Bringing joy to politics or leadership is about more than feeling good, as joy plays a dual role of galvanizing a following and signaling that we’re on the right track.
If you’ve been following Democratic politics in the U.S. recently, you know that joy has taken center stage. “Thank you for bringing the joy back!” the ebullient vice-presidential candidate, Tim Walz shouts out to his presidential running mate, Kamala Harris. Described as a “joyful warrior,” Harris’s infectious smile, fierce determination and can-do positivity has won the hearts and uplifted the spirits of Democrats coast to coast. We see in her example that joy can be an important tool for leaders as a galvanizing force. What may be less obvious but equally true is that joy is also a reliable signal to leaders of when they’re on the right track.
How is it that joy does its work as both a leadership tool and important signal?
As a tool, joy is a contagious force. We are social beings, equipped with a social-emotional nervous system that resonates between people. Many studies have shown this resonance is a biological basis for empathy: we replicate in our body a model of what we sense someone is feeling and can thus feel it too. Smiles are infectious, for example, as our mirror neurons light up to replicate the same muscular pattern on our face, which leads to the same positive emotion.
Decades of positive psychology research into the role of joy and emotional intelligence in leadership have shown that people are more inclined to follow a leader who is positive and joyful. Joyful leaders are more likely to see opportunities, not just problems. They’re more likely to take risks and more able to pick themselves up after disappointment. Energetically, they’re able to extend their positive energy toward others and the projects they want to advance, rather than placing blame or being stuck as victims of circumstance. All of these effects get amplified through interpersonal resonance such that those around a positive leader likewise manifest more positive, can-do energy, feel more capable and build more positive relationships with one another.
