There are people who are just a joy to be around. Their presence can help make bad days bearable, and good days brighter.
If you want to be one of them, then start doing what they’re doing.
Here are 20 traits of joyful people who radiate positivity.
1) They’re grateful for every little thing
People who are naturally grateful will have more joyful lives than those who are not.
They take some time each day to look around them and say “I’m glad I’m alive for this!”
They don’t need to witness anything particularly extraordinary to be grateful. Even the simple fact that they’re alive, healthy, and that they have food on the table is good enough for them.
2) They don’t worry too much
It’s completely normal to worry every now and then….but only up to a certain extent. Past that, you’re just doing nothing but kill your own joy.
Joyful people hold on to their joy by stopping themselves before they start overthinking and catastrophizing… even when they have valid reasons to.
Instead they just tell themselves “I will try my best, and if things won’t work out, then I just have to accept it.”
3) They always have something to be excited about
Whether it’s a weekend getaway, the release of a game they’ve been looking forward to, or a simple night’s sleep, joyful people always have something to look forward to.
They can do this because they don’t try to make it hard for them to get excited.
They don’t need something to be big or flashy or particularly unique for them to get excited about it.
4) They expect nothing from others
You can also interpret this to mean that they like to keep their expectations low.
Joyful people do their best to be as trusting as they can be, but they’re also well aware of how imperfect people can be.
So when someone forgets to bring a book they promised they would, they won’t hate them for it and think “they’re really unreliable”.They’ll just shrug it off instead and carry on. Stuff just happens, after all.
5) They find beauty in everything
The world is full of beauty, and we simply fail to see it—well, most of us at least. Joyful people are a bit different in that they try to keep an open mind.
So they see beauty in even the ordinary and mundane… in things that most others would find unremarkable or even ugly such as, say, the mud on their boots or the grungy interior of the local metro.
6) They can laugh at their misfortunes
Joyful people aren’t joyful because they live lives that are easy and full of blessings.
They’re joyful because they have learned to accept and laugh at their misfortunes.
When bad things happen to them, instead of beating themselves up and hating the world for it, they instead just shrug and poke fun at their luck (or lack of it, rather).
7) They see everything as a blessing
Joyful people manage to be the way they are because they always like to have a glass half-full.
They try to see their life as a series of blessings, and that even their misfortunes have a “silver lining” and are actually blessings in disguise.
You might be tempted to say “that’s naive!” but think about it… who are we to say they’re wrong? Seriously.
After all, they might be correct and this way of seeing the world has kept them content and at peace with life.
8) They have an “it could be worse” mindset
When something bad happens to them—say, an illness, bankruptcy, a heartache, or even death—a joyful person reminds themselves that things could certainly be worse.
They’ll give themselves time to mourn and work through their emotions and, once they’re done, try to do something about their misfortunes while trying to look at the good side in the meantime.
9) They know how to surrender
There are times when something is simply not worth holding on to anymore.
And in those times, the joyful person has no issue with leaving behind anything and everything that they need to leave behind.
This doesn’t mean that they can’t commit, of course. They can do a splendid job at holding on to their commitments, even. They simply know better than to hold on to a futile venture.
10) They believe anything is possible
In the same vein as always trying to seek the silver lining in everything is the desire to believe that anything is possible.
Joyful people are full of hope, and they believe in the ages-old saying that where there’s a will, there’s a way.
And they don’t just apply this positivity to themselves, they encourage others to keep pushing too.
11) They enjoy the journey as much as the outcome
When joyful people work on something—say, a movie or a business—they won’t wait for the actual movie to be screened or the business to earn millions before they can finally permit themselves to feel good.
If anything, they’re more likely to instead just appreciate every step they took on the road that took them to where they are right now.
12) They’re kids at heart
It won’t be wrong to assert that we truly never get older—some of us simply let the world turn us bitter and cold.
Joyful people are who they are because they have been putting effort into keeping the world from wearing them down.
Because of that, they remain gentle and “innocent” well into their twilight years. Their flesh might have aged, but their heart remains the same all these years.
13) They believe in love
No matter how many heartbreaks they’ve gone through, or how many divorces they’ve had to file, joyful people will continue to believe in love.
And love to them is more than just romantic love—a joyful person values every single kind of love equally, be it platonic, romantic, or familial.
Love is love, as far as they’re concerned, and it’s the one thing that makes the world bearable.
14) They try to find the goodness in others
It’s easy to see how bad we have it and come to the conclusion that people are simply evil.
Joyful people remain the way they are because they do their best to avoid thinking that way.
Rather that people are naturally evil, they instead believe that most people are good at heart. And that the majority of those who we think are bad? They’re probably just hurt, misguided, or misunderstood.
So, they always look for what makes people good, especially the ones people find difficult and obnoxious.
15) They don’t let setbacks discourage them
Contrary to popular belief, joyful people aren’t people who are lost in a fantasy world where everything is all sunshine and rainbows.
They’re actually realists. They not only EXPECT setbacks, they also know they’ll be dealing with a lot of it.
They don’t expect that their first, second, or tenth attempt would bear fruit right away.
And because of this, they don’t give up fast and say “welp, I tried.”
They’re resilient to setbacks and just see them as regular challenges everyone must face to achieve their goals.
16) They refill their “positive” vibes
Joyful people don’t spend every waking hour full of positivity and joy—they’re not robots and that’s just frankly unrealistic.
They struggle with depression, anger, and stress just like the rest of us. But what sets them apart is that they know how to pause and recharge, as well as when.
When they’re tired, they take breaks. But more than that, they reprogram their minds when they start to get discouraged and negative. They know how to soothe and “pep talk” themselves out of a slump…and they do it regularly.
17) They don’t compare themselves to others
Few things sap joy more thoroughly than always measuring oneself up to others. Joyful people understand that there will always be others who are “better” than they are, so they avoid comparing themselves to others.
Because of that, they have no issues congratulating people for being successful. In fact they might even look up to them for inspiration.
It’s simply not fair to compare oneself to others anyways, given how our lives are just so different from one another.
18) They truly enjoy making others happy
Joy begets joy, and one of the reasons why it’s so nice being around joyful people is because they also try to make the people around them happy.
They don’t try to cheer people up so that they’ll be “liked” for it. They do it simply because they enjoy doing so.
So when they see that one of their friends is lonely, for example, they would jump on the first opportunity they could get to be there for them or to have someone else give them company.
19) They are not maximizers
Joyful people don’t go about their lives thinking about how they stand to gain or lose from anything and everything they ever do.
They don’t look at their plans to pick up art and go “what do I stand to gain by picking up this hobby, and is it worth the time it takes away from me?”, or hear a friend ask for help and go “if I help them now, how might I leverage this later?”
If a friend needs help, they will help because that friend needs help. If they want to pick up a new hobby, they will do so because it gives them joy.
20) They believe they’re put on earth to fart around
Kurt Vonnegut once said, “I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don’t let anybody tell you different.”
Joyful people know this and live by this.
Sure, they would love having a “greater purpose” or a general direction in life, same as everyone else. But at the same time, they are very much aware that what matters most is that we enjoy the time we have in the present.
And for that reason they seize the day. They do more fun things with the people they like…and set aside “goals”, “life purpose”, “meaning” and all of that from time to time simply so that they can rest and relax.
Last words
Joyful people aren’t necessarily ignorant, naïve, or privileged enough to have never gone through suffering.
Other people might think otherwise, and we can’t blame them—there’s this idea that to be wise and “mature” we have to let the trials of life turn us cynical and unhappy.
But the fact is that plenty of joyful people actually have gone through their fair share of troubles. They simply are the way they are because of how they see the world.
And hopefully this list will have given you insight into that perspective.
They’re all good things to incorporate into your daily life, even if you don’t fancy yourself as an especially “joyful” sort.