Thrive Global: Joy as an Antidote to Burnout

"So given our fleeting time on earth, how can we bring more joy into our lives? Joy is one of our most powerful emotions. And it’s an effective antidote to burnout. If a culture of well-being is going to be part of our future of work, one of the building blocks has to be joy.

The origins of the word “joy” date back to the 13th century, coming from the Old French word joie, meaning pleasure, delight, bliss. I also love its association with the Latin word gaudere, or rejoice, meaning joy is also an action we can take. And unlike happiness, which can sometimes seem like a far-off, distant, end-state, joy is about being in the moment.

And joy doesn’t just make us feel good. According to Mental Health America, it can lower anxiety, decrease stress hormones, promote heart health and even lessen pain.

As Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Dr. George Vaillant put it, “joy is all about our connection to others.” And what Vaillant’s team found is that, more important than our genes, or money or fame, are close relationships built on joy.

Here’s another great thing about joy — it’s contagious. According to sociologist Nicholas Christakis, “When you make positive changes in your own life, those effects ripple out from you and you can find yourself surrounded by the very thing you fostered.”

A study by researchers at Warwick University found that joy and happiness made people 12% more productive. As study author Daniel Sgroi put it, “happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality.”

According to a report by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), joy in the medical world doesn’t just increase productivity and lower costs, it also leads to fewer medical errors and better patient outcomes. As IHI President Emeritus Dr. Donald Berwick wrote, “In our work in healthcare, joy is not just humane; it’s instrumental.”

In his new book Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla writes eloquently about how essential joy was in the sprint to create and distribute Pfizer’s Covid vaccine in record time. In fact, joy is one of Pfizer’s core cultural values, alongside courage, excellence and equity.

“Many people still think we have work on one hand and life on the other. Yet we have one life, where work is a major part. If we’re not well and happy, that will affect both home and work.” While work is an essential part of life, it shouldn’t take the place of life"- Toby Haug, whose official title is “Head of Humanizing Business"

A.T. Kearney managing partner Alex Liu says, companies are always making investments in technology to connect their employees to customers and to each other, but many of them overlook one of the most powerful connectors. “Business leaders tend to think a great deal about success, but rarely about joy,” Liu writes. “Chances are, few are even aware of the joy gap in their organization and the resulting lack of interpersonal connection and team aspiration. That must change. Joy can pack as much practical punch as technology if we allow it to.”

Lisa Feldman Barrett, professor of psychology at Northeastern, says, since our brains create emotions out of physiological signals, by taking care of ourselves, we increase positive signals: “You can get more sleep. You can eat properly and exercise.” We can also prime ourselves for joy by practicing the emotions we want to have. “If you know that your brain uses your past in order to create the present,” says Barrett, “then you can practice cultivating positive emotions today so that your brain can automatically use that knowledge when it’s making emotions tomorrow.” It’s an investment in a more joyful state of mind in the future.

It’s a mindset shift — from passively experiencing joy to actively practicing it. And by practicing joy, we “rewire” our brains to get better at finding joy as a habit, the same way we create muscle memory by practicing a sport or a musical instrument. “Your brain grows new connections that make it easier for you to automatically cultivate these emotions in the future,” Barrett says.

Gratitude is another powerful way to bring more joy into our lives. One way I do it, is to simply write down a few things I’m grateful for before going to bed. Sharing your gratitude list with friends can amplify its power — again, the difference between feeling gratitude and practicing gratitude.

It’s also important to note that cultivating joy doesn’t mean not allowing ourselves to feel sad or melancholy. In fact, joy is deeply connected to these emotions. Allowing ourselves to experience and embrace the full range of our emotions is what makes the feeling of joy so special.

The past two years have been a crucible time of sorrow and loss. And our future is going to continue to be defined by uncertainty and disruption. That’s why we need to seek out the power of joy more than ever. So find whatever it is that gives you joy, or create glimmers that delight you — in moments big and small — and light the spark. "

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Reflection;

What brings you joy? What are you grateful for?

#Joy #Gratitude #Burnout #MentalHealth