Science suggests that one’s happiness is approximately 50% heritable, 10% situational, and 40% deliberate actions. While it might be too late to influence your genetics and certain elements of your situation might be outside your sphere of influence, you can focus on deliberate actions and building new habits to make ourselves substantially happier.
Again, all of these have scientific evidence behind them. Related… Thank a scientist! So many brilliant individuals anonymously provide the insights that are organized by popular science writers (non-scientists) like Gladwell and Pink. Important work, but remember the hundreds of scientists who contributed to their work as well!
Sonja Lyubomirsky — the author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want- is both scientist and author. The list below comes from her excellent book, which organizes her work and the work of hundreds of other scientists; the methods are roughly listed in the order that each has influenced my own life. (I’m still working on all of them!)
1. Religion / Spirituality — Believe in something beyond yourself.
2. Social relationships — Humans are meant to be social.
3. Optimism — For example, believing that negative situations are temporary (and not, for example, your destiny).
4. Flow experiences — The beautiful, uninterrupted balance between challenge and skill.
5. Avoiding overthinking or social comparison — Norming against oneself, not against others.
6. Gratitude — Expressing appreciation for life, often recommended as part of journaling.
7. Acts of kindness — Simple happiness booster: Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about. Win-win.
8. Goals — Actionable, aggressive, achievable.
9. Meditation — Meditation in 6 words: Be still. Start with one breath. 10 more: Focus on breath as if your life depended on it.
10. Exercise — 20 minutes a day, at least. (Pickup basketball often combines exercise and flow for me.)
11. Learning to forgive — Let go whether the other person deserves it or not to avoid carrying the weight around yourself.
12. Coping strategies — Acknowledging negative emotions appropriately. For a fun but on point intro to this topic, see the movie Inside Out.
13. Savoring life’s joys — Making time to enjoy what you should enjoy.
Which methods are most effective for you?
Jeff
@jeffsmithphd
jeffsmithphd.com