10 scientifically proven ways to make your life happier

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

Happiness seems like an unattainable goal to many of us. Everyone wants to get it, but if it were that easy, then all the people in the world would be happy. However, there are tips, following which we can become at least a little happier. Today we're going to share with you 10 scientifically proven ways to make your life more joyful.

1. Combat depression with exercise

Science has long proven why exercise is essential in our daily life. The research in the book also confirmed the importance of exercise for happiness.

In this study, depressed patients were divided into three groups. People in the first group were treated with medication, in the second with exercise, and the third group was returned to normal life by combining medication with exercise.

After six months, patients in all three groups were examined for relapse. And here are the results. Of those who took medication alone, 38% fell back into depression. In the group that received combination therapy, the relapse rate was slightly lower - 31%. The group that was treated with exercise alone showed the best results, with only 9% of people having relapses.

This study clearly shows that exercise is the best way to fight depression.

Here's another one that also proves that people who take care of their bodies and are in good physical shape feel happier.

The benefits of exercise are undeniable. What are you waiting for?

Start exercising today. Start small and get into the habit of exercising every day.

2. It is foolish to underestimate the importance of proper sleep

We spend about a third of our lives in sleep, so it is foolish to underestimate the impact of sleep on our entire life. Here's an interesting 2011 study that showed how sleep affects happiness.

The conclusion drawn from the study is as follows:

People who sleep in the afternoon are less susceptible to negative emotions and more sensitive to positive ones.

We all know that if we do not sleep enough or do not sleep well at all, then we have emotional problems. At the same time, a good full sleep sets us up in a positive mood, we are cheerful and feel great.

3. Stop looking at the phone and use other gadgets too often

At Kent State University, 500 students were interviewed. The results are as follows: students who use a mobile phone often do worse at school, they have an increased level of anxiety, and they feel less happy.

Ramani Durvasula, Ph. D., a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at California State University, believes that people spend too much time on gadgets, not leaving it for simple live communication.

People go to the world of social networks and feel nothing but emptiness.

This can also explain the increased level of anxiety. Young people are afraid to miss news from their virtual friends, so they pick up the gadget again and again. Thus, it is difficult for them to live a normal life of their own.

Even Aristotle believed that the main thing is moderation in everything. Mobile phones and other gadgets are no exception, no matter how innovative they are.

4. Spend more time with loved ones

You may have heard of this before.

“Didn't spend enough time with family and friends” is what people most often regret. If we spend time with people close to us, if we take care of them, then we ourselves become happier.

We are happy when we have a family, we are happy when we have friends, and everything else that we think makes us happy are just ways and means of finding family and friends.

Dan Gilbert Professor of Psychology at Harvard University

5. Take yourself out for a walk as often as possible

Shawn Achor, a lecturer at Harvard University and author of The Happiness Advantage, believes that spending at least 20 minutes outdoors in good weather will not only cheer you up, but also improve your memory, and you will have more productivity to generate new ideas.

Another one from the London School of Economics and Political Science also confirms this. The study found that fresh air and a warm sunny day at the seaside is an ideal place for most people. Participants in the study note that they feel much happier this way than in an urban environment.

If you're wondering what outdoor temperature people feel happier at, you'll be surprised to find out that it's 13.9 ° C (according to the American Meteorological Society).

6. Dedicate others at least two hours a week

You might be surprised to learn that you can feel happier spending money on others rather than acquiring something for yourself.

In 2012, it was held, the participants of which were divided into two groups. Each group of participants was given money. The first group was asked to spend them on themselves, and the second - to buy things for other people. According to the study, people who made purchases for others felt much happier than those who spent money exclusively on themselves.

It is not surprising that there are so many among millionaires and billionaires who are involved in charity work. It helps people feel happier.

Helping others does not necessarily mean spending money on others. You can become, for example, a volunteer. Here's a study from Switzerland that proves:

Volunteering to help others makes you more content with your life.

So how much time do you need to devote to other people? The blog concluded that it takes 100 hours a year (or two hours a week). This is the most optimal time to devote to helping others, so that you yourself become happier.

7. Don't neglect meditation

You've probably heard that meditation is very beneficial. It helps you to be attentive, focused, calm and, you guessed it, happy.

A group of scientists from Massachusetts studied the effect on humans. Participants in the experiment meditated for eight weeks, after which they became calmer and prone to self-knowledge and compassion.

8. Be grateful for every little thing

Be grateful for everything good that other people do for you, for everything in your life. Many argue that gratitude has the most positive effect on a person's life.

So be grateful for every little thing in your life, and remember that there are many people in the world who are not as lucky as you.

9. Life experience. Not stuff

Everyone knows that money cannot buy happiness. Nevertheless, many continue to buy meaningless expensive trinkets instead of gaining unforgettable impressions and invaluable life experiences. A recent study has proven that people who are accustomed to investing in travel and other activities that provide invaluable experience, rather than unnecessary things, feel much happier.

10. Love yourself

On the basis of one that was devoted to such a phenomenon as happiness, it was revealed that love is all that a person needs to be happy. Love for others, love for oneself, love for God - in a word, love in all its manifestations.

Self-love is something that modern society has practically forgotten. Many people eat all kinds of nasty things and do not exercise at all to keep their bodies in good shape. Well, now is the time to fix it.