22 May More great tips for finding happiness
by Kristen Domonell for Mens Health
“Everything that shine ain’t always gonna be gold,” Kid Cudi raps in Pursuit of Happiness. Science has his back: It’s a well-established fact that something that made you happy will have a less euphoric effect over time. In other words, you get used to stuff. In scientific circles, the phenomenon is called hedonic adaptation.
What’s the remedy? A new study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin shows that appreciation and variety ward off hedonic adaptation to keep you happy longer.
In the study, researchers asked 481 students to answer questions about their well-being. Six weeks later they were asked to identify a recent positive life change. At the end of the 12th week, they were asked to say how that positive change was affecting them.
“Overall, people were appreciating it less, interacting with it less, and wanting more of it,” says study author Kennon M. Sheldon, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Missouri.
A handful of subjects, however, reported they still appreciated the positive change. What made them different? They had been varying their experiences with the things that made them happy. Say you started a new job. You’d appreciate it for longer if you met new coworkers, took on new challenges, and learned new skills, the study suggests.
How come? Novelty protects us from taking things for granted, the researchers explain. Varying experiences gives you new surprises, which keeps providing noticeable positive experiences. Here’s how to put the findings into action…
…keep reading HERE about how to keep your relationships happy, avoid gadget envy and enjoy happiness at work : )