News about recovering joy, a friendship-making model, dinnertime and vegetables.
Be good at yourself.
Reprogram for joy.
It’s crucial. The resilience that propels us forward comes from joy. But when a Gallup poll shows a record-low 44% of Americans feeling “very satisfied” with their lives, it looks like many are short on joy. That’s bad. “Anhedonia, a loss of enjoyment in usually pleasurable things, and hypernormalization, the experience of daily life amid disconcerting societal change, can lower one’s wellbeing.”
What to do? The answer could be simply bumping up our “baseline capacity for pleasure” with these six steps.
Anticipate the treat. Your morning walk or afternoon cookie fires up your feel-good dopamine. But the anticipation of walk or cookie or other treat — that stokes your dopamine furnace even more. So, take a breath and consciously anticipate.
Create a ritual. When there’s pie every Friday night, you’re likely to think “Ooh! Pie!” all week. And as the day draws near — and because you’re practicing anticipation — your brain is thrilled with the expectation and, ultimately, the confirmation. Result? Dopamine galore. Week after week.
Don’t go it alone. “Anything social … makes people happier than an activity done alone.” Schedule recurring appointments with a friend or friends — maybe for Friday pie — and you further enhance the emotional payoff from the treat you anticipate.
Savor all the joy bits. It’s like mindfulness: Focus on whatever you’re enjoying and pay attention to all the feelings, thoughts and sensations associated with that moment. Slow down. Be in the moment.
Notice when your treats are bandages. “Rather than use treats to quell bad feelings, see them as rewards for solving problems and improving your life.” Effort is sometimes its own reward; effort rewarded is double the joy.
“Reminisce about the past — and narrate the present.” Nostalgia about your life creates the sense of being part of a good story. And seeing your present as something you’ll reflect on in a few years — can help you recognize what’s rich and meaningful in this moment.
Go get your joy on. Full Story >>
Living alone without loneliness.
In a world where men suffer from unprecedented loneliness, 85-year-old Gerry has an answer. He works on his friendships. “Never lose a friend,” Gerry says. Full Story >>
Early dinner is right on time.
Kids today! Gen Z and millennials are making earlier dinner reservations these days, and dinner at 5 could be “one of 2025’s most surprising comebacks.” Later dining — two or fewer hours before bedtime — is now known to disrupt circadian rhythm and may lead to obesity. As one 32-year-old puts it, “[5:30] is the normal time people used to eat dinner when we, like, lived by the sun and the moon and the way of the world." Full Story >>
Vegetables are No. 1.
Start that 5 o’clock dinner with vegetables and you can reduce your post-meal blood sugar, prioritize your nutrient-dense foods, and improve your chances of hitting your daily vegetable goals. Full Story >>
And speaking of nutrient density, when you need a marketing boost, call Rally. We’re like a multivitamin, high-fiber protein shake for your lead generation.