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Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking
Bestselling author and renowned psychologist Kelly McGonigal offers a groundbreaking look at joy and how we can embrace it
As psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, joy gives life meaning, sustains hope, and helps us feel close to others. It is the emotion that tells 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 Is it selfish to want joy? Is joy even possible when life is hard? Instead of turning to joy as a resource, we try to protect ourselves from the perceived risks of caring too much. What if, instead, you were able to trust the feeling of joy and appreciate the good in your life? And what if you were able to help others experience the benefits that joy provides?
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
How joy works in the brain and body to provide reliefHow to create moments of meaning, connection, and celebration, in challenging timesWhy joy is a form of social support, and how to bring joy to othersStrategies to counteract joy dampening that keeps us from enjoying good momentsTools to navigate common obstacles to joy, such as envy, guilt, anxiety, and grief20 “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.
As psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, joy gives life meaning, sustains hope, and helps us feel close to others. It is the emotion that tells 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 Is it selfish to want joy? Is joy even possible when life is hard? Instead of turning to joy as a resource, we try to protect ourselves from the perceived risks of caring too much. What if, instead, you were able to trust the feeling of joy and appreciate the good in your life? And what if you were able to help others experience the benefits that joy provides?
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
How joy works in the brain and body to provide reliefHow to create moments of meaning, connection, and celebration, in challenging timesWhy joy is a form of social support, and how to bring joy to othersStrategies to counteract joy dampening that keeps us from enjoying good momentsTools to navigate common obstacles to joy, such as envy, guilt, anxiety, and grief20 “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.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 13, 2026
About the author
Kelly McGonigal
29 books1,707 followersKelly McGonigal, PhD, is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, an award-winning science journalist, and a leading expert on the mind-body relationship. Her teaching and writing focus on the applications of psychological science to personal health and happiness, as well as public policy and social change.
She is the author of The Upside of Stress (Penguin Random House/Avery 2015), The Willpower Instinct(Penguin/Avery 2012), Yoga for Pain Relief (New Harbinger 2009), and The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Guide to Personal Transformation (Sounds True Audio, 2012).
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kellymcgoniga...
She is the author of The Upside of Stress (Penguin Random House/Avery 2015), The Willpower Instinct(Penguin/Avery 2012), Yoga for Pain Relief (New Harbinger 2009), and The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Guide to Personal Transformation (Sounds True Audio, 2012).
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kellymcgoniga...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Want to Read
October 7, 2026As heard on Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda (Kelly McGonigal: Why joy is so joyful)
https://stitcher.simplecastaudio.com/...
Joy is not just a fleeting emotion or feeling. It's an entire response system that includes changes in your body and your brain, preparing you to take in the good in life. And that response is even stronger when you can share joy with another person.
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October 23, 2026
Can’t even get through chapter one.
Want to Read
June 24, 2026This is going to be a fabulous book to read! Kelly is skilled writer, authentic, kind, talented and humble.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews