Life-Extension Neuroscientist: Do This Everyday To Make Life Exciting Again! | Kelly McGonigal

With rates of depression and mental illness at an all-time high, it’s crucial to take stock of and consciously make time for the things that bring us joy. Joy is an embodied feeling we get when we feel connected to our inner selves, relationships, and the world around us. The question is, how do we create more of it?

Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru sits down with Kelly McGonigal to discuss how to cultivate more joy in our lives using the power of movement, nature, community, and so much more. Kelly shares how movement can help familiarize our bodies with the physical sensations of joy so that it is more easily recognizable. She also discusses how a sedentary lifestyle can rob us of joy and how leading a healthy lifestyle can help us better connect to ourselves to find deeper meaning and purpose that leads us to live a joy-filled life.

Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University specializing in understanding the mind-body connection. Her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities.

She is the best-selling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. Her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," has been viewed over 20 million times. In January 2020, Oprah Magazine honored her as the first-ever O! Visionary for her ability to “transform scientific data into wisdom” to make the world mean a better future for us all. Kelly’s last book, The Joy of Moment, explores why physical exercise is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

In this episode, Dhru and Kelly dive into:
-How to create more joy in our lives as we age
-Why joy is so underrated in people’s lives
-Increasing our sensitivity to joy
-What we get from having more joy in our lives
-How being sedentary suppresses our capacity for joy
-Kelly’s background story and how she handles chronic pain
-The Joy Workout
-Kelly’s Joy prescription
-The relationship between friendship and joy
-Tips for making friends and meeting new people
-The power of integrating movements with relationships
-Top motivators for increasing movement in our lives
-Tips for cultivating love and compassion
-End of the day replay exercise

Also mentioned in this episode:
-The Joy Workout featured in The New York Times:
-The Joy of Movement:

For more on Dr. Kelly McGonigal:
-Instagram @kellymariemcgonigal
-Facebook @kellymcgonigalauthor

This episode is brought to you by:

[roblangsdorf]

I've been walking with people for years. But when we are hiking to get somewhere, it is hard to keep conversations going. But, if you are climbing a hard grade, slow to a pace where everyone can talk. You will have more fun and you can keep going much longer.

[roblangsdorf]

Something that can keep the Joy flowing is to find 3 things to be thankful everyday.
Even if it is being thankful for something that went wrong.

[constandinostaliadoros]

Does joy helps you become an alcoholic or an addict

[laviniaterec]

Aka: when psychiatric patients go down thé rabbit whole. Im just sorry for thé doctors who tried to find out what is wrong with her physically. WE should have a pain detecting dévice ...thére are some signals on Eeg and Mri monitoring...but still. Most common diagnostic is fibromyalgia. Thèse patients need to have psychological support. Is it ok to put them on podcasts? Dabatable.

[tanakaren]

Thank you so much! We need more focus on joy, & info on how to increase it!!

[seizetheday]

“everyday”: an adjective. In this sentence “every” would be the determiner and “day” the noun. Two words.

[Mariahugo]

Crypto is bringing a different revolution in the world economy.People who are optimistic investors earn consistently……… others will just sit and watch. Already making over $77, 000 profits 🤗

[oceansoflorewi]

I cant STAND joy- its the byproduct of gutted disappointment. When youre about to meet someone new and they ask you 'arent you excited?' are you kidding me? Ill be excited afterward / thats none of your business. Do I love peace, fulfillment, solitude, and a brain in flow state- absolutely. Joy... NO. Its too dramatic and fleeting.