The Aesthetics of joy
“JOY ISN’T JUST SOMETHING WE FIND. IT’S ALSO SOMETHING WE CAN MAKE, FOR OURSELVES AND THOSE AROUND US.”
-INGRID FETELL LEE
In my years as design director at the renowned innovation company IDEO and in my own practice, as well as through curating the design blog The Aesthetics of Joy, I’ve seen firsthand how aesthetics change people’s attitudes and behavior from the outside in.
They reveal why some stores and restaurants bustle with activity, while others stand quiet and empty. And they help us understand why one environment makes people anxious and competitive, while another brims with sociability and tolerance. Think about the way people act in the sterile cabin of an airplane, breaking into fights over three degrees of seat recline and jostling elbows for control of an armrest. Now contrast this with how people behave in the convivial atmosphere of a music festival. Surrounded by vibrant decorations and music, people share food and drink, make space on the crowded lawn for newcomers, and dance with strangers. The power of the aesthetics of joy is that they speak directly to our unconscious minds, bringing out the best in us without our even being aware of it.
Every human being is born with the capacity for joy, and like the pilot light in your stove, it still burns within you even if you haven’t switched on the burners in a while. Joy isn’t just something we find. It’s also something we can make for ourselves and those around us.
Too often we move through the physical world as if it were a stage set, a mute backdrop for our daily activities. Yet in reality it is alive with opportunities for inspiration, wonder and joy. Joy’s power is that small moments can spark big changes. Even the tiniest joyful gestures add up over time and before we know it, we have not just a few happier people but a truly joyful world.
JOYFUL
In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with everyday, have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing insights from neuroscience and psychology, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier and truly joyful lives.
