Day 14 - Movie

Think of a movie that has brought you Joy in the past :)

Easy version:

Watch a Joyful movie!

Less easy:

Make this your entertainment theme for the coming week or two. Really immersive yourself in Joy!

Why do this?

Watching a happy movie lights up the same parts of our brains that are activated when we are engaged in doing something happy in “real life”. This is why we may cry during sad movies, and laugh during happy ones. Laughter also releases endorphins, which makes us feel good. If your chosen movie is a favourite one from your childhood, there will also be the nostalgic benefits of happy memories :)

My personal choice:

I love watching movies. One of my favourite feel-good flicks is “About Time”, which we first watched during pandemic lockdown. It’s funny, it’s got all the “appreciate every moment” feels, plus some great music. I also love movies about food, and “Julie & Julia” is one of my favourites (along with “Chef”, “The Hundred Foot Journey”, “Chocolat”..). The other three I’ve chosen for this week: “Grand Budapest Hotel”, which is one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen (beauty makes me happy!), “Nacho Libre”, which is sweet and hilarious, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. This last one isn’t obviously joyful, but it’s the movie that brought me peace about having bad memories, and allowed me to see such memories as lighthouses to avoid repeating mistakes. So it’s a slightly more complicated Joy. It also makes me cry, and crying helps get rid of stressful and negative emotions through the magic of chemistry.

How to share: invite someone over to watch your joyful movie with you. Ask them to choose one of their own favourites, and make a long joyful evening out of it! Or ask a friend what their favourite happy movie recommendation is, and then watch it. Tell them yours too :)

I’d love to hear your Joyful movie recommendations in the comments below!