Even the simplest pleasures — such as hearing someone laugh, admiring a flower while walking through the neighborhood, or doing a small favor for a friend — can make a measurable difference in people’s emotional well-being and overall outlook on life. That’s the central finding from a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
These small, everyday actions, referred to as “micro-acts of joy,” have been found to significantly uplift moods and enhance people’s sense of control over their own happiness. Elissa Epel, a UCSF professor who has extensively studied the connection between stress, aging, and overall health, led the study. “We were quite taken aback by the size of the improvements to people’s emotional well-being,” Epel said, emphasizing that such changes were observed even though the activities were brief and simple.
The research stems from the ironically named Big Joy Project, a web-based initiative developed at UC Berkeley. Participants in the program engaged in short daily tasks designed to cultivate happiness, joy, and awe — each task lasting only five to ten minutes over the course of a week. Epel and her team at UCSF monitored nearly 18,000 individuals who participated in this initiative between 2022 and 2024.
What made this study groundbreaking was its focus on whether such minimal, easily accessible, and low-effort interventions could bring about tangible and lasting changes in people’s mental outlook. While these activities require significantly less time and commitment compared to traditional well-being programs, the results turned out to be surprisingly powerful.
“It wasn’t just people who were already well off” who experienced improvements, Epel pointed out. “We actually saw greater benefits in people who came into the study with challenges, either they felt financially strained or they felt in a low social status,” she explained. “This is not just an intervention for the privileged.”
The findings were published on June 4 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Participants were asked to complete seven specific acts over seven days. These included sharing a joyful moment with someone else, performing a kind deed for another person, compiling a list of things they were grateful for, and watching an awe-inspiring video about Yosemite National Park.
Epel explained that the chosen tasks were designed to evoke feelings such as hope, wonder, fun, and optimism. “Each task took less than 10 minutes, including answering short questions before and after,” she said. Participants were asked to complete brief surveys at both the beginning and end of the program, assessing various aspects of their mental and physical health.
The researchers measured a range of emotional indicators, including positive emotions, general well-being, sleep quality, and stress levels. They also evaluated “happiness agency,” a term used to describe the degree of control individuals feel they have over their emotional state.
Across the board, participants reported improvements in all measured areas. More notably, the benefits of the program increased depending on how many days participants engaged with it. Those who completed all seven daily tasks experienced greater positive changes than those who participated for just two or three days.
Certain groups benefited more than others. The study found that Black and Latino participants experienced more significant improvements than white participants. Additionally, younger individuals showed more positive effects than older ones.
Despite the encouraging results, Epel emphasized that the findings should be interpreted with caution. While the short-term benefits are clear, more controlled studies are needed to confirm the long-term effectiveness of such interventions. “We don’t want to deny what’s going on or act like everything’s fine,” she said, alluding to the broader mental health challenges and uncertainties many people are facing today.
What remains unclear is why these micro-acts of joy produce such a strong effect. Biologically, there might be hormonal responses that explain the outcomes. Alternatively, the simple acts could help disrupt harmful mental patterns such as persistent worrying or self-criticism, redirecting mental energy toward something more positive and uplifting.
A key insight from the research is that people likely have more influence over their happiness than they typically assume. Even during turbulent times, just a small infusion of joy into one’s day may make a noticeable difference. “All of this well-being stuff, it’s not a luxury,” said Epel. “We often say that we’ll let ourselves be happy once we’ve reached some point or finished some task. Well, we want to flip that — we need the energy of joy to get through the hard parts.”
She emphasized the necessity of cultivating joy, especially now, in an era marked by widespread societal anxiety and political tension. “When we can focus on well-being and connecting with others, that’s the fuel that will help us cope with adversity,” Epel said. “So these are really necessary skills.”
Ultimately, the study demonstrates that it doesn’t take a grand transformation to positively influence one’s mental state. Just a few minutes of conscious effort to experience and share joy can be a potent tool in enhancing well-being — and may even serve as a much-needed counterbalance to the pressures of modern life.