How to Be Happy: 10
Science-Backed Ways to Become a Happier Person
A boatload of research offers practical
advice you can use to start being happier today.
Science
has landed a probe on a comet hurtling through space, wiped smallpox from the
face of the earth, and split the atom. Surely research can come up
with a
few ways to make humans happier.
Thanks
to the advent of the relatively new field of positive psychology, science has
been doing just that for the last decade or so. Researchers are churning
out studies on the underpinnings of human flourishing, pinpointing what makes
people truly happy, and offering actionable suggestions to help people become
the best, most joyful versions of themselves. Here
are few of the
field's recent discoveries on how to be happy.
1. Practice gratitude.
You know that if you hit the gym and lift
some weights, your muscles get stronger and it becomes easier to lift that same
amount of weight over time. But did you know that positivity works much the
same way?
According
to research, consciously counting your blessings is a workout
for your brain's capacity for gratitude,
making it easier to be more positive--and happier--going forward. (Complaining works in the opposite way, causing your brain to
default to gloom.) How do you cultivate appreciation for the good things in
your life? Here area
few practical, science-backed ideas.
2. Focus on the now.
We
usually think of daydreaming as a pleasurable activity, but recent
studies show that letting your mind
wander can actually make you miserable. On
the other hand, according to science, paying
careful attention to what you're doing in
the present moment boosts well-being--even if what you're doing is as
boring as the dishes.
That might
sound a little out there--who could possibly enjoy folding the laundry?--but it
appears that focusing on the task at hand acts as a
simple form of mindfulness, calming the mind by
blocking future worries or ruminations on the past in a way that's akin to
meditation.
3. Exercise more.
Sorry
couch potatoes, but the science is unequivocal: Moving
your body is a powerful happiness booster.
According to one study, regular exercise actually works as well as the popular
antidepressant Zoloft at relieving depression. Why? Like common mood-boosting
drugs, working up a sweat increases the amount of neurotransmitters circulating
in our brains. It also reduces stress, and, of course, keeps you healthy.
4. Get out in nature.
If
humans are hardwired to need physical exercise in order to truly thrive, the
same can be said of nature. Our species spent millions of years on the
savannah, after all, and only a blink of the eye, in terms of evolutionary time,
in cities. That's probably why study after study demonstrates that getting
out in nature has profoundly positive effects on our mood. Even putting a simple potted plant (or
even a picture of one!) on your desk has been
shown to boost happiness.
5. Be kind.
The
point of generosity, as commonly understood, is helping others, but according
to a raft of research, lending
a helping hand is also a huge happiness booster for the do-gooder. "There are now a plethora
of data showing that when individuals engage in generous and altruistic
behavior, they actually activate circuits in the brain that are key to
fostering well-being," Richard Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy
Minds at the University of Wisconsin and author of The
Emotional Life of Your Brain, has
explained.
6. Connect.
Humans
are social animals, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that socializing
makes us happier. For instance, one study revealed that, for those suffering
through a grumpy day, meeting
with friends as soon as possible was a surefire mood booster.
Even
connecting others seems to make us happier. Another bit of research out of the
University of Virginia and Harvard demonstrated that matchmaking
also makes us happy (both the romantic and professional
types). So don't just call up one friend. Call up a few friends and introduce
them.
7. Limit social media.
If connecting with friends is likely to boost
your happiness, then any means you can utilize to plan get-togethers is great.
Used for this sort of active purpose, Facebook and other social-media sites are
likely to have a positive effect on your state of mind, but the same can't be
said of passively browsing other people's feeds.
Looking
at carefully curated and often highly distorted representations of other
people's lives has
been shown to increase envy and loneliness, and
decrease life satisfaction. One study even found that quitting
Facebook results in a boost in well-being. So
be conscious of how you consume social media.
8. Tame your materialism.
Here's
the bad news: A giant pile of studies shows that craving more and better stuff
seriously dents your happiness. But there's good news, too. Science also shows
it's entirely possible to get
a handle on your materialism and boost your well-being by consciously reflecting on your values, keeping a
careful eye on your spending, and turning away from advertising as much as
possible.
9. Spend wisely.
Just
because materialism is bad for your mental health doesn't mean spending money
can never make
you happier, however. While it's a bad idea to think that buying that bigger TV
will have much of an effect on your mood for more than a few days, science has
shown that spending
on experiences rather than stuff can help us squeeze more joy out of our hard-earned cash.
Spending
on travel, for instance, will purchase you the pleasure of planning the trip
(which research reveals to be about as
enjoyable as the trip itself), a
chance to bond with your fellow travelers (see point No. 6 above), and a
lifetime of happy memories to savor. It's a much better deal than nearly
anything you could pick up at the mall.
10. Trim your commute.
When
researchers rank activities for how happy they make us, one consistently comes
in near the bottom of the list--commuting. It's no surprise that sitting in
traffic is next to no one's idea of a good time, but the magnitude of misery
commuting brings into your life might surprise you. "Driving in traffic is
a different kind of hell every day,"Harvard
psychologist Daniel Gilbert has commented.
No
wonder, then, that experts strongly urge those considering buying a house far
from their work to think carefully about the tradeoffs involved, and suggest
those who can
swap bikes, trains, or their home office for that time in the car consider doing so.
BY JESSICA STILLMAN
http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/how-to-be-happy-10-science-backed-ways-to-become-a-happier-person.html?cid=em01016week13a
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