Joy. The Oxford Dictionary describes it as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” Merriam-Webster says it is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.” Thesaurus.com gives a string of synonyms for joy, including elation, humor, bliss, and cheer.

How ever one chooses to describe or define, “joy”, medical doctors, psychologists, counsellors and preachers say it can be the world’s best medicine – especially for brain health.

“Growing up in the Black church, we used to say, ‘This joy I have; the world didn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away,’” writes New York pastor, author and educator Gabby Cudjoe-Wilkes. “What we were saying was that the conditions of this world didn’t produce joy for us; rather, something within us created the joy that the world continually tried to steal. Time and time again, systems of this world tried to steal our joy, our dignity, our hope and our future.”

In America's Black community, the "conditions of this world" that Pastor Cudjoe-Wilkes writes about often comes as a result of systemic racism and societal attitudes of White supremacy. These historic racial attitudes toward African-Americans simply because of the color of their skin often cause traumatic assaults to their emotions and their psyche. Those assaults - whether emotional or physical - can result from a number of activities, including race discrimination, racial profiling, and even racial violence.

These deeply personal experiences are often compounded by news accounts of such horrific incidents also happening to other people. Spiritual reinforcement and a lifestyle of faith can heal these mentally stressful and sometimes depressing reactions, authorities say, because lifestyles of faith can inspire joy.

“Joy is unspoken hope that floods your being. It’s that ‘It is well with my soul’ that resonates deeply within your spirit,” writes Cudjoe-Wilkes, who is co-lead pastor of The Double Love Experience Church in Brooklyn.

Medical doctors agree. A Harvard School of Medicine article reports that joyful laughter can actually stimulate brain chemicals that gives a feeling of happiness and well-being.

“A good belly laugh can do wonders for your state of mind,” as it releases levels of dopamine, a chemical released by the hypothalamus of the brain, which provides an “intense feeling of reward,” the article states.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as George Floyd was publicly asphyxiated by now imprisoned Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020 and mass protests spread throughout the nation, psychologists began looking closer at brain health and the impact of racial trauma on those who observe it or experience it.

“Living While Black: Using Joy, Beauty, and Connection to Heal Racial Trauma" is a book written by veteran psychologist Guilaine Kinouani during the height of that season. Kinouani highly recommends self-care that increases levels of joy.

“Based on her findings, Kinouani has devised tried-and-tested strategies to help protect Black people from the harmful effects of verbal, physical, and structural racism. She empowers Black readers to adopt self-care mechanisms to improve their day-to-day wellness to help them thrive, not just survive, and to find hope and beauty—or even joy—in the face of racial adversity,” states a review of the book by Beacon Press. “With the rise of far-right ideologies and the increase of racist hate crimes, Living While Black is both timely and instrumental in moving conversations from defining racism for non-Black majorities to focusing on healing and nurturing the mental health of those facing prejudice, discrimination, and the lasting effects of the violence of white supremacy.”

An article published by AARP, also during the COVID-19 pandemic, gave a list of ways to bring joy to the mind. The article, titled, "9 Simple Habits to Make You Happier: Easy ways to spark joy today", in a nutshell, includes the following suggestions:

Watch the dawn, the sunset, enjoy nature or just listen to some birds; Get some ice cream with a friend or treat yourself to a dessert, a delicious meal or your favorite beverage; Play a game with other people during which you can let your guard down; Engage in a hobby like art, dancing or other fun activities; or spend time gazing at a baby, a puppy or something else that causes you to feel happy.

There are hundreds of ways to invoke joy in one's life, depending on the individual. Even amidst civil rights battles, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others."

This article is part of a series powered by AARP for the purpose of brain health education. Here's more information.