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

Another way to surprise a friend is with a mystery vacation or excursion: tell them how long you’ll be going for and what they need to pack, but don’t reveal the destination until you both arrive at the airport. Surprising someone else can be doubly delightful because it often tempts them to return the favor just when you least expect it, creating

At the end of the week, look for patterns.

Doug Wheeler, one of the founders of an artistic movement known as Light and Space,

The danger of hedonic adaptation is that it sparks a kind of desperate materialism.

Choosing bulbs with a CRI close to 100 will keep you and your spaces looking bright and colorful.

“I think many of us hide behind an idea of good taste,” she said, “because we’re afraid to really be ourselves.”

We have gained convenience and efficacy, but at the cost of abstraction: the changes within our bodies no longer seem connected to the world around us, giving us the illusion that we are independent of our environment and unaffected by it. Thus we have built environments that lack elements, such as color and light, that are essential to our well-be

How often do you laugh? When was the last time you felt a true, unfettered moment of joy? What emotions do you feel when you walk into your home at the end of the day? How about when you enter each room? How highly does your significant other or family value joy? Who are the most joyful people in your life? How often do you see them? How often do y

It suggests that we can go to the store to purchase a chair, a dress, an artwork, and, if we choose right, we might enjoy a healthy dose of approval and belonging as well.