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AudioBook information:
Author: Kelly McGonigal
Narrated by: Kelly McGonigal PhD
Release date: October 13, 2026
Audiobook Duration: 10 h 17 min
Summary:Â Bestselling author and renowned psychologist Kelly McGonigal offers a groundbreaking look at joy and how we can embrace it
As psychologist Kelly McGonigal reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, joy gives life meaning, sustains hope, and helps us feel close to others. It is the emotion that tells us: life is worth living, good things are possible, and you are not alone.
And yet, many people find it difficult to allow themselves to feel, show, or even seek joy. Instead, we worry: Is it selfish to want joy? Is joy even possible when life is hard? Instead of turning to joy as a resource, we try to protect ourselves from the perceived risks of caring too much. What if, instead, you were able to trust the feeling of joy and appreciate the good in your life? And what if you were able to help others experience the benefits that joy provides?
Weaving together personal storytelling with insights from psychology, neuroscience, and research conducted around the world, McGonigal offers tangible ways to experience this powerful emotion in everyday life. You’ll discover:
- How joy works in the brain and body to provide relief
- How to create moments of meaning, connection, and celebration, in challenging times
- Why joy is a form of social support, and how to bring joy to others
- Strategies to counteract joy dampening that keeps us from enjoying good moments
- Tools to navigate common obstacles to joy, such as envy, guilt, anxiety, and grief
- 20 “joy experiments” you can begin implementing today
Motivating and uplifting, Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking shows that seeking and sharing joy is an act of courage and compassion—and one you can take even when life is difficult.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing the lists of Conversation Sarters, 30 Types of Joy, and The Joy Experiments, from the book.
Reviews:
“A compelling case for taking joy more seriously—and a useful guide for seeking and spreading it. As a psychologist, Kelly McGonigal has a deep understanding of what shapes our emotional lives, and she recommends a series of creative experiments that you can try right away.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
“A practical and heartfelt celebration of everyday joy. Blending psychological science with moving personal stories and insightful reflections, McGonigal reveals that joy is not just a fleeting emotion but a way of engaging with the world.”
—Anna Lembke, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation
“Joy is integral to excellence, to hope, and to living a meaningful and textured life. McGonigal’s book is a heartfelt tour de force on how to cultivate, experience, share, and reap the benefits of joy—at a time we need it more than ever.”
—Brad Stulberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Excellence and The Practice of Groundedness
“This book is a delightful reminder that joy doesn’t have to elude us—we can actively seek it out and practice it on a daily basis. McGonigal has given us the tools to find meaning, social connection, and levity, all by opening up to one of our most fulfilling emotions.”
—Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety
“Joy lives in these pages, waiting for you to find her again.”
—Astrid Jorgensen, founder of Pub Choir and author of Average at Best
About the Author:
Kelly McGonigal, PhD is a psychologist, a lecturer at Stanford University, and an award-winning science writer. She is the author of the international bestseller The Willpower Instinct, The Upside of Stress, and The Joy of Movement, and the co-author of The Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training. Her work has been published in more than thirty languages.