The Aesthetics of Joy

aestheticsofjoy.com · American English

The Aesthetics of Joy by Ingrid Fetell Lee

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Last post: May 15, 2026
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Is the Trend Cycle Just Dopamine vs. Cortisol?
May 15, 2026 · original
I had to read the headline twice. “Dopamine dressing is out and Cortisol dressing is in,” it proclaimed. Cortisol dressing? What fresh hell is this? I read on to learn that the now trending “Cortisol Closet,” composed of soothing shades like butter yellow and oatmeal, promises to alleviate anxiety from the outside in. Is the Trend Cycle Just Dopamine vs. Cortisol? The name is a little weird. After all, dopamine dressing makes sense because dopamine is something people generally seek, whereas cortisol is the thing these clothes are trying to help us avoid. But leaving that aside, it struck me that maybe the post may have identified something profound. Every few years we cycle between minimalism and maximalism, alternately craving color and pattern and then banishing it from our sight. Could the trend cycle be driven on a deeper level by a craving for certain neurotransmitters (or an avers
The Surprising Psychology of Why Work Feels Harder Than It Should
Mar 20, 2026 · original
The Surprising Psychology of Why Work Feels Harder Than It Should A few weeks ago, when I chatted with Chris Duffy for our Commons book club, I asked him if he had fun writing his book Humor Me. I thought it was a gimme — it’s a book about finding the funny side of life, after all. And Chris says he had a ball with the research for the book. But the writing was another story. To get through it, he resorted to setting forty-five minute timers and forcing himself to sit and write for set blocks of time. It’s an open secret that many writers hate writing. The intimidation of the blank page. The long hours of staring at a screen trying to wrangle amorphous thoughts into clear prose. Writers bring more than a touch of melodrama to their feelings on the subject. In his essay Why I Write, George Orwell put it this way: “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some
Q&A with Humor Me author Chris Duffy
Feb 19, 2026 · original
What a delight to share this Q&A with Chris Duffy, author of Humor Me , our upcoming book club pick for the School of Joy Commons. Members, we’ll see you next Thursday, February 26 at 1 PM ET! Not a Commons member yet? Learn more and sign up here. I was lucky enough to get an early look at Humor Me , and knew right away that I wanted to bring Chris to the Commons to discuss it. In this fun read, Chris shows us how we can find humor in even the unlikeliest places, and gives strategies for taking life less seriously and bringing more laughter to everyday. Ahead of our Commons chat, we asked him a few lighthearted questions. Read this Q&A to find out more about what makes Chris Duffy laugh, including his favorite dad jokes, weirdest childhood snack, and funniest dinner party game. Q&A with Humor Me Author Chris Duffy What is funnier than it should be? People falling down (as long as they do
7 Ways to Create a Productive Workspace, According to Psychology and Neuroscience
Feb 4, 2026 · original
You’re staring at your screen, rereading the same paragraph for the third time. Your brain feels foggy. You assume you need more coffee, better sleep, or just more willpower. But what if the problem isn’t you? What if it’s the fluorescent lights, the windowless walls, or the low ceiling overhead? Recently, The New York Times included Joyful in a roundup of books about productivity , noting that creating the conditions for productivity might be as important as your task list or time-management apps. In researching Joyful , I discovered that our spaces don’t just make us feel good. They can influence our thinking in many different ways, often without our conscious awareness. The subtle sensations we pick up through our senses can shape our productivity, performance, and creativity in profound ways. 7 Ways to Create a Productive Workspace, According to Psychology and Neuroscience Traditiona
The 2025 Aesthetics of Joy Gift Guide
Nov 21, 2025 · original
For many years, I’ve stayed out of the gift-guide fray. The world is already so noisy, and I never want to add to the chatter unless I have something genuinely useful to offer. This year, though, I started thinking about the ways a gift can spark joy, and how it might be helpful to look at gifting through that lens. What if a gift guide could do more than round up pretty things, and actually help you create more joy? Most people on your list this holiday season probably don’t need more stuff. But they might welcome more color in their days, a spark for their creativity, a way to turn ordinary routines into rituals, or something that helps them make richer memories. The best gifts aren’t just things. They’re doorways to a more joyful life. So… introducing the very first Aesthetics of Joy Gift Guide. If I have a hidden agenda, it’s this: in a moment when AI is making us newly conscious of
Q&A with Styles of Joy Author SC Perot
Aug 29, 2025 · original
Our first book club pick for the Commons (our new community) is Styles of Joy , and I’m beyond excited that author SC Perot will be joining us for an intimate conversation next Thursday, Sept 4, 2025 at 1pm ET. Members will get a reminder email next week. If you’re not a member yet and would like to join us, learn more and sign up here. I loved this book. And, I’ll admit that when I first heard the topic, I wasn’t sure it was for me. A recently divorced woman finds joy by attending dozens of Harry Styles concerts? But as I dove in, I found myself completely charmed by the way fandom became a source of community and strength for a woman whose anchors had come unmoored, and maybe even a little envious of the easy sense of belonging that this culture created in her life. Maybe I could be a fan of something too? There are big lessons in this book on letting go of judgment to be able to
The Science of Intuition: Why Your Best Ideas Come When You Let Go
Aug 1, 2025 · original
Years ago, in a dimly lit yoga studio, an instructor introduced me to an exercise that quietly upended my approach to not only listening, but thinking itself. The exercise was deceptively simple. With our eyes closed, he began by asking us to gently become aware of the sounds around us. Notice the hums close by and the distant noises out in the city, beyond the studio walls. Then, he asked us to become conscious of the precise place where sound meets our consciousness. Were we sending our hearing out to chase these sounds, actively seeking them? Or were we allowing them to simply arrive at our awareness? Until then, I had never considered that there were two ways to hear something. But once I played around with my attention, I realized that I rarely let the sounds just come to me. And what a delight it was, to reel my awareness back in from the world around and notice that the sensations
Introducing the Aesthetics of Joy x Hygge & West Wallpaper Collection
May 14, 2025 · original
For more than a decade, I’ve been exploring how the aesthetics around us — color, shape, texture, and pattern — can lift our spirits. And I’ve often been asked: How can I bring these ideas into my home? Today, I’m thrilled to share a new answer to that question: a wallpaper collection created in collaboration with Hygge & West , designed to turn the science of joy into something you can live with every day. Each pattern in this collection is grounded in research on the visual elements that bring us joy, like vibrant color, symmetry, playful shapes, and natural motifs, and inspired by the season of simple pleasures: summer. Whether it’s the abundance of a sun-warmed garden, the pleasure of a beach day, or the charm of a backyard picnic, the designs aim to infuse everyday spaces with a sense of delight. → Explore the full collection here Meet the Patterns Heirloom Heirloom was inspired by
7 Key Joy Indicators: How to Measure What Really Matters at Work
Apr 25, 2025 · original
7 Key Joy Indicators: How to Measure What Really Matters at Work In a world obsessed with metrics, we’ve become experts at measuring everything from website traffic to quarterly earnings. Yet in the process, we often overlook something important: our experience of work on a daily basis. Recently, I wrote about the idea of viewing joy as an essential metric of success , exploring how prioritizing joy can lead to more meaningful achievements and greater overall wellbeing. In response to this post, one comment on LinkedIn suggested the introduction of “Key Joy Indicators” — a playful twist on the ubiquitous KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that dominate our professional landscape. This idea resonated deeply with me. Experience has shown that we tend to get more of what we measure. If our measurements don’t account for joy, then it’s no surprise that joy is seen as tangential to our work li

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