Lost your spark? Here's how to find joy in the chaos of modern life
'We are built with that DNA for joy. It's our birthright as human beings,' Joseph recently told CNN.
Joy isn't just a luxury. According to Dr Judith Joseph, a board-certified psychiatrist and researcher, it's actually a part of who we are.
Yet for many of us, that natural spark feels buried under work deadlines, family obligations and what Joseph calls high-functioning depression, the silent kind of struggle where, from the outside, everything seems fine. Inside, though, something feels empty.
Joseph's book, 'High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy', explores why some people appear successful and put-together, yet quietly feel numb.
It's a growing topic in mental health circles: research published in "Frontiers in Psychology" (2022) shows that anhedonia, the inability to feel joy, is common, even among high achievers.
So, why should we make space for joy?
And how can we do it in the middle of messy, modern family life? Here's what Joseph and other experts say and why it matters now more than ever. Joy vs. happiness: know the difference.
Many of us chase happiness, the boost we get from buying something new, getting likes on a photo, or ticking off career goals. But joy, Joseph explains, is different.
'Happiness is external and a short-term fix … Joy is internal. You don't have to teach a child joy,' she says. It's a natural state that can still exist alongside hard days, grief or stress. That idea alone can be comforting: we don't have to wait for everything to be perfect to feel moments of joy.
What stops us from feeling joy?
It turns out that 'functioning' too well can actually be part of the problem. Joseph points to anhedonia (loss of pleasure) and alexithymia (difficulty identifying and expressing emotions).
These aren't always obvious, especially if you're still hitting deadlines, making school runs and hosting family dinners.
'Many of us are pathologically productive,' Joseph admits. And modern family life often rewards that: we praise the parent who never rests or the adult child who always 'has it together'.
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