On 1st July 2024, Research World published an article written by FlexMR’s Content Manager, Emily James, in collaboration with Andrew Cannon from The Art and Science of Joy. This article, entitled The Science of Joy, provided a brief look into the firm’s Year of Joy project, its purpose, current impacts and insights, and future research.
The Year of Joy project is hosted on FlexMR’s InsightHub platform and seeks to use research tools to measure the power of joy to transform people’s lives and empower people to harvest more joy through the online insight community. With a community of 4000 participants from a wide range of countries globally, this project is a significant undertaking that promises to inspire and empower people to cultivate more joy in their lives despite the tsunami of negative influences from many sources in life.
The Science of Joy
The Year of Joy (YOJ) project is the culmination of a wide-scale collaboration between many different market research organisations, created and directed by Art and Science of Joy co-founders Andrew Cannon and Debby Schlesinger-Hellman.
In the online community platform, each member has access to inspiring content and practical tips to harvest more joy. Those members who really wish to take their joy to the next level can undertake 8-week activation programs developed to empower people to cultivate different Joy Superpowers, such as empathy, resilience and curiosity, to name but a few, all of which lead them to a more joy-filled life.
Through in-depth research, the team discovered that there are many components that contribute towards the feeling of joy. Many of these drivers, or ‘Joy Superpowers’, are the foundations of our sense of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing; but our sense of belonging is also paramount, whether that is through family, friends, work/school or a broader community.
At the start of the project, as many as three-quarters of members struggled to feel joy, one-third very much so. When asked, two-thirds of members reported that being a YOJ community member had increased their feeling of joy, and the Joy Barometer data backs this up. Specifically, the program has helped those people with low Joy Scores harvest more joy in their lives, with such people seeing an average 20% uplift in their Joy Score after 6 to 12 months of participating in the community.
Read the full article to learn more about the Year of Joy community and gain insight into the project through Em Allyn, a Year of Joy member who spoke to Emily and Andrew about their experience.
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Thinking from the data, research & business intelligence industry. Published by ESOMAR, the global voice of the data, research and insights community, Research World focuses on innovation and best practices in market, opinion and social research and data analytics, helping readers stay abreast of the latest developments in tools, technology and applications.
