Happiness is an emotional state—feeling happy about something means feeling satisfied—or maybe it’s an assessment of our life or someone else’s. Joy is an episodic emotion and is felt concurrent with the situation prompting this emotion and arises during activities. The following factors can explain the main differences between joy and happiness…

Research on happiness indicates that only 10% of happiness is accounted for by life circumstances, with genetic differences accounting for 50%, leaving us with 40% of happiness within our control. While a rewiring of our inner world may be much more daunting than cleaning our closets, it will be worth the effort. To help you get started on this critically important task, you can practice these four areas. Give them a try!

Colors seem brighter, physical movements feel freer and easier, and smiling happens involuntarily. Joy feels bright and light. But why, and how do we experience it? Read more in this week’s blog…

What does joy mean? How is it different from other emotions? And how can we cultivate more of it in our lives- not just during the holiday season, but anytime? Read more in this week’s blog….