Book SummaryThe Book of Joy, by The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Book of Joy

The Book of Joy, written by Douglas Abrams, documents a week-long conversation between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the nature of joy—what it is, why it matters, and how we can find it. The conversation, facilitated by Abrams, took place in 2015, leading up to the celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.

While Tutu and the Dalai Lama come from different cultural and spiritual backgrounds, they’re both known for their ability to speak to a universal human experience. Tutu, who passed away in 2021, was best known for his civil rights work during the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement, activism for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. The Dalai...

The Book of Joy Summary Defining Joy

We’ll start by defining joy before discussing why the practice of joy is a worthy pursuit for ourselves and for others.

According to neuroscience research, joy is one of only four basic human emotions. The other three are fear, anger, and sadness—all emotions that can cause suffering—making joy the only emotion that explores what is good and satisfying about the human experience. Joy can cover a broad range of positive experiences, including pleasure, amusement, contentment, excitement, relief, wonder, bliss, pride, and gratitude.

How Many Basic Emotions Are There?

The four-emotion model is based on neurocircuitry research revealing that fear, anger, sadness, and joy are all associated with distinct patterns of physiological and neural activity. For example, anger is associated with increased arousal and activation in regions of the brain involved in threat detection and aggression, while sadness is associated with decreased arousal and activation in these same regions.

However, there’s [ongoing debate in the field of emotion...

The Book of Joy Summary The Core Values That Lead to Joy

In the previous section, we clarified the definition and importance of joy. Next, we’ll introduce the attitudes and actions that will help you experience joy on a daily basis.

Tutu and the Dalai Lama explain that to experience true joy, you must first understand that your joy doesn’t depend on your external circumstances. People often think that they’ll feel joy when their circumstances change—when they find a partner, have the perfect job, or finally own a house. This is the modern myth of happiness—the more you own or the more you accomplish, the happier you’ll be. In fact, the opposite is true. Focusing on external sources of happiness doesn’t lead to a more joyful life, but to great disconnection from other people and an increased attachment to things beyond your control.

(Shortform note: While Tutu and the Dalai Lama emphasize that joy isn’t dependent on external circumstances, some research shows that your circumstances do impact your happiness, but to a lesser degree than most people think. A 2005 study found that 10% of your happiness is determined by life...

The Book of Joy Summary The Three Truths About Suffering

In the previous section, we outlined the eight core values that will help you find joy through detaching your happiness from your external circumstances and thinking more about others. However, even if you know the steps you need to take to expand joy in your life, the practice often becomes more difficult when you’re in the midst of suffering. Many people believe that their own suffering or the immense suffering in the world means they can’t (or shouldn’t) feel joy. In the next section, we’ll explain why suffering doesn’t prevent you from experiencing joy and how it can sometimes even lead you to greater joy.

(Shortform note: The inability to feel joy in the face of suffering often leads to feelings of despair—a feeling of hopelessness that something is wrong and will never change for the better. People can feel despair about specific parts of their life, like their relationship or job prospects, or despair about their life or the future of the world. For example, in recent years, mental health professionals have seen a rise in what has been coined [“climate...

Shortform Exercise: Shift Your Perspective

Tutu and the Dalai Lama outline eight core values that offer a pathway to a more joyful life. The first of these is a well-rounded perspective—a wider and more holistic view of the world. This allows us to appreciate the shared experience of being human and more easily empathize and connect with other people.

Think about something that someone recently said or did that made you feel angry, frustrated, or sad. Describe the interaction and how it made you feel.

Shortform Exercise: Find Meaning in Suffering

Tutu and the Dalai Lama emphasize that suffering is inevitable, but they also explain that suffering has the power to help you grow if you choose to find meaning in it.

Think of one time in your life when you experienced suffering. Briefly describe the experience.