16 ways people with high emotional intelligence can be happy at work

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

Travis Bradbury, author of books on emotional intelligence, explains how to find happiness at work. And although these principles have long been known, it is worth brushing up on them.

Let's face it. Happiness and work rarely go hand in hand. A 2013 study of 180 million people found that only 13% of respondents feel happy at work.

And that thirteen percent is twice as productive, six times better organized, and their motivation is 36 times higher than the rest.

The good news is that happiness depends on genetics only 50%. The other half is in your hands.

To make yourself happy, you need to find your own recipe. When you succeed, everything else will work out by itself. And happiness improves not only mood, but also well-being.

The main skill that helps happy people enjoy life is. Testing with a million people has shown that emotional intelligence has a happiness mode. Research has identified 16 ways that people with high emotional intelligence can be happier at work.

1. You yourself are responsible for your happiness

In any hopeless situation, you have two options: change everything or continue to pull the strap. Whatever you choose, remember: yours depends only on you. Remember this every time you find yourself in a dead end.

2. Don't get hung up on what you can't change

Of course, it is useful to know how the economic crisis in Greece is affecting US policy, or to be able to assess the prospect of your company merging with a major competitor. But it is one thing to understand the processes, it is another thing to constantly worry about them. Happy people are well-informed and ready for the unexpected, but they never will unless they are paid to do so.

3. Don't compare yourself to other people

If your satisfaction and joy depend on the results of comparing yourself to others, then you will not become a master of happiness. When you have finished the job and feel at your best, no one can take this feeling away.

And although it is impossible not to react at all to other people's comments, you need to learn, firstly, not to start comparisons first, and secondly, to accept someone else's opinion with a grain of salt. It doesn't matter what others think or do. Your self-respect should always be with you. It doesn't matter what they think of you now or later. The main thing is that their opinion does not affect reality in any way.

4. Reward yourself

Strenuous work is important, but if you don't take breaks, then happiness can be forgotten. A study conducted among radiologists showed that the number of accurate diagnoses increases if doctors give themselves rewards before viewing pictures of patients. Cornell University has proven that small rewards make people generous, friendly, and happy.

Little joys help you concentrate on work and do more than usual.

Rewards spontaneously activate centers. Small rewards work well: walking down the street or eating something tasty.

5. Exercise during the work week

When our body moves for 10 minutes, the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid, the pleasure neurotransmitter, is activated. People who exercise during the week report improved mood, improved performance, and easier time management. The benefits of regular exercise far outweigh the time lost in the exercise itself.

6. Don't judge or gossip

Backbiting and gossip are faithful companions of despondency. While you're washing someone's bones, it's certainly fun. But then there is a feeling of guilt and irritability. When you are going to gossip about someone again, remember the old way: treat others the way you want them to treat you.

7. Be careful about quarrels

Emotionally intelligent people know how important it is to postpone the battle until tomorrow. When they do occur, uncontrollable emotions can give rise to false confidence and lead to a fight in which you can get hurt and say goodbye to a good mood.

When you know how to recognize and control emotions, you can competently approach conflicts and defend your positions.

8. Don't be fooled

Overcoming yourself to achieve success is a sure way to disappointment. Violence against one's own standards leads to regret and loss of motivation. Know when to insist on your own and give up a job that you shouldn't do. If you can't make up your mind, take a moment and write down your principles and values on paper. This will help set up.

9. Get rid of the clutter

You don't need to be reminded of how much time you spend at work, so the area around you should look good. You need to create something that will cheer you up and inspire. A photo of a family, a flower or an award that you are proud of - place it on your desk to always remember it. Get rid of waste paper and junk that do not bring anything useful and positive to your work.

10. Help someone

Taking the time to help your coworkers will make you happy. The process of helping others triggers the production of serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine, hormones responsible for happiness. Research from Harvard University found that workers are 10 times better at focusing on work and 40% more likely to get promotions. This study confirmed that people in community service are much more likely to tolerate severe stress. As long as you don't overwhelm yourself, helping your coworkers is a vehicle for happiness.

11. Learn to enter the flow state

The University of Chicago's work on productivity has found that people who can concentrate and get into the so-called state reap the best fruits of their labor.

Flow is a state in which you are so immersed in a work or project that you do not notice how time passes and do not pay attention to stimuli. The flow is often described as a heady feeling when you simultaneously experience euphoria and pride in your skill. The result is not only a good mood and the result of work, but also the acquired new skills.

The key to achieving a state of flow is having well-planned tasks and well-chosen short-term goals that allow you to build on your strengths. When you work on such tasks, your concentration increases, and gradually you enter the flow, and in it you find productivity and happiness. Set goals for each day and experiment with your schedule until you find your formula for getting into the flow.

12. Smile and laugh more

We can manage emotions simply by changing our facial expressions. Studies conducted in Germany showed that a group of subjects who held pens in their mouths while watching a cartoon (to do this, you had to smile), found the shown video more funny than a control group.

It doesn't matter if you smile because you are having fun, or if you are having fun because you are smiling. When the mood is poor, stop and smile. Or watch a funny video. And such a trifle can turn the day.

13. Stay away from disaffected

Whiners and eternally all people have a terrible influence on others, because they are completely immersed in their problems and are not going to look for a way out. They want to pull everyone into their swamp in order to feel better due to this. Many succumb to their pressure and participate in conversations so as not to seem rude. But you need to clearly distinguish between empathy and the ability to listen to a person and the acceptance of an emotional mood. The only way to avoid frustration is by setting boundaries. Compare: if someone smokes, will you sit next to him all day and inhale the smoke? No, you will step aside. The same should be done with the dissatisfied. Ask how they are going to solve the problems. The whiner will immediately either shut up or direct the conversation in a constructive direction.

14. Laugh at yourself

Taking yourself and your work too seriously can make it difficult to enjoy the process. Don't be afraid to be funny. Laughing at yourself helps to win over those around you, because they see you as a modest and sane person. And they have no reason to laugh behind their backs. Happy people can maintain self-esteem with a sense of humor and objectivity.

15. Learn to be grateful

It's easy to get discouraged when things don't go as planned. Sometimes the best way to get away from negativity is to sit down and think about what you are for. Memories of things that improve your mood can lower your stress hormone production by about 23%. This is supported by research from the University of California.

16. Believe that the best is yet to come

It's not enough just to repeat that all the best is yet to come - you need to do it. Optimism affects all areas of life through a sense of self-efficacy. Our perception is arranged in such a way that the past is always exaggerated, and against this background the present fades. This feeling can lead to the fact that you stop believing that something better awaits you in the future than what has already happened. Don't be stupid. The future has a bag of gifts for you.

Follow these tips to boost your emotional intelligence and find happiness at work. Return to them when you feel uncomfortable.

What do you do to be happy at work?