Joyful: The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness

A groundbreaking look at how we can harness small changes in our surroundings to lead happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives.Using cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, the renowned designer, Ingrid Fetell Lee, explores how the mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood.We are often taught that our external environment 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 happiness? In Joyful, Fetell Lee shows us how we can harness the power of our surroundings to access this supremely important emotion.

Reviews of Joyful: The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness

"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 * "A completely original treatment of a completely new and original idea: we all have within the power to design joy into our lives. Joyful is an inexhaustible and exciting guide to what makes life good" * – Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global; Founder, The Huffington Post * "Joy is the most basic building block of happiness, and this mesmerizing book reveals where to find it-and how to create it. Ingrid Fetell Lee's blockbuster debut will open your eyes to all the places where joy is hiding in plain sight. And it just might cause you to become more joyful, too." * Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of ORIGINALS, GIVE AND TAKE, and OPTION B with Sheryl Sandberg * "Joyful overturns conventional wisdom about happiness: that it comes from within, and that experiences–not things–make us happier. Ingrid Fetell Lee's delightful book evokes the same positive feelings she describes. It is full of whimsy, wonder, energy, and joy. I loved it." * Sonja Lyubomirsky, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness * "Joyful is a delightful book with a powerful message: joy is easy to find if you know where to look. In JOYFUL, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explains why some experiences are laden with joy, explores how we can cultivate these experiences every day, and shows us how to identify the most joy-inspiring people, places, and objects in our lives" * Adam Alter, Professor of Marketing, NYU, and author of Irresistible *