Joy is a Biomarker
The often overlooked health metric that doesn't need a tracker.
Yesterday was my mother’s birthday. She would have turned 80.
Feeling a little melancholy about this milestone year without her, I decided instead to find my people and headed out to celebrate another friend’s special day.
We laughed, played and danced for hours under the moonlight — a reminder of how healing it can be to cultivate happiness and seek out social connection.
As I hugged the birthday boy, a bon vivant who loves to playfully mock my biohacking ways, he asked me, “how many metrics did you track tonight?”
Just one, I answered. “Steps on the dance floor.”
He added that somewhere between him (life of the party) and me (health optimization) was the answer to longevity. And, he was absolutely right.
Health isn’t just about what we can measure in lab results or body composition — it’s also about how we feel mentally and emotionally. Joy is often overlooked by holistic health but it’s a beneficial emotion in more ways than one. It sends powerful signals to our nervous system, letting us know we’re safe and allowing us to bask in the feel-good chemicals that support our immune system and even our blood pressure.
Joy is especially healing for the heart, especially one that is grieving.
With this in mind, joy might be one of the most important health metrics we have. Positive emotions are linked to longer life expectancy and can profoundly transform our wellbeing. And, they feel fantastic.
I’m reminded by this quote by Maya Angelou:
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."
And preferably, with a great DJ.
Related:
Move to the Music - The science behind why dancing feels so good (and is so good for you).
I couldn’t love this more, Celia. My husband and I often say we don’t get enough AF — actual fun; not the nice time at a dinner party but the all-out joyful moments of celebration as you had with friends dancing. Here’s to more moments like this xx