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3.5 

Joyful

By Ingrid Fetell Lee
Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Make small changes to your surroundings and create extraordinary happiness in your life with groundbreaking research from designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee.

Next Big Idea Club selection—chosen by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, and Adam Grant as one of the "two most groundbreaking new nonfiction reads of the season!"

"This book has the power to change everything! Writing with depth, wit, and insight, Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy." —Susan Cain, author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution

Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people—regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity—are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons?

We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward—through mindfulness or meditation—and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?

In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight—and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.

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492 Reviews

3.5
Expressionless Face“As one of my book club friends said, I feel like we picked a book searching for joy and got tricked into reading an interior design book. This book is really about the aesthetics of joy, and even though I didn’t love it (it drones on a bit, could have been half the length) it did make me think about the space around me. The book defines contentment vs. bliss vs. joy in a way that I appreciated. It also helped me understand why I love the color yellow so much. I found that I’m looking harder at home and my office and thinking about color, light, nature, balance… and how chromophobia in design has brought us too much Millennial grey and spaces that lack joy. Embrace a pop of color. Plants make us happy. Create spaces that feed your energy in a positive way. Good takeaways from a book that I didn’t totally love, but felt had some value in the end!”
Expressionless Face“In Joyful, Ingrid Lee explores how design and aesthetics can enhance happiness by filling your space with colors, shapes, and objects that spark joy. As an interior designer, she emphasizes moving away from bland, trendy minimalism and instead creating environments that genuinely reflect your personality and what makes you happy. While the premise is intriguing, this book probably wasn't for me. Many of the concepts—like using vibrant colors or surrounding yourself with items you love—felt fairly obvious. I’d recommend watching Lee’s TED Talk instead; it covers the core ideas in a more concise and engaging way and might save you some money.”

About Ingrid Fetell Lee

Ingrid Fetell Lee is a designer and the founder of the blog The Aesthetics of Joy. She has been featured as an expert on design and joy by outlets such as the New York Times, Wired, PRI's Studio 360, CBC's Spark, and Fast Company, and her 2018 TED talk received a standing ovation.

Lee was formerly Design Director at global innovation firm IDEO, and was a founding faculty member in the Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She holds a Master's in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor's in English and Creative Writing from Princeton University.

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