A new scientific study has revealed that spending just five minutes a day on simple activities can significantly boost positive emotions and increase happiness — offering an easy remedy for coping with daily stress.
اضافة اعلان
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco conducted a study involving participants from around the world as part of the “Big Joy Project.” The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in early June.
The study concluded that dedicating just five minutes per day to what researchers call “micro-acts of joy” — small, intentional actions designed to spark positive feelings — can lower stress levels, improve overall health, and enhance sleep quality.
According to Dr. Elissa Epel, a leading expert in stress and aging sciences and the study's lead researcher, simple actions like listening to spontaneous laughter, pausing to admire a flower during a walk, or doing a small favor for a friend can have a measurable impact on mental well-being. “We were surprised by just how much emotional health improved among participants,” she said.
The study involved a large sample of 18,000 participants from the U.S., the UK, and Canada and ran for two years through 2024. It is considered the first of its kind to examine the lasting impact of short, low-effort happiness-boosting practices.
Interestingly, the study found that participants who engaged in these activities for just one week experienced improvements comparable to those achieved through months-long therapy or training programs.
The study introduced seven happiness-boosting activities, one for each day of the week. These included:
Sharing joyful moments with others
Performing acts of kindness
Writing a gratitude list
Watching awe-inspiring nature videos
Professor Epel explained that the activities were designed to enhance three core emotional states:
Hope and optimism
Awe and admiration
Playfulness and amusement
Each task was crafted to take less than ten minutes, including answering a few short pre- and post-activity questions.
To measure impact, participants completed psychological and physical health assessments at the beginning and end of the trial week. These evaluations covered indicators such as:
Emotional well-being
Positive feelings
“Happiness-making ability”
Stress levels
Sleep quality
“Emotional well-being” here refers to how satisfied a person feels with life and whether they experience a sense of purpose, while “happiness-making ability” reflects one’s sense of control over their emotional state.
The results showed improvements across all indicators, with higher commitment levels directly linked to better outcomes. Participants who completed the full seven days saw greater benefits than those who participated for only two or three.
Remarkably, the study also noted that ethnic minority groups experienced greater improvements than white participants, and younger individuals responded more positively than older adults.
Despite the strong results, the exact mechanism by which these simple actions influence mood remains under investigation.
Professor Epel theorizes that these small activities may interrupt negative thought patterns — such as chronic worry or self-criticism — and redirect mental energy toward more positive pathways.
— Daily Mail
