Ten Ways to be Happier

Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Cat in Productivity

howofhappiness

There have been huge advances in the study of happiness and how to attain it in recent years. Forbe’s Rebecca Ruiz writes about Ten Ways To Be Happier Now, prompted by a new book The How of Happiness by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California.

To summarise, the ten ways are:

  1. Be at the Center of Your Network: People at the centre of their networks are more likely to be happy and those on the fringes are more likely to be melacholic. If you feel you’re at the edges, organise regular get togethers with your family, friends and neighbours.
  2. Surround Yourself With Happy People: Happiness (and depression) are contagious – even up to three degrees of separation!
  3. Watch Less TV: Watching too much TV and gaming have been known to make people feel less in control of their lives. Dr. John P. Robinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland found that unhappy people watch over 30% more TV per day than very happy people with no other differences in their lives. 
  4. Lead an Active Life:  Dr. Robinson found that  happy people spend more time socializing with relatives and friends, attending church, reading the newspaper, working and being active. 
  5. Manage Your Time Wisely: Dr. Robinson found that using time unwisely–having too much of it or not enough–was recently correlated with increased levels of unhappiness. He found that 51% of unhappy respondents felt they had too much time, compared with 19% of those who felt very happy.
  6. Find Ways to Cope: Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky found that developing an effective coping strategy is key to overcoming most troubles. There’s also no single way to cope, though she recommends trying to develop strengths you didn’t know you had–like the ability to manage a household budget in the midst of a financial crisis.
  7. Set and Pursue Goals: According to Dr. Lyubomirsky, goals give us a sense of purpose, they tend to cultivate self-esteem, since the sense of accomplishment can segue to feelings of confidence and they add structure to the daily routine of life, which Dr. Robinson’s findings on time-use revealed can be an important component of long-term happiness.
  8. Don’t Think Too Much: Dr. Lyubomirsky often encountered a behavior known as self-focused rumination (in other words, obsessing over the unknown), which many people believe might lead them to clarity or resolution. But according to studies conducted in the past 20 years, such behavior actually fosters biased thinking, impedes concentration and diminishes a person’s ability to solve problems. Breaking this habit can be tough, but Lyubomirsky recommends distracting yourself with engrossing activities.
  9. Practice Gratitude: A study conducted by Dr. Lyubomirsky required a group of 57 participants to write down five things for which they were grateful once a week. A second group of the same size did so three times a week. A third control group of 32 did nothing. Six weeks later, participants in the first group were happier, healthier and exercising more.
  10. Experiment With Happiness: If the so-called secrets to contentment don’t exactly work for you, try another version or interpretation of the guidelines. You may not have the same success with a particular strategy as others do, says Dr. Lyubomirsky, because achieving happiness doesn’t happen in a uniform way. Instead, think of it as a sliding scale on which some methods work better, while others make little or no difference.

I also liked that there was some clinical evidence for the benefits of practicing gratitude – writing down five things that we’re grateful for everyday is a wonderful habit to cultivate.

In a related story on How to Buy Happiness, giving money away – not buying things for yourself – is more likely to bring happiness. And if you give to registered charities, you’ll also have the bonus of it being tax deductible!