1.Meditation
Meditation is the number one reason because of how efficient it is. According to Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage:
“Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness.”
Another study has also shown that the brain scans of people who participated in an 8-week course on mindfulness meditation have shown growth in the regions of the brain which are connected to compassion and self-awareness.
2.Shorten your commute
Try moving closer to your workplace or get a job that is closer near your home. A better paying job will never compensate for the negative effects of commuting long distances. Driving in traffic can be hell and going through the same stress every day will only have a negative impact on you.
3.Help others
Even though you should put yourself on the first place in your life, being too self-centered will never provide you the happiness that you get from helping other people. If you only spend a few minutes of your day to help someone, you will not lose much but for someone else your help might be very important.
4.Forget the latest gadgets, instead buy yourself some time
Scientists have recently discovered that purchasing time instead of things can make you a lot happier. One research has shown that people who spent more to increase their time were a lot happier. The income of the participants in this research did not have any effect on the results.
5.Get enough sleep and you’ll be less grumpy
Take a look at this interesting study:
“In one experiment…sleep-deprived college students tried to memorize a list of words. They could remember 81% of the words with a negative connotation, like “cancer.” But they could remember only 31% of the words with a positive or neutral connotations, like “sunshine” or “basket.”
According to some scientists, not sleeping enough affects the part of the brain responsible for creating positive or neutral memories which can make you feel unhappy.
6.Take 30 seconds
If you take 30 seconds to help someone who is struggling, you will instantly get a feeling of happiness provided by the feel-good chemicals.
7.Practice the power of gratitude
According to Brene Brown, Ph.D.: “In 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to really experience joy who does not actively practice gratitude.” People who practice gratitude regularly have reported the following:
– feeling happier and less depressed
– having better sleep quality
– being more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as exercise what makes people happy
8.Embrace adversity and appreciate its valuable lessons
Numerous studies have shown that people who include adversity in their life are much happier than those who don’t. Adversity can help us:
– shape and reinforce our identity
– cope better with current and future stressors
– increase our resilience
– become more optimistic about the future.
9.Understand what constitutes happiness
Science says that happiness is a combination of how satisfied you are with your life and how happy you are day-to-day. About half of our happiness is determined by genetics, 40 % by our actions, thoughts and behaviors and only 10% is determined by circumstances.
10.Happiness can be hardwired
If you are prepared to spend more time following these advice, you will certainly increase your level of happiness. Happiness is not just about smiling and laughing all the time or having all the money in the world. Being happy means to be content and satisfied. So never settle for less than being happy. You deserve it.