8 tips for every day for those who want to be happy (part 1)

The daily routine sometimes so delays that we do not have time to look around us. And when, finally, the time for this is, it turns out that life is not so rosy . Is it possible to change something? Yes! Special studies will show what should be changed to get closer to the feeling of cloudless happiness .

Professor Sonya Lubomirski from the University of California details the details of the studies that show what all the lucky people have in common.
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Excerpt from "The Secret of Happiness" ^★ :

1. They devote a large amount of time to family and friends, nourishing and enjoying this relationship.
2. They are able to express gratitude for all that they have.
3. They are often the first to offer a helping hand to colleagues and passersby.
4. Thinking about the future, they think positively .
5. They enjoy life and try to live in the present moment.
6. They exercise every week or even daily.
7. They are deeply committed to some idea, and they always have a lifelong dream (be it against fraud, building cabinets or teaching their children values ​​that they are deeply convinced of).
8. And last but not least, during times of stress, crisis and even tragedy, the lucky ones share their experiences.

They may be upset and not hold back emotions in exactly the same circumstances as you or me, but their secret weapon is balance and the power they show in dealing with the problem.

I think the post could be finished here. Everyone has their own answers. But do you want to get only general information? Or do you really want to be happier?

The Internet has become an oasis of ideas that we never implement, techniques that we forget to use.
Reading the list is easy. Implementing these ideas in your own life may be more difficult.

But not necessarily. Let's get down to business.

"Sign up for happiness"

Here is one interesting fact about happiness: frequency is more important than intensity. What does it mean?

A lot of little good deeds will make you happier than a few big ones.

Studies show that church attendance and exercise give people a disproportionate sense of happiness. Why it happens?

Such moments provide us with regular support.

Stanford University professor, Jennifer Aaker, declares that everything is really that simple: do more often what makes you happy.

We set the working hours. We are planning a visit to the doctor. Gosh, we even plan to go to the hairdresser.
We say that happiness is the most important thing, but we do not include it in our schedule.
Studies show that 40% of happiness comes from deliberate activity. Your level of happiness can change up to 40% of what you decide to do every day (the level of happiness can be broken down into the following components:

• intentional activity 40%;
• circumstances 10%;
• the so-called specified value of 50%)

And a lot of what you do, you do on autopilot. 40% of what you do every day is not the result of any decisions, it's just a habit.

Excerpt from “The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business” ^★ :

An article published by Duke University researcher in 2006 states that over 40 percent of the actions that people do every day are not real decisions, but a habit.

Do you understand what I'm getting at?

What brings happiness should become a habit. Part of everyday life. Part of your schedule.

Stop waiting for happy accidents, you need a "subscription for happiness."

So how do we make a list and not forget about it, fulfilling its points every day? Let's start.

1) When you wake up, yawn and say OVB!

Even scientific advice about happiness is often trivial. Now I will talk about them, although so everything on the surface ...

It really works.

Why did I advise you to say the CIA after waking up? This abbreviation stands for:
1. Waiting
2. Memories
3. Gratitude

I already wrote about the importance of the morning ritual and that research shows that your mood determines the whole morning . So start it right.

Waiting is a powerful stimulant of happiness. 2 for the price of 1: you get something good and become happy in the process of waiting.

So think about what you are looking forward to. Nothing? Plan something.
Memories of good moments have a positive effect. They allow us to revive the best moments and relive stress.

Excerpt from "The Secret of Happiness" ^★ :

People who are inclined to be in anticipation of something, enjoy pleasure from waiting and fantasizing about future happy events are likely to be optimistic and have strong positive emotions. But those who look back, remembering happy times and reliving that joy, are better able to cope with stress.

And thanks, perhaps, sister of happiness. You can not say better:

... the more a person is prone to be grateful, the less likely that he or she is prone to depression, anxiety, loneliness, envy, or neurosis.

Such a combination often leads to optimism, the presence of which suggests that a person is happy.

Yes, everything is so banal, and yet, waking up, say OVB! And then perform a little ritual of waiting, memories, and gratitude.

All this is beautiful. But what are you doing getting out of bed?

2) Enjoy your morning coffee.

Take a moment and enjoy your coffee for real . Enjoy its aroma, taste. Rate it. Trite? Maybe.
But studies show that enjoying the beautiful moments is exactly what distinguishes the lucky ones from the average people.

I suppose some of you will say, "But I do not drink coffee." And I will answer you: "This is not a problem."

It can be anything you do every morning.

Such a daily ritual will not be in vain, since research shows that rituals matter.
To your attention are the words of a professor at Harvard University, Francesca Gino:

You can invent your own rituals. What do they give? They make us a little more attentive to what we consume. Thanks to this, we, ultimately, relish food or what we drink, moreover, we enjoy the process, and, in fact, we are now ready to pay a higher price for all this. Once again: rituals are useful in the sense that they contribute to greater pleasure from what happens to us.

What other habits that bring joy, we can enter in our schedule?

3) You have to sweat on the road to happiness

When you study people in the hope of understanding what makes them happy, you get three answers: sex, intercourse and exercise.
Excerpt from "The Construction of Happiness: A New Approach to Creating a Happy Life" ^★ :

Their results confirm what was previously known: the level of the so-called happiness hormone rises during sex, exercise or intercourse, or when you are focused on the moment here and now, and decreases, for example, during a trip, as well as when you are dispersed .

Physical exercise people are, by and large, psychologically healthier: they are less susceptible to depression, bouts of rage, stress, and distrust.

Excerpt from Iskra: A New Revolutionary Science that Studies the Effects of Exercise on the Brain. ^★ :

A large-scale Dutch study of 19,288 twins and their families, published in 2006, showed that exercise makes people less anxious, less depressed and less neurotic, and also more sociable.

A Finnish study of 3,403 people in 1999 showed that those who exercise at least two to three times less experience depression, anger, stress, and “cynical mistrust” than those who are less active or does not exercise.

Do not like exercise? You just picked up the wrong ones.

Running, lifting weights, any sports game ... Find something that you like and make you move.

So, it's time to get to work. What is the best way to start the day? That is what will make you happier.

4) Five minute service

Who lives to old age? Not those who help. Ironically, it is those who provide assistance.
Excerpt from “Longevity Project: Unexpected Discoveries about Health and Longevity from the 80-year study of the Landmark” ^★ :

We decided that if a participant sincerely believes that he or she has friends and relatives who can be relied upon during difficult times, he will be healthier. We predicted that those who felt loved and cared for would live longer. We were in for a surprise: our prediction was not correct ... Those who help their friends and neighbors, give good advice and care for others, as a rule, live to a ripe old age.

And a great way to take care of others is the "5-minute service" ^★ Adam Rifkin, which does not take too much time:

Every day, do something disinterested for someone that would take up to five minutes. What you are doing should be of great importance to the person receiving the service. That's the whole point. Typically, these services take the form of dating, recommendations, reviews or references in social networks.

So set aside five minutes to do something that is insignificant for you, but will be of great benefit to someone.

This is good for karma, and science says that in a sense, karma is quite real.

Yes, those who do a lot for others, at first glance, give up. But, as Adam Grant of Wharton found out, the “giveers” are also more successful:

Then I looked at this question from the other side and thought that if the "givers" are below, who is at the top. In fact, I was very surprised to find that again, "giving." People who are constantly looking for ways to help others are represented in abundance not only at the bottom, but also at the top of the pyramid of success.

To be continued!

PS We recommend another article on the topic - 7 steps towards your goals .

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult .