhood。 Lee drives home the point that humans need joy for life to feel fully meaningful。 She encourages readers to esteem joyful objects （expensive or inexpensive）， moments （eventful or quiet）， and environments （all kinds） for their sheer pleasure。 Her appropriately sunny personality comes across strongly to make for an engaging read， and she chose unusual， truly intriguing things to highlight。 The book focuses a lot on physically joyful things and their close connection to mental health， but other chapters examine an ephemeral brand of joy。 The chapter titled “Renewal” contains a memorable passage about our “unjoyful” linear perception of time:It’s not that linear time is bad。 Our ability to learn from our mistakes， grow， and innovate derives from our belief that time has a forward thrust and that we can build on history to create a better future。 The problem is that an overemphasis on linear time tends to magnify the pain we feel when joy ebbs。 If we view the future as a blank， uncertain space， then it’s hard to trust that joy will return once it has gone。 Each downswing of joy feels like a regression， each nadir like stagnation。 But if instead we can rely on the repetition of certain delights at regular intervals， then the wavelike quality of joy becomes more present in our lives。 Cycles create symmetry between past and future that reminds us joy will come back again。 Joyful is a little hard to categorize。 It isn’t a self-help or interior-design book; neither is it a stunt memoir like This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live and The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning， Clean My Closets， Fight Right， Read Aristotle， and Generally Have More Fun， whose upbeat authors also stand back and evaluate their environments with the objective remove of a curious sociologist。 But Joyful has characteristics of these sub-genres， making it helpful in a few ways and attractive to a wide audience。 Fittingly titled and a joyful object itself， the book stands apart as an uplifting counterbalance to the many pessimistic and serious nonfictions overwhelming the genre。 Readers would have to work hard to dislike it。 。。。more
Lorelei Sowa
，
good。。。 But very simplistic studies on Color
J
，
A breath of fresh air for sure。 Joyful takes the reader through design elements， events and states of feeling that are likely to create joy。 This book had me rethinking how I shop， spend my time， and look at the world。 I found myself spending more time in nature and buying flowers after reading this。 My life felt happier doing the suggestions Lee talks about。 Even just listening to this Audible book gave me more joy。It was nice to get confirmation for many of the happy-making things that I alrea A breath of fresh air for sure。 Joyful takes the reader through design elements， events and states of feeling that are likely to create joy。 This book had me rethinking how I shop， spend my time， and look at the world。 I found myself spending more time in nature and buying flowers after reading this。 My life felt happier doing the suggestions Lee talks about。 Even just listening to this Audible book gave me more joy。It was nice to get confirmation for many of the happy-making things that I already do （which seem frivolous） but give me pleasure。 It was validating to hear that my aesthetic choices （though not always sophisticated） correlate with happy feelings。 I felt emotionally intelligent for liking the things that I liked and less foolish for not wanting to "get serious。" I loved this and highly recommend it。This link is a list that was created of some of the joyful tips that are mentioned in the book: https://lifeclub。org/books/joyful-ing。。。 。。。more
Nettie
，
I have never really thought deeply of how much our surroundings influence our lives and moods。 I found this an enjoyable read and will view my spaces quite differently from now on。
Rebecca
，
A wonderful guide book on how to find and create more joy in our lives。It's interesting to read about the categorisations though I personally believe that most of the time it's about a combination of things。My most important aspect would probably be colour as I could identify it in pretty much every chapter。 But all on its own colour wouldn't help much。And this is where the practical section comes in which truly helps to understand the concept and how to work with it。Lots of ideas running around A wonderful guide book on how to find and create more joy in our lives。It's interesting to read about the categorisations though I personally believe that most of the time it's about a combination of things。My most important aspect would probably be colour as I could identify it in pretty much every chapter。 But all on its own colour wouldn't help much。And this is where the practical section comes in which truly helps to understand the concept and how to work with it。Lots of ideas running around in my head now which I can't wait to try out。 。。。more
Zoe
，
This book would have been amazing except for the excessive personal anecdotes and the lack of photos。 Zero photos。 In a design book？！？ I had to do so much independent research。
Kristin Papillon
，
Lots of interesting concepts in the book， but definitely more of a research review then a ‘how to’ book。
Kelli Ruby
，
Although this took me a looong time to finish， I consider it one of my very favorite nonfiction books ever。 It's the perfect bedtime read。 Thought provoking in a lighthearted way and， of course， nicely uplifting， as the author directs your attention to all the forms that Joy takes in our lives。 I definitely recommend and will likely re-read over time！ Although this took me a looong time to finish， I consider it one of my very favorite nonfiction books ever。 It's the perfect bedtime read。 Thought provoking in a lighthearted way and， of course， nicely uplifting， as the author directs your attention to all the forms that Joy takes in our lives。 I definitely recommend and will likely re-read over time！ 。。。more
Julieanne Steedman
，
One of the BEST books I have read。 I loved it。 Really helped me get a clear understanding of how I can make changes to my surroundings to help positively effect my mood， and life in general。
Carrie Palombo
，
Lots of super cool info！
Chloe Voorheis
，
I really enjoyed this book！ I’ve been practicing looking at everyday things and finding the joy in the simplest way！
Valerie
，
A great reminder to look for the little things that bring you joy。
Jenny
，
This was an interesting listen。 I liked the how the author's background of being a product designer influenced her thoughts and research。 She gave me things to think about and some that I will apply to my work and life。 This was an interesting listen。 I liked the how the author's background of being a product designer influenced her thoughts and research。 She gave me things to think about and some that I will apply to my work and life。 。。。more
Natalie Herr
，
Really enjoyed this book。 It takes joy， which we tend to think is defined so differently from person to person， and breaks it down into common categories - energy， abundance， freedom， harmony， play， surprise， transcendence， magic， celebration and renewal。 The author gives tangible ways to increase joy by leaning into the various categories。 I loved all of her examples， stories and adventures she went on as she studied joy。 This book is secular， but I couldn’t help but thinking the whole way thro Really enjoyed this book。 It takes joy， which we tend to think is defined so differently from person to person， and breaks it down into common categories - energy， abundance， freedom， harmony， play， surprise， transcendence， magic， celebration and renewal。 The author gives tangible ways to increase joy by leaning into the various categories。 I loved all of her examples， stories and adventures she went on as she studied joy。 This book is secular， but I couldn’t help but thinking the whole way through that God designed our world to bring us joy！ The evidence is all around us。 He made us， he knows what delights us， and he surrounds us with it！ Lots of happy takeaways from this book。 😁 。。。more
Lesley
，
I feel newly awake to small joys in the world around me。 Attuned and inspired to seek ways of bringing joyful elements into my surroundings。
Bonni
，
Worth it to get it from the library and read a little between other books。
Barb
，
A joyful book about what brings joy to people， based on research and the author’s personal experience。 She covers energy， abundance， freedom， harmony， play， surprise， transcendence， magic， celebration and renew full， with lots of helpful hints。 Lots of color， circular rather than angular decor， flowers， being in nature are just a few hints。 I’m definitely going to try a few new things。
Maya
，
I'd recommend the audio book it's narrated by the author and she has a very soothing voice。 I daydreamed for some of it but overall uplifting and a good message: add joy to every day life。 I'd recommend the audio book it's narrated by the author and she has a very soothing voice。 I daydreamed for some of it but overall uplifting and a good message: add joy to every day life。 。。。more
Veronica
，
It was an enjoyable read。 Fun to think about ways I might bring color into my home and life to spark joy。 Non-fiction is not the genre for me that would gain a ton of stars but I liked this one。
Angie Gascho
，
I actually cannot express enough how much I loved this book。 A friend gave it to me because as a coping mechanism for the pandemic I had been embracing this concept of joy into everything， work and home， very consciously and purposefully。 She sent it as a thank you for something， and I just picked it up recently。 I had planned to read just a little at a time， as I have several other books on the go， whether it be for work or pleasure， but found myself simply drawn in。 It has been my favorite rea I actually cannot express enough how much I loved this book。 A friend gave it to me because as a coping mechanism for the pandemic I had been embracing this concept of joy into everything， work and home， very consciously and purposefully。 She sent it as a thank you for something， and I just picked it up recently。 I had planned to read just a little at a time， as I have several other books on the go， whether it be for work or pleasure， but found myself simply drawn in。 It has been my favorite read of this year and I actually plan to reread it as I reflect。 Cliche as it sounds， it was a joy to read！ 。。。more
Angela
，
Main takeaways: Joy is what makes life worth living！ Not just the icing on the cake， it is an integral part of the cake。 Joy is not a luxury or an extra。 We should fill our lives with anything and everything that brings us joy （not just things but intangibles） because without joy - we are not thriving。 The book has great design ideas around what makes a happy home from wall color， to furniture but also explores the meaning of joy in every single corner of its meaning （health， folklore，travel，etc Main takeaways: Joy is what makes life worth living！ Not just the icing on the cake， it is an integral part of the cake。 Joy is not a luxury or an extra。 We should fill our lives with anything and everything that brings us joy （not just things but intangibles） because without joy - we are not thriving。 The book has great design ideas around what makes a happy home from wall color， to furniture but also explores the meaning of joy in every single corner of its meaning （health， folklore，travel，etc）。 It made me want to get back to nature， choose joy and head into sunnier days。 。。。more
Elise
，
Loved it！ This really book helped me understand， articulate and explain why and how our surroundings impact our wellbeing so much。 A must read！
Peter Carpenter
，
Book 24 of 80 of 2021: 3*。 I enjoyed elements of this book。 It challenged me as a reader because the person who wrote it is a designer and talks a lot about design elements we can do in our lives， homes and spaces to make living more joyful。 The power of color， intentional combinations of patters and color can help make the brain respond in more joyful ways。 An interesting read。
Kirsten Hinds
，