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Sound Bites: Joy to the World
Justin Pasquariello (MBA 2010)
CEO, East Boston Social Centers
Illustration: John S. Dykes
For people like youth in foster care, people experiencing poverty, people facing a variety of other hardships—what do they ultimately want for themselves? … I think the answer is more than just not poverty or not foster care. It’s about being joyful.
The difference that we’re seeking to make is to significantly, measurably increase joy and well-being in the community of East Boston, but in so doing also to demonstrate a model that is relevant far beyond East Boston.
Long and strong relationships are perhaps the most important thing for joy and well-being. [And then] a sense of purpose. Fitness. Mindfulness. And the fifth one is fun. I started with that one just because it felt strange to talk about joy and be 100 percent serious about the whole thing.
All of us can apply these principles. All of us can ask, How can we do “plus one”? What are the ways in which our work is already supporting relationships, supporting purpose, mindfulness, fitness? And then, what are the nudges that we could add, to continue to move that forward?
We probably reached our peak happiness in the ‘50s or ‘60s—and by certain measures, it’s been declining in recent years. So, despite continued investment of billions of dollars in self-improvement at an individual level, collectively, we’ve been moving backward.
Pasquariello’s focus on joy is central to his organization’s larger mission. “We see a lot of measurable indications of democracy fraying, increased social isolation, increased loneliness, and reduced sense of purpose, especially among many of our young adults,” he says. “And so the work that we do related to joy directly responds to those—and there’s a real need for models that help people thrive and help communities and societies to thrive.”
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