How to be happy: a scientific approach

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

Happiness is hard. Everyone has their own thoughts about it, but at the same time, everyone strives for it. This feeling is being explored in different countries, and today there are several scientifically proven ways to help you become happy.

1. Exercise for at least 7 minutes

Maybe you already know about an intense workout that only takes seven minutes? If you don't have time for sports, you can at least do this set of exercises.

Exercise saves us from depression and directly affects happiness and well-being. Sean Achor's book The Benefits of Happiness describes a study that was conducted with three groups of depressed patients. The first group received medication, the second only did the exercises, and the third did both.

The positive effect was observed in all three groups, but six months after the study, 38% of the participants who took their medication on their own, lost their joy of life again. Of the group with combination therapy, 31% fell into depression after six months, and of those who did only exercise, without medication, only 9%!

You don't have to be depressed to benefit from exercise. They help to relax, improve thinking ability and even a sense of your body.

Research by the Journal of Health Psychology has shown that people who exercise feel more attractive, even when there is no real physical change.

And this is not to mention the endorphins that are released during exercise and provide a feeling of happiness.

2. Sleep more, and negative emotions will not reach you

NatureShock by Bronson and Ashley Merriman explains how sleep affects positivity. Negative stimuli, that is, unpleasant information, is processed by the amygdala of the brain, and positive and neutral data enters the hippocampus and is processed there. Sleep deprivation harms the hippocampus more than the tonsils, and as a result, sleep deprivation affects memories: only gloomy pictures appear, and all good things are quickly forgotten.

An experiment was conducted on this topic: students were deprived of sleep and asked them to memorize a list of words. 81% of the words that sleepy students remembered were negatively colored.

Another study examined how employees' morning mood affected their day as a whole. How they perceived clients and reacted to their mood in the morning influenced the rest of the day, as well as their productivity and quality of work.

3. Move closer to work

Many people are accustomed to commuting to work far away. Of course, if your apartment is in one area, and all high-paying jobs are in another, you will have to constantly ride. But that won't make you happier. Twice a day, five days a week, you are in a car or on public transport, and different traffic situations annoy you.

Two Swiss economists conducted an experiment on the effect of travel on human happiness, and found that neither a big house nor a better job compensates for the harm that long commutes to work do to happiness.

4. Spend time with friends and family

Research shows that spending time with loved ones and loved ones greatly affects our mood.

We are happy that we have family and friends, and all the other things that make us happy are really just ways to get a family or make more friends.

Daniel Gilbert

Scientist George Vilant, who conducted a large-scale study of the lives of 268 men for 72 years, made the following conclusion: the only thing that really matters in life is relationships with other people.

Another experiment was conducted by Joshua Wolf Schenck of the Atlantic, who evaluated the interdependencies between social bonding and the happiness of men. It turned out that 93% of men who interacted well with a brother or sister in their youth were more successful and happier later in life.

Terman's research, published in The Longevity Project, found that people who help others live long, happy lives. It would seem that the more relatives and friends a person has who take care of him in difficult times, the healthier he should be. However, in the end it turned out differently: those people who prefer to help themselves and often take care of their friends and relatives live longer and happier.

5. Go outside: happiness begins at a temperature of 13, 9 ° C

Sean Achor's book recommends spending more time outdoors for happiness. Research shows that just 20 minutes outside in fine weather can not only improve your mood, but also increase your mental capacity.

Even more the mood increases the rest in the fresh air, in nature - by the sea or in the forest. In 2011, the American Meteorological Society published a study that revealed the dependence of mood on the temperature overboard. It turned out that a person feels happiest at a temperature of 13, 9 ° C.

6. Help Others: The Magic 100 Hours a Year

One of the most illogical ways to be happy is to help others 2 hours a week, or 100 hours a year. Sean Achor writes that a study of more than 150 people found that money spent on concerts, dining out and other events was more enjoyable than technology or clothing. Many people consider such social entertainment to be unjustified expenses, but they increase our level of happiness.

The Journal of Happiness Studies has published research findings that reveal this topic. Participants in the experiment recalled their previous purchases, which they made for themselves or someone else, and then told how happy they felt at that moment. The vast majority of participants experienced more joy when they remembered purchases for others.

And this applies not only to money, but also to time. One of the experiments confirming this phenomenon was carried out in Germany, when, due to the fall of the Berlin Wall, many volunteers lost opportunities for selfless activities.

The researchers compared the well-being and happiness of people in the control group who did not lose their volunteer status, and those who, due to circumstances, stopped doing this work. Satisfaction with the life of the former did not change, while the satisfaction of the latter decreased.

Selfless help makes us happy, and by helping other people we improve our lives.

7. Smile, it relieves pain

Smiling in itself improves mood, but when combined with positive thoughts, the effect is much better. The Michigan State University study involved two groups of salespeople serving customers.

One group smiled fakely all day without positive emotions, and as a result, their mood and performance remained low. The second group smiled sincerely, imagining something pleasant at this moment: their child, funny incidents, last vacation, and their mood was much better.

PsyBlog claims that smiling can help improve focus and mental performance. It improves mood, provides flexibility in thinking and allows you to think holistically. In 2010, a study found that smiling participants were better at solving breadth-of-mind problems.

In addition, smiling can help relieve pain and reduce stress. Psychologists call this feedback, when mood changes through the tension of certain facial muscles necessary for a smile.

8. Think about vacation

Even if you're just thinking about vacation rather than taking a break, it raises your endorphin levels. Research shows that feelings of happiness gradually increase over the two months leading up to a vacation, and then quickly fall back to baseline afterward.

This also applies to plans for the weekend, and any other anticipation, for example, the feeling before watching your favorite movie.

A person just thinking about their favorite movie can raise their endorphin levels by 27%.

So if you can't go on vacation yet, there is nothing stopping you from thinking about it, planning it and enjoying it.

9. Program your brain to be happy

One study in Massachusetts found that areas of the brain of people after two months of concentration and meditation increased, while those associated with stress decreased.

Research shows that immediately after meditation, a person feels happier for longer. He feels calm and satisfied, more attentive and kind.

10. Give thanks for everything

It would seem that this is a very simple technique, but it can completely change the worldview. You can write a list of things you are grateful for, or try to show your gratitude for any help from other people.

In an experiment in which people expressed gratitude for every day they lived, their well-being improved only from this simple practice.

Another Journal of Happiness study looked at the effect of gratitude on happiness. 219 men and women sent three letters of gratitude every three weeks, and as a result, their level of happiness increased during this period, while the number of depression, on the contrary, fell.

The 10 rules do not require you to do anything outrageous, serious changes in your life or exertion of strength: get enough sleep, walk, do exercises, smile and think about good things. This set of 10 small steps to happiness will be one major leap towards a better life for you.