First Lessons from Joyful

I mentioned yesterday that I'm reading a very interesting design book called Joyful: the Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee. I wanted to pop on with some of my first takeaways!

As context, the book is about how your surroundings (in nature and in your home) have a sincere influence over your mood. The author is a graphic and interior designer who has committed much of her career to researching how design can bring joy to a person.

The first three big lessons have been on what she calls Energy, Abundance, and Freedom. 

The chapter on Energy focuses largely on the power that color and light have on mood. I loved this chapter. Discussing the effect of direct sunlight on social gatherings as well as on people in hospitals; discussing the different feelings that navy blue creates as compared to what robin's egg blue creates; and discussing how/why people may feel happier in rooms with color but still decorate their homes in primarily white, beige, and grey all were absolutely fascinating to me!

The chapter on Abundance discusses why things like polka dot patterns, confetti, and rainbows bring us joy. And what we can potentially do in a home to recreate that effect. She discussed how joyful it can be to have layers of different patterns and textures. She also disputes the relevant of minimalism. While becoming a hoarder can absolutely make you less happy in a place, being in an extremely stark area can also be depressing. She discusses how modernist architecture--particularly brutalist architecture--can bring stress just by watching it.

And the chapter on Freedom discusses how much joy nature and the outdoors bring to people. If you can have a backyard or at least a balcony, or if you can have indoor plants, you can bring the elements of nature into your home and feel its effects. There are amazing things that happen to your brain and body when you even briefly step outside--even more so when you take a walk in grass.

One of the things I really love about this book is realizing how much research has been done into how surroundings influence people's well-being. For instance, she discussed recovery times for people after gall-bladder surgery. People with views of trees and green space recovered more quickly than those in rooms with views of a brick wall. Buildings painted in bright colors have more calm inhabitants. If you are in a very stark and bare space, you literally get more hungry. Whereas if you're in a color, texture, and energy filled room, you don't need as many calories to have energy! It's just absolutely fascinating to me!

I still have several chapters to go, but I've already been trying to set out some colorful items around our home and wear some of my more colorful clothes (rather than the black, white, gray, navy, and camel that I wear all winter!) to see if this works. We have indoor plants, and I am placing them in more spaces around our home so that I can see them more often.

Today's Delights

• Last night I made sweet potato and black bean chili in the Instant Pot from America's Test Kitchen's Instant Pot Cookbook. It ended up really tasty, and we have quite a few leftovers!
• Last weekend, I absolutely binged Wandavision on Disney+. Like shamefully binged.... But omg it is so good!! It was absolutely right up my alley. But I had never watched The Avengers, and I did not really know anything about Wanda's character in The Avengers. So last night, I watched the original two movies in that franchise. Pretty fun! And her back story is kind of interesting. 
• As for Noom progress, I feel more on track again! I weighed in at 166 lbs today, which feels like more progress! I also have met my step goal for about four days in a row (they're small step goals again!), but it is definitely progress. 

How about you? Have you read anything delightful lately? Try to delight! -A