3 science-backed joy boosters
‘Joy is different from happiness. Joy doesn’t dismiss the heaviness of life; it helps hold it,’ explains Tanmeet Sethi, author of Joy Is My Justice (Hachette, £22). ‘As summer’s longer days invite you to be more active, you can boost joy in simple but powerful ways,’ says Sethi. ‘Moving your body, however you are able to, is a direct pathway to joy. Muscles, no matter how small the movement, produce myokines, anti-inflammatory neurochemicals that scientists call “hope molecules”.’ Here are three ways to amplify joy through movement…
1 Move to music to stimulate dopamine and endorphins, and literally move your emotions through chemistry.
2 Move outside and inhale the phytochemicals of the trees that then reduce the stress hormone cortisol in your body.
3 Breathe deeply, either while you move, or stop and pause for a few breaths. This is a powerful signal to the nervous system that you are safe in that moment, and it turns down your brain’s rumination centres.
‘There are so many reasons to move, whether its to the rhythms you love or breathing in nature,’ adds Sethi. ‘These boosters are ways to tend to yourself and remember that you are worthy of
