Joy is a Risk Worth Taking
Will be published approx. on 13. October 2026
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-0354-1371-3 (ISBN)
Description
What if joy isn't something you have to wait for, but something you can choose?
In this paradigm-shifting book, bestselling author and renowned psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals why joy is one of our core existential resources. Research shows that joy gives life meaning, and helps us feel hope and closeness to others. But in spite of its clear benefits, there is a tension underlying our experience of joy. We may resist joy because it feels like a warning that something bad is going to happen next. Or, we may not let ourselves embrace a moment of uplift because it feels frivolous or too fleeting to trust.
Weaving together personal storytelling with insights from psychology, neuroscience, and medicine, McGonigal offers tangible ways we can overcome these obstacles. You'll discover:
- The three main functions of joy and how it works in the brain
- The joyful experiences that light you up
- How to counteract joy dampening, or our tendency to avoid positive emotions
- 20 "joy experiments" you can begin implementing into your life today
Joy is a spark people feel in small moments, but its powerful effects are long. McGonigal offers practical ways we can shift our focus toward creating joy, savouring it, sharing it, and celebrating it. Motivating and uplifting, Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking show that living with joy is an act of courage.
In this paradigm-shifting book, bestselling author and renowned psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals why joy is one of our core existential resources. Research shows that joy gives life meaning, and helps us feel hope and closeness to others. But in spite of its clear benefits, there is a tension underlying our experience of joy. We may resist joy because it feels like a warning that something bad is going to happen next. Or, we may not let ourselves embrace a moment of uplift because it feels frivolous or too fleeting to trust.
Weaving together personal storytelling with insights from psychology, neuroscience, and medicine, McGonigal offers tangible ways we can overcome these obstacles. You'll discover:
- The three main functions of joy and how it works in the brain
- The joyful experiences that light you up
- How to counteract joy dampening, or our tendency to avoid positive emotions
- 20 "joy experiments" you can begin implementing into your life today
Joy is a spark people feel in small moments, but its powerful effects are long. McGonigal offers practical ways we can shift our focus toward creating joy, savouring it, sharing it, and celebrating it. Motivating and uplifting, Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking show that living with joy is an act of courage.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-1371-3 (9781035413713)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Kelly Mcgonigal
Joy is a Risk Worth Taking
E-Book
approx. 10/2026
Headline Press
€12.99
Not yet available
Person
Kelly McGonigal is the internationally bestselling author of The Joy of Movement, The Upside of Stress, and The Willpower Instinct, among others. Her TED Talk "How to Make Stress Your Friend" is one of the most viewed of all time, with over 30 million views. Her popular audio program 40 Days to Positive Change shows how to harness positive emotions to fuel personal growth. She co-created the Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a program now taught worldwide to deepen people's experience of empathy, self-compassion, and social connection.