JOY IS FOR LIFE, not just for Christmas...

Almost every Christmas carol speaks of joy and exultation. Adverts at this time of year depict friends and family wearing sequins, festive sweaters, and open-mouthed smiles as they bustle around homes decked in sparkling lights and vibrant golds and greens.

- YASMINA FLOYER

Whilst it is wonderful to find ourselves in a time of year defined by pleasure, there can also be an unspoken pressure to perform joy, because this is a time that we are told we ought to be feeling happy. Christmas practically yells at us to have fun, after all, and who wouldn't want to engage in the revelry? But simply put, joy isn't just for Christmas, so how we can embrace the best bits of that joyful feeling every day? I ask psychotherapist and bestselling author of books including, The Good Decision Diary (Penguin Life, £16.99), Anna Mathur what is it about the festive period that makes it so joyful in the first place, and she shares with me that the season gives us something that psychologists call 'collective effervescence', which is the sense of being lifted by shared ritual and celebration and the fact that it builds at a predictable pace.

‘Our brains love predictability and routine. This sense of familiarity helps us feel safe as well as connected. The lights, music and gatherings activate reward pathways in the brain and release happy, bonding hormones like dopamine and oxytocin.’ Clinical Psychologist and Sunday Times Bestselling Author of (Un)Stuck (Simon & Schuster Ltd, £10.99) and UK Mental Health Expert for Headspace, Dr Sophie Mort echoes this sentiment, sharing that the festive season is one of the few times in the year when many of us collectively give ourselves permission to feel joy.