Dr. Judith Joseph says Joy is not merely a blessing. It’s part of us.
“We are built with that DNA for joy. It’s a human birthright,” she told me recently.
Joseph is a board-certified psychiatrist and researcher who fulfilled her mission to study joy, preventing people from feeling it.
Her work, including her new book, “High Functions: Overcoming Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy,” is finally being taken seriously, in part because of its pioneering research into the state of high-functional depression.
“I wanted people to learn and hear it and make depression look different,” Joseph said.
“There are people who are struggling with Anhedonia (that is, they mean a lack of joy,” Joseph told me. “They don’t look depressed (but) you don’t have to be sad to meet the criteria for depression.”
Joseph noted that she “many of us are pathologically productive” including herself among individuals suffering from high functional depression.
She said one of the biggest challenges in self-identification highly functional depression is that some people experience psychological barriers such as anhedonia and alexithymia, where it is difficult to identify and express emotions. Both can kill joy, and at least according to everyone else, you can still function at work or at home, which is often overlooked in conversations about mental health.
Joseph unleashed more joy in life through strong connections with his family and community. Her joy also comes from helping others access their own.
But it took some time to discover.
Not only did she do clinical research on high-functional depression, but she also experienced it herself, even if she was professionally praised.
“It was me in 2020,” Joseph said. “I was wearing this mask. Everything looked great on the outside. I was running through the lab. I was on my own, my little one, my perfect family, I was on TV. But I was struggling with Anhedonia.
So how do you fight?
verification: Name your feelings. Acknowledge that. I’ll accept that. “If you don’t know how we feel, you’re confused when you can’t name it, that’s uncertain. We’re not feeling well, so it’s very important to name how you feel and accept it,” Joseph explained.
Vent: Find someone you trust and express what you are experiencing with warnings. If you’re not talking to a mental health professional, Joseph told friends and family he would be careful of “throwing away trauma.” “I want to check in. I want to ask for emotional consent and say, ‘Is this a fun time?’
value: What gives you the meaning and purpose of life? “Think about the precious things… I was chasing praise at the end of the day when I’m not going to talk about praise, achievements, those are my deathbed,” she said.
Vital: These are what keep you alive: healthy food, consistent exercise, and a good sleep. They’re easy to say, but it’s hard for many of us to do.
vision: This is difficult to have when you are blinded by your own discomfort. However, Joy Doctor recommends you plan more joy and stop revisiting the past.
Joseph warned me.
“Don’t be highly functional,” she said about the process. It’s not a different matter at work. It’s your life.
And remember: happiness is external and is a short-term fix like the rush you get when you buy something new or win an award.
The joy is inside. “It’s being used internally,” Joseph said. “There’s no need to teach children joy. We’re built with it.”
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