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Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking

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What to expect

Bestselling author and renowned psychologist Kelly McGonigal offers a ground-breaking look at joy and how we can embrace it

In this paradigm-shifting book psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals that joy gives life meaning, sustains hope, and helps us feel close to others. It is the emotion that tells us: life is worth living, good things are possible, and you are not alone.

And yet, many people find it difficult to allow themselves to feel, show, or even seek joy. Instead, we worry: Is it selfish to want joy? Is joy even possible when life is hard?

Weaving together personal storytelling with insights from psychology, neuroscience, and research conducted around the world, McGonigal offers tangible ways to experience this powerful emotion in everyday life. You'll discover:

- How joy works in the brain and body to provide relief
- How to create moments of meaning, connection, and celebration, in challenging times
- Why joy is a form of social support, and how to bring joy to others
- Strategies to counteract joy dampening that keeps us from enjoying good moments
- Tools to navigate common obstacles to joy, such as envy, guilt, anxiety, and grief
- 20 "joy experiments" you can begin implementing today

Motivating and uplifting, Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking shows that seeking and sharing joy is an act of courage and compassion-and one you can take even when life is difficult.

Critics Review

A compelling case for taking joy more seriously-and a useful guide for seeking and spreading it. As a psychologist, Kelly McGonigal has a deep understanding of what shapes our emotional lives, and she recommends a series of creative experiments that you can try right away
Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
A practical and heartfelt celebration of everyday joy. Blending psychological science with moving personal stories and insightful reflections, McGonigal reveals that joy is not just a fleeting emotion but a way of engaging with the world
Anna Lembke, New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation
This book is a delightful reminder that joy doesn't have to elude us-we can actively seek it out and practice it on a daily basis. McGonigal has given us the tools to find meaning, social connection, and levity, all by opening up to one of our most fulfilling emotions
Judson Brewer, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety
Joy is integral to excellence, to hope, and to living a meaningful and textured life. McGonigal's book is a heartfelt tour de force on how to cultivate, experience, share, and reap the benefits of joy-at a time we need it more than ever
Brad Stulberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Excellence and The Practice of Groundedness
Joy lives in these pages, waiting for you to find her again
Astrid Jorgensen, founder of Pub Choir and author of Average at Best
Author Kelly McGonigal
Narrator Kelly McGonigal
Duration 10 hours and 18 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781035413744
Format Audiobook
Publisher Headline
Genre Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude, Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, Positive psychology, Practical advice: Life hacks / handy tips
Availability AU, GB, IE

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