The "Big Joy Project": Find More Happiness in Seven Days
Great joy with little effort: That's the promise of the scientifically-backed "Big Joy Project”. The web-based program lasts one week, with daily tasks that are meant to be completed in 5 to 10 minutes. Over 17,000 people from 169 countries have participated and were rewarded with a good mood, better sleep, and less stress.
The results of the study were recently published in the scientific journal Journal of Medical Internet Research. What the team behind the project aimed for was a program that didn't require any prior knowledge, no apps, no expensive tools, and no Zen meditation weekend. Just a few minutes of time, some curiosity, and the desire to take your happiness into your own hands.One of the 7 mini-exercises: Shared happiness boosts joy and strengthens social bonds.
One of the 7 mini-exercises: Shared happiness boosts joy and strengthens social bonds.
The 7-Day Happiness Blueprint
The seven tasks integrates easily into your daily routine. No preparation is needed, just some will and a readiness to engage with the topics. The "Big Joy Project" refers to these as "micro-acts of happiness." Here’s how it works:
Day 1: Share Joy
The Task: Ask someone about a joyful event. This can be in person, by phone, or by message. "What made you happy today? What inspired you? Did you have a funny experience? Did something make you proud?" Listen and share in their joy.
Why it Works: Positive resonance boosts your own joy and strengthens social bonds. Or, put simply: Shared joy connects and has a double effect.
Day 2: Change Your Perspective
The Task: Think of an annoying, frustrating, or scary situation you’ve recently experienced (traffic jam, delayed train, office stress, spilled coffee, unplanned tasks). Write it down and then list three positive things that resulted from it.
Why it Works: According to the study, changing your perspective promotes cognitive re-appraisal, a core mechanism for stress reduction and building resilience. Or, put simply: You train your brain to recognize the positive even in bad moments.
Day 3: Give the Gift of Kindness
The Task: Five good deeds, five small acts of kindness: Holding the door for someone, giving a compliment, letting someone go ahead in line, genuinely thanking someone and wishing them a nice day (bus driver, cashier, mail carrier, etc.), or bringing coffee or a pastry for a colleague.
Why it Works: Prosocial behavior boosts your own happiness. And: Kindness often acts like a boomerang—it comes back to you.
Day 4: Prioritize Values
The Task: How important are the values "virtue, fairness, benevolence, and unity" to you? Rank them by importance and write down how they are shown in your daily life.
Why it Works: Being aware of your values and living by them makes you feel more aligned, more satisfied, and increases your sense of purpose.
Day 5: Practice Gratitude
The Task: Make a list and write down up to eight things you are grateful for. These can be small joys, like the birds chirping in the morning, warm water during a shower, the good feeling of your favorite clothes, or your favorite spot in your own home. They can be people, like your favorite friend, your parents, your children, a nice coworker, or a good boss. Or they can be your own strengths and skills, like your creativity, patience, or organizational abilities.
Why it Works: Gratitude lifts your mood, increases satisfaction, reduces feelings of envy, and protects against ruminating thoughts.
Day 6: Allow Yourself to Marvel
The Task: Watch something awe-inspiring. In the "Big Joy Project," it was a video of Yosemite National Park. Participants were then asked to think about what they felt and what impressed them the most.
Why it Works: Awe broadens your perspective, reduces self-centeredness, and can dampen feelings of stress.
Day 7: Do Good
The Task: Participants listened to an audio file with ideas to make the world a little bit better. For example, offering help to someone, sending a kind message, recommending a good book, writing a positive online review, or volunteering. Afterward, participants were asked to choose an idea and implement it themselves.
Why it Works: According to the study, this exercise activates a prosocial self-image. You become more consciously aware of yourself as someone who does good. This increases your sense of purpose and social connectedness, which in turn boosts happiness and well-being scores.
The Results in Detail
The Big Joy study demonstrates that even a short, one-week online intervention can deliver measurable improvements in well-being.
More Well-Being: Participants felt more balanced and satisfied after the week.
Positive Emotions: Hope, humor, and awe noticeably increased.
More Control: Many said they had taken control of their own happiness again.
Less Stress: The level of stress dropped significantly.
Better Sleep: More restful nights, more energy during the day.
Even just three days of micro-acts were enough to feel a difference. The more days completed, the greater the effects.
Who Benefits? And Is It Sustainable?
People with little time, money, or energy benefit the most. In particular, those who were very busy received the biggest "happiness boost" from the "Big Joy Project." Younger participants also reported particularly positive effects.
While many similar projects focus on small groups and take longer, the "Big Joy Project" shows a mass-market program with noticeable results after just one week. However, this is also the flip side of the coin: it is not known what happened to the participants afterward, or whether the 7 days with the 7 mini-tasks have long-term effects. For a broader implementation, studies with control groups and longer-term observations would be necessary.
Conclusion: Happiness to Go
The “Big Joy Project” shows for sure: Happiness is not a luxury or a coincidence. It is definitely trainable with small, concrete steps. Just a few minutes a day are enough. And sometimes, a smile, a kind word, or a change of perspective is all it takes to turn a bad moment into something good.
Happiness is like a muscle: the more you train it, the stronger it gets.
