In the newly released 2025 Harvard Business Review they found that JOY is one of three essential ingredients for a truly satisfying life.

This resonates with me so much as when I create wellness concepts for spas, hotels, resorts, and residences, JOY is the thread I aim to weave through every detail—whether it’s designing the guest journey, interiors, treatment menus, or retail collections for brands around the world.

So what is Joy, really?

“Our only mission is to help create a joyful world.” — Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra says joy is not the same as happiness. He describes joy as closer to contentment — a deep peace that arises when we are in touch with our creative, playful center, our very soul. While happiness is subjective and fleeting, joy is more enduring, marked by contentment and fulfillment.

Wellness brands that radiate joy

When I lived in New York, few places revived my joy like ABC Carpet & Home (http://abchome.com)on Broadway. Wandering its aisles, I soaked up the “joy factor” in every corner: bursts of color, artisan décor, vintage jewellery, fragrance, and skincare, all curated with an eye for artful discovery. Next door, ABCV (http://abcv.nyc)by Jean-Georges elevated vegan dining with a luminous, sun-and-moon-inspired design. Dishes arrived on dreamy pink plates, turning every meal into an experience of beauty, wellness, wisdom, and love.

Vyrao (pictured is their gorgeous Whitchy Woo bottle), is one of those brands that feels both modern and magical. Blending neuroscience and fine perfumery, it reimagines fragrance as an expression of transformation — not just scent, but a way to lift mood and shift energy. Vyrao’s line of fragrances, candles, and incense use rare botanicals to spark emotion and energy. With playful names likeWitchy Woo and Wonder Candle, Vyrao feels steeped in joy. http://www.vyrao.com

Aro Ha wellness retreat (http://aro-ha.com) in New Zealand vibrates of adventure, spaciousness and pure uplift.  In London, the newly opened Surrenne Spa http://surrenne.com at The Emory delighted me with the most joy-inducing treatment menu I’ve seeen for a long time. Bursting with bold florals and phrases like “New Worlds of Wonder”, it feels like a celebration of joy on every page.  I’ve also long admired the Six Senses Ibiza positioning of Rose Bar (http://rosebarlongevity.com) such a joyful, fresh way to talk about health, longevity, and wellbeing—both aspirational and approachable.

In the 2025 Harvard Business Review article How the Busiest People Find Joy, joy is considered one of three essential ingredients—alongside achievement and meaningfulness—for a truly satisfying life. Their research found that we need to regularly feel a sense of accomplishment, a connection to something bigger than ourselves and positive emotions to have a satisfying life.

The authors uncovered five strategies that will help you get more out of your free time:

1. Engage with others – according to research behind the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which tracked men for more than 75 years, the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction, is strong and meaningful connections and a sense of belonging.
2. Avoid passive pursuits – less time napping, watching TV and scrolling and more time engaging in hobbies, activities and volunteering resulted in a higher life satisfaction score.
3. Follow your passion – spending time on things aligned with our own values that are free from social obligations, expectations and pressure to do what’s good for us, is important. Following our hearts rather than what others label as ‘worthwhile’.
4. Diversify our activities – they found that only dedicating oneself to one pursuit did not bring as much joy and it’s variety not depth that boosts happiness as it prevents monotony.
5. Protect your time –setting boundaries and mentally disconnecting from work and using our leisure time such as catching up with friends and engaging in our hobbies and activities not only boosts our health and wellbeing but also our performance at work.

I’m curious to know what brands bring you joy?

Source: https://hbr.org/2025/07/how-the-busiest-people-find-joy