12 Jul 8 proven ways to enjoy more happiness
A great reminder of 8 evidence-based happiness boosters!
via Eric Barker and TIME
Wouldn’t you love a real list of things that make you happier? Here’s what scientific research says will work:
1) Thank Someone
First thing in the morning, send an email thanking or praising someone. (Texting is fine, too.)
2) Spend Money — On Someone Else
Harvard professor Michael Norton, author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, explains how spending money on other people can generate more happiness than spending on yourself:
3) Give 5 Hugs
People assigned to give or receive hugs 5 times a day ended up happier than the control group.
From Sonja Lyubomirsky’s very interesting book, The How of Happiness:
In a one-of-a-kind study, students at Pennsylvania State University were assigned to two groups. The first group was instructed to give or receive a minimum of five hugs per day over the course of four weeks and to record the details. The hugs had to be front-to-front (nonsexual) hugs, using both arms of both participants; however, the length and strength of hug, as well as the placement of hands, were left to their discretion. Furthermore, these students couldn’t simply hug their boyfriends or girlfriends half a dozen times; they had to aim to hug as many different individuals as possible. The second, the controls, was instructed simply to record the number of hours they read each day over the same four weeks.
The hugging group (which partook in an average of forty-nine hugs over the course of the study) became much happier. Not surprisingly, the students who merely recorded their reading activity (which averaged a not-too-shabby 1.6 hours per day) showed no changes.
…keep reading the full and original article HERE