6 simple things that will make you much happier

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It is so elementary and unexpected that it can be compared to winning an instant lottery.

Have you ever wondered what makes us happy? More precisely, about what our brain needs to feel as comfortable as possible. Neurologists have the answer to this question.

1. Listen to music related to the happy moments of your life

Music has an interesting effect on the brain: it can remind us of the circumstances in which we heard it before. Do you have fond memories of a particular event or time? Listen to the music that you liked then. This will help awaken the emotions of that time, and you will be briefly transported into a happy past.

Alex Korb

One of the strongest effects of music is the ability to remind us of the environment in which we first heard it. A small area of the brain called the hippocampus is responsible for this. It is he who participates in the mechanisms of the formation of context-dependent memory.

Suppose you remember your university time as the best years of your life. If you start listening to music that you liked then, it will help you feel connected to that wonderful time.

2. Smile and wear sunglasses

The central nervous system is a feedback system. Biofeedback is responsible for signaling to our brains how we are feeling based on what is happening in our body.

For example, if you are happy, you smile. But there is also an inverse relationship: if you smile, you are happy. Feel like your mood is letting you down? Smile! Pretend until it's true. In fact, smiling gives the brain as much pleasure as 2,000 bars of chocolate or $ 25,000.

Alex Korb

The pretend till it's true strategy really works. When you frown, your brain interprets it like this: "I'm frowning, which means I shouldn't feel positive emotions."

Conversely, when you start smiling, your brain interprets it like this: “Oh, I'm smiling. So I'm happy. That is why it is very important to be able to generate positive emotions in order to achieve a beneficial effect and great well-being.

By the way, what does this have to do with sunglasses? Everyone knows that bright sunlight makes us squint. When we squint, our brain perceives it as a sign of anxiety or frustration. After we put on the sunglasses, the muscles around the eyes relax and the eyes open wider. And this is already a sign of good health. This is how biofeedback works in practice.

Alex Korb

When you look at bright light, squinting your eyes is a natural reaction for the body. A special facial muscle called the corrugator supercilii is responsible for it.

Once you put on your sunglasses, this muscle stops contracting, which means your brain has nothing to worry about. Here is a simple explanation of feedback.

So, you are already listening to music, smiling, you are wearing incredibly cool sunglasses, but some things still bother you. How can you finally get rid of them and become truly happy?

3. Think about goals, not about the means to achieve them

Scientists conducted an interesting experiment, the essence of which boiled down to the following: the subjects were shown several circles on the screen. Half of the focus group was given a special task: "Find the largest of all circles" or "Find the brightest circle among the rest."The second half was simply asked to find a circle that would be somewhat different from all the others. What exactly was not specified.

During the experiment, the following was noted: if people were told that the circles were different in size or color, then it was much easier for them to determine the right one. Having a specific goal greatly facilitated the search process.

It's the same with long-term goals. Thinking about the long way to go in order to finally get closer to the global goal, we inevitably begin to talk about the difficulties that will surely meet on our way. When we focus on small routine tasks, short-term plans, or methods to achieve them, we invariably experience stress and discomfort.

Therefore, if you feel confused or unsure of your own abilities, think about long-term goals. This will give your brain a sense of control and help release dopamine. It makes you feel better and motivates you.

4. Get enough sleep

Poor sleep and depression are linked. Depression affects the way people sleep. But it's worth remembering that this is a two-way street: poor sleep also causes depression.

Alex Korb

Researchers have followed a group of people with insomnia for several years. It turned out that those who suffer from it chronically are most susceptible to various types of psychological disorders.

So how do you improve your sleep? Alex advises the following:

1. In the middle of the day, be sure to be in bright sunlight, but towards night, try to stay in a dimly lit room.
2. Create yourself a comfortable and cozy place to sleep.
3. Get in the habit of performing special rituals before going to bed: read a book or listen to relaxing music.
4. Observe the regime: go to bed at the same time every day.

Following these simple rules will surely help you cope with insomnia.

5. Fight procrastination by doing small tasks

We are all prone to procrastination to some degree. Some to a greater extent, and some to a lesser extent. If this state overtakes us, then it is almost impossible to force ourselves to do something.

When it comes to choosing whether to do something or not, you need to keep in mind which three areas of the brain are involved in making decisions:

1. Prefrontal cortex (prefrontal cortex) allows us to be very clear about our long-term goals. "I have to prepare this report in exactly three months!"
2. Striatum, striatum (corpus striatum) - This part of the brain is responsible for some behavioral responses and reflexes. It is because of her that we do some periodically repetitive actions that develop into habits. “You should plan your day like this: check your mail in the morning, then have breakfast and work, and then go for a walk.”
3. Nucleus accumbens (nucleus accumbens) - the area of the brain responsible for positive emotions. “Correspondence, Facebook and TV series. Work? What job?"

When you make an effort to achieve a desired goal, the prefrontal cortex begins to dominate the other two areas of the brain. Repeat the action that you would like to turn into a habit several times, and this way you will stimulate the striatum. However, the process of acquiring a habit is often accompanied by stress.

Alex Korb

Stress dramatically weakens the prefrontal cortex. We cannot be eternally vigilant, and therefore we simply do not pay attention to many of the signals that our brain gives us.

That is why the striatum tells us: “Dear friend, let's eat some cookies. Maybe let's go and have a beer? Thus, he tries to send us a signal that the time has come to reduce stress.

So if you want to get into good habits and stop procrastinating, the first thing you need to do is reduce stress.

Procrastination is a vicious circle because you always procrastinate and it gives you less time to carry out plans. Because of this, stress builds up, you procrastinate even more, and now you have half the time and twice the stress … It's like a snowball.

Alex Korb

When the prefrontal cortex is practically decommissioned by stress, we switch to things that usually bring us joy. Instead of dragging out tasks and feeling overwhelmed, try asking yourself the following question: "Is there any small, easy, but very rewarding task that would help me get closer to what I'm trying to achieve?" One small step towards a big goal will help you feel more confident.

After you've lessened your stress a bit, try to find a small activity to help your prefrontal cortex activate.

6. Take a walk daily

You may ask how something as simple as a walk can help you become happier? However, there is nothing easier to achieve happiness than going for a walk every morning. Under the influence of sunlight, the body produces a hormone such as serotonin. And its second name, as you know, is the hormone of happiness. Plus, if you walk every day, you start to develop a healthy habit.

What to remember

Let's summarize everything that Alex Korb told us:

1. Listen to music that is associated with the happy moments of your life. We hope you had good taste in music when you were happy.
2. Smile and wear sunglasses. Just do not wear them indoors: this is strange to say the least.
3. Think long-term goals, not the means to achieve them. And you will see how the world around you is changing.
4. Get enough sleep. Poor sleep and depression are linked.
5. Stop procrastinating: Start with a simple task that will help you get closer to your goal.
6. Take a walk every day. It would be nice to take friends with you.

These are the six incredibly simple things that will make you feel happier. Try to make them habits.