We asked how you are finding joy in the pandemic. Here are 12 surprising ideas

You made the sourdough, you built the LEGO castle, you grew the vegetables. Now what?

To help you find your next moment of joy, we asked our readers what creative ideas they've come up with to cultivate happiness, two years into pandemic life. Your answers were unexpected, exciting and showed there's always a way to tap into your curious side and try something new.

Curiosity is one of the main ingredients you need to cultivate happiness, says Tal Ben-Shahar, former professor of happiness studies and founder of the Happiness Studies Academy.

"We are all by our nature curious ... There is research that shows that people who are curious, ask questions, are constantly learning, actually live longer." Trying new things builds confidence and feeds into the resilience we need to get through tough times, he says.

The pandemic has knocked people off the straight and narrow path to success (the promotion, the big house, the fancy car) and has them thinking about what really matters to them, says Ben-Shahar.

"People are stopping and asking: Am I where I want to be? Am I doing what I want to be doing with my life? The pandemic has taken us off autopilot and is helping people live more deliberate lives."

So while you should definitely "give yourself the permission to be human," says Ben-Shahar" and remember