10 Small, Everyday Moments That Actually Bring Joy To People's Lives
Choose joy, when you can.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock The internet is so often a cesspool — a place where people give in to their worst instincts, letting anonymity shield them as they spew mean words and hatred.
Yet, sometimes, online communities show off their softer sides.
Someone on the r/AskReddit subreddit wondered what activities make other people feel genuinely happy, and the answers they received were sweet, thoughtful, and fairly universal.
Here are 10 small, everyday moments that actually bring joy to people’s lives:
1. Snuggling their pets
One of the most consistent answers as to what brings people joy was spending quality time with their pets.
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“When my cat comes to lay by my side, and my dog lays at my feet at bedtime,” one person wrote. “Getting to hug and be with my dog, she really gives me joy,” another user echoed.
This happy harbinger comes as no surprise, as it’s scientifically proven that petting our furry friends makes us feel good.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medical School, the mere act of petting a pup lowers people’s cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone. They also reported that 84% of people with PTSD who are paired with a service dog experience a significant reduction in their symptoms.
Snuggling up to our canine companions also boosts our oxytocin, the love hormone responsible for making us feel a strong bond with the people — and animals — we care about.
The boost of joy people feel around their pets isn’t always contingent on physical touch. Sometimes, just seeing their perfect little faces is enough.
“Everything my cat does is wonderful,” another person said.
“Just seeing my dogs greet me when I come back from school. It is just so constant, and they’re just so cute,” someone else explained.
“That's the best feeling ever, especially when they're wagging their tail so much that basically half of their body is wagging, too,” echoed a different dog lover.
2. The first sip of coffee in the morning
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One person shared that their initial daily moment of joy comes with their first sip of coffee after they wake up, and coffee drinkers everywhere agreed.
“For me, it's the process of making espresso,” another person chimed in. “Grinding the beans, the smell of the coffee as it starts extracting, watching the milk swirl as it steams. It's my morning moment of Zen. Drinking it after is just the cherry on the top.”
Aside from being delicious, coffee also offers health benefits. Studies show that there’s a possible connection between drinking coffee and a decreased mortality rate. Coffee may help cardiovascular health, along with providing some protection against type-2 diabetes, liver disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
Considering the possible health boosts along with the ritualistic aspect of making coffee, it’s no wonder that the first cup is the high point of so many people’s day.
3. Seeing a beautiful sunset
Every evening, the sun sinks below the horizon, and its glow fades, turning the sky to that perfect shade of indigo that can’t be captured anywhere else.
Sunsets are an example of small moments of awe. Their beauty can stop us in our tracks as we turn to whoever we’re with and insist that they take in the glory that the sky presents.
One person shared that they admire the sunset every time they walk home from work, saying, “The sunset just immediately puts a smile on my face.”
Watching the sunset can be a meditative practice, a quiet respite in our otherwise busy lives, where we stop to marvel at the world around us and let gratitude fill us up.
4. Smiles from strangers
“When strangers greet me with a smile, it goes a long way,” one person admitted.
Having a small moment of connection with someone captures the essence of what it means to be human, even if it’s just in passing. Smiling at strangers signals friendliness, empathy, and compassion, which are all things we benefit from.
Research from Stanford University shows that even posing a fake smile can boost a person’s mood. So, if you’re walking down the street and someone flashes their pearly whites, take two seconds and smile back. It will make you happier.
5. Going to bed
It’s no secret that rest is essential for our physical and mental health, making it no surprise that many people mentioned going to sleep as a crucial part of finding joy in their lives.
“Sliding into bed after a long day knowing that there’s nothing else I need to do or take care of” was one person’s moment of pure joy. “I can just relax and breathe,” they added.
Someone else cited meditating before bed as a point of joy, which is a great way to unwind your body and relax your mind before catching some Z’s.
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6. Waking up to sunshine
After getting a full night's rest, waking up refreshed to welcome the sun is another small, accessible joy.
One person poetically described that first moment after their feet hit the floor, saying they found joy in “Putting up the window shades in the morning, letting the first light stream in over all the plants hanging in the front window, all the illuminated tints of green in what had been a gray room, still dim and heavy with the night, just moments before.”
7. Listening to music
“Hearing the right song at the right time” is another small thing that brings utter joy.
“When I exercise, and my music syncs up to it,” someone said. “Not just the beat, but also like when I’m getting a second wind and start going fast again just as a song starts to crescendo.”
It’s scientifically proven that listening to music can make people happy when they’re feeling down. What better way to boost your mood than to put on your favorite song and let your body move?
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8. Going outside
Another joy to revel in is “the smell of clean, fresh air,” as one person put it.
According to Dr. Matt Jones, being outside is “Incredibly good for you.”
Dr. Jones listed several reasons that spending time in the great outdoors benefits people’s health, including building a stronger immune system for Vitamin D production, reducing inflammation, lowering cortisol and anxiety, and boosting serotonin and dopamine, which can make us feel better, overall.
9. Having downtime
Most of us are highly overscheduled, from working a 9 to 5 to taking care of family members to every aspect of admin we need to get done to keep our lives moving forward.
Our business is the exact reason that sometimes we need to slow everything down or stop completely. Reveling in doing nothing or taking part in hobbies helps us connect to ourselves and feel calm.
One person mentioned that their happy place is “Going for a drive or a ride, and everything just works out perfectly — There's little traffic, the weather is great, the view is pretty, I've got a full tank of gas, a thermos full of coffee, and nowhere to be.”
Someone else shared that they try to play the ukulele every day, saying, “Sometimes I find that I am better at it, which is so encouraging.”
Taking time off to be with ourselves is an incredible way to get in touch with our inner joy.
10. Spending time with loved ones
Another way to locate our happiness is to be with people we love.
One person said that their joyful daily moment came from “Saying good morning to my wife and our daughter.”
“Getting my daughter out of her crib after her nap” was someone else’s dose of joy. A different person shared a similar daily joy, of “Looking at my baby boy and seeing him crack a big smile when we make eye contact.”
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We might not always be near the ones we want to hold closest, which is where the joy of technology comes in. As someone shared, making “A video call to my family” so they could be in touch, even from afar, made them feel joyful.
Life is anything but easy, and challenges of any size can arise at any moment. Yet when we have specific tools in our toolbox to combat the darker times, we know that we can rise above and find joy where it exists.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.