Why Pleasure And Joy Are Replacing Optimization As The Top Wellness Trends

For many of us as women, we have spent much of our lives absorbing programming from society that tells us to produce more, do more, and be more efficient. While we’re not wrong to value the roles of productivity and achievement in our lives, past cycles of wellness trends encouraged an over-identification with these things. When we devote so much of our energy to efficiency and optimization without integrating proper self-care, we run the risk of inadvertently experiencing more pressure, stress, and even burnout. It’s no wonder that current experts are calling for a return to joy and pleasure as self-care.

Her Agenda spoke to life and career coach Sally Anne Caroll, who specializes in helping women cultivate sustainable success, on why making this shift is so important—and what we can do to get started.

“I see this shift every day, and wholeheartedly encourage it,” said Sally. “Sustainable success requires nourishing all of who they are, not just optimizing the business part of who they are.”

A 2025 study from the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that people who report higher life satisfaction were 32% more likely to experience improved job satisfaction. When we make room for joy, pleasure, and self-care, we aren’t negating our work: we’re giving ourselves what we need in order to show up as our best selves.

Of course, the value of positive emotion states like joy is so much deeper than what it can do for our productivity and our careers. Joy connects us to the spiritual aspect of the human experience.

“Although often perceived as a hedonic experience, joy is deeply intertwined with the sense that life is meaningful and fulfilling,” wrote Maria Roberts and Richard Appiah in their 2025 study on the complexities of joy. The authors also share, “Research suggests that cultivating joy may be more effective for promoting resilience and long-lasting wellbeing than the pursuit of happiness alone.”

While society has tried to convince women that joy and pleasure are rewards we are supposed to earn after we push ourselves, the research shows that this is not the case. Joy is nurturing. Joy builds us up. “Women are seeing through this narrative and embracing what we know to be true,” said Sally. “These are essential parts of a well-lived life.”

Sally explains that embracing joy and pleasure doesn’t mean women have to reject ambition and achievement. Instead, this is an opportunity to find true integration and deeper self-actualization.

“Especially as entrepreneurs, women have opportunities to design success their way, in a way that is more sane, more realistic, and more in line with what works,” she said. “That includes joy. It includes pleasure, balance, community, and meaningful work.”

If prioritizing joy and pleasure feels unfamiliar for some at first, Sally recommends starting simple and small.

“When you make room for pleasure in your day—even small moments like savoring a cup of tea or a sunrise, walking in nature, working on a creative project, laughing with your child—you are managing your energy in positive ways that build wellbeing and build your professional capacity.”

What’s most important is making the pursuit personal: find what resonates with your body, mind, spirit, and lifestyle. Welcome joy and pleasure into your life in any way that you can.