The Art Of Being A Joyful Person: 25 Simple Habits Of Naturally Joyful People
Joyful people don't wait for happiness to arrive on their doorstep — they create it.
Kamil Pietrazak | Unsplash Buddha has a saying, “Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.” That means, as William Arthur Ward is famous for saying, “Happiness is an inside job.”
If you can create natural joy, then you need to search within yourself to discover what makes you joyful. Think of it as an exploration project. If you haven’t done this in a while, it might be more like an archeological dig. Nevertheless, it could be fun.
I know some people can’t seem to get out of their way long enough to figure out what makes them joyful, so I thought I’d get you started with quick and easy hacks that will take just a minute to begin the thought process, which will shift your mood to one of natural joy very quickly.
Here are 25 simple habits of joyful people:
1. Sing
Sing along with your favorite song at the top of your lungs. Make singing a regular habit by choosing songs that genuinely move you, rather than what you think you should like.
Keep a playlist of songs that instantly lift your spirits, and don't wait for the right moment to use your voice. Sing while cooking, walking, cleaning, or driving. Let yourself be silly with it. Sing different verses in funny voices, make up your own words, or sing harmony to songs you know well.
2. Play
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Sit on the floor and rough-house with your kids, pets, or partner. Whether you're wrestling with your kids, rolling around with your dog, or playfully tackling your partner, you're engaging in one of humanity's oldest forms of bonding.
It reminds us that joy doesn't always have to be earned through achievement or found through acquisition. Sometimes, it's as simple as saying yes to a wrestling match or getting down on all fours to see the world through a child's eyes.
3. Do a gratitude rampage
Set a timer for one minute, and give yourself 60 seconds of rattling off all the things you're grateful for that you can think of.
Ready? Set. Go! When you get this one down, increase the timer to 90 seconds.
4. Unplug from the news
Take a news and media break for at least an hour each day. Spend that hour thinking about how you want to be more joyful.
While staying informed is important, the constant influx of predominantly negative news can create a persistent undercurrent of anxiety and helplessness. By creating regular breaks from news consumption, you're training your mind to notice and appreciate the good that already exists around you, rather than staying fixated on everything wrong in the world.
5. Call your dearest friend
Reminisce about a specific event that made you joyful. Imagine you’re back in that time and place. This practice reminds you that joy isn't just a fleeting emotion that happens to you, but something you can actively cultivate and revisit.
Research has found that this strengthens your friendship through shared gratitude for the experiences that brought you together, and it trains your mind to recognize the joy-filled moments that might otherwise fade into the background of busy life.
6. Take a nap
But before you do, set an intention to wake up joyful. Remember, it’s a choice. This isn't about forcing positivity or denying difficult emotions.
It's about recognizing that we have more influence over our inner state than we often realize. Every time you wake up, whether from a full night's sleep or a twenty-minute nap, is an opportunity to begin again.
7. Walk in nature
Walk to a quiet place in nature where you can sit and listen mindfully to the sounds. Breathe it in.
Even five minutes sitting quietly in a local park, listening to sparrows chirp in the morning, or feeling the texture of tree bark beneath your palm can shift your entire day.
It's about what the Japanese call 'forest bathing,' which is when you immerse yourself so fully in the natural environment that you emerge refreshed, grounded, and reconnected to the joy that exists in simply being alive.
8. Be selfless
Do something for someone else without expecting anything in return. Living selflessly doesn't mean neglecting your own needs, but expanding your definition of fulfillment to include the well-being of others.
By doing this, you discover that joy multiplies when shared and that the most direct path to lasting joy often runs through the heart of service to others.
9. Observe and appreciate beauty
Take a look around you and reflect on all the beautiful things. You don't need to travel to exotic locations.
Beauty surrounds you in your ordinary afternoon, in your kitchen, on your commute, in the faces of people you encounter. The more you practice noticing, the more beauty reveals itself, creating an upward spiral of wonder and appreciation.
10. Smile
Practice putting a smile on your face. Feel the shift in your mood.
When you smile, the world tends to smile back. Joyful people know that their facial expressions are contagious, a 2022 study revealed. A genuine smile at the grocery store clerk, a warm smile to a stranger on the street, or even a smile during a phone conversation creates micro-moments of connection that brighten both your day and theirs.
11. Banish negative thoughts
Notice your thoughts. If they are negative, change them to a more positive view and repeat that thought 10 times. This isn't about forcing fake positivity or denying reality. Instead, it's about finding a more balanced, constructive perspective that opens possibilities rather than closing them down.
12. Play a game with your family that makes you all laugh
Listen to the laughter and let the memory repeat in your ears. The goal isn't the perfect evening, it's connection.
Watch how a simple game can transform the energy of your home, turning an ordinary evening into something memorable. Joyful people understand that joy isn't just about the present moment, but about learning to savor and revisit the good times, allowing them to brighten even ordinary moments.
13. Spend time doing something you love
Take up a hobby, immerse yourself in a book, or sit quietly in meditation. The practice requires intention and boundaries. It means saying no to some obligations to say yes to what matters most to you.
It means treating your joy as seriously as you would any other important appointment. Whether it's thirty minutes of gardening before work or an hour of writing in the evening, these moments of pursuing what you love become anchors of contentment in your daily life.
14. Get grounded
Write down your top five life values, and make decisions from there — you will be more joyful with the choices you make. And magically, more opportunities that align with your values will present themselves.
When you consistently make choices that reflect what matters to you, you naturally gravitate toward environments, people, and situations that share those same priorities.
A person who values creativity finds themselves in circles where creative opportunities arise. Someone who prioritizes service discovers volunteer roles and career paths that fulfill that calling.
15. Create positive affirmations
Repeat them every time your mood dives. Affirmations aren't magic spells that instantly transform your reality.
They're more like gentle redirections that, over time, help you build a more compassionate and resilient inner dialogue. One study explained that the goal isn't to eliminate all negative thoughts, but to have reliable tools for navigating them with greater ease and self-kindness.
16. Visit a relative who may be lonely
If you can visit safely in person, do so. And if not, set up a phone call or video chat. Make someone else joyful, and you’ll be joyful, too.
When you make someone else joyful through your attention and care, your brain literally rewards you with feel-good chemicals. This isn't just philosophical, but biological proof that joy multiplies when shared.
17. Set a daily goal
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Take steps to achieve it and celebrate the win. This practice transforms how you experience time.
Instead of letting days blur together in routine, each morning becomes an opportunity to declare your intention. You're not just moving through your day, but actively shaping it.
18. Remember a tranquil time
Imagine that feeling again. Sit with that for a while. Then, you may want to think about what you need to change now to feel that way again.
Thoughts become feelings, which turn into action. Taking decisive action is a quick hack to more joy.
19. Run through the sprinklers
Act like a kid in summer again! You don't need actual sprinklers, of course. The deeper invitation is to notice when your inner child perks up at something that looks fun, and to follow that impulse rather than dismissing it as silly. Maybe it's jumping in puddles, dancing in your kitchen, or spinning until you're dizzy.
20. Color in a coloring book
It’s okay to color outside the lines. This simple act becomes a meditation on letting go.
With each stroke that ventures beyond the prescribed borders, a 2018 study explained that we practice releasing our need for external validation and our fear of making mistakes. Remember that mistakes aren't failures, they're just different choices, alternative paths that often lead to unexpected beauty.
21. Plan a road trip
Get others excited about it, too. Looking forward to something fun is a worthwhile way to spend some joyful time. This shared anticipation becomes a gift that keeps giving.
During stressful workdays, you can escape for a moment by researching that hot springs resort or debating whether to take the scenic route or the faster highway. The trip planning becomes a series of small, delightful decisions that punctuate ordinary life with extraordinary possibilities.
22. Learn something new
Choose something that you’ve long wanted to learn. The beauty of adult learning is that there's no pressure for perfection or speed. You can learn at your own pace, following your natural rhythms of curiosity.
Some days you might dive deep, other days just a few minutes of practice. The consistency of engagement, not the intensity, is what nurtures both skill and joy.
23. Do things that make you laugh and smile
Listen to good music and dance, or watch a comedian who makes you laugh. When you prioritize laughter and smiling in your own life, you naturally become a source of joy for others.
Your willingness to be playful, to find humor in everyday situations, and to express genuine delight creates an atmosphere where others feel permission to do the same. Joyful people often become magnets for positive experiences because they approach life with lightness and openness.
24. Spend time with naturally joyful people
This stuff rubs off. This doesn't mean surrounding yourself only with people who never experience difficulty or sadness.
According to a recent study, authentic joy isn't about perpetual cheerfulness, but about resilience, perspective, and the ability to find meaning and lightness even during challenging times. The most joyful people often have deep empathy and can hold space for life's full emotional spectrum while maintaining an underlying sense of wonder and possibility.
25. Imagine being joyful
Envision a life for yourself where joy is the guiding light. Then, choose to lean into it, so your vision becomes a reality. Feeling joyful when so much around you is gloomy is no easy feat. Yet, there are simple things you can do every day to make your life more joyful — when you choose to do them.
Sit quietly and make a list of at least ten things that make you joyful. Try something from this list of hacks to get you started. Then, the next time you feel like life is happening to you and is piling upon you, look at your list and choose at least one thing to do to lift your spirit. It will remind you that your joy is totally within your control. Here’s to your better life.
María Tomás-Keegan is a certified career and life coach for women, transition expert, and founder of Transition & Thrive with María.
