21 Aug The really simple things that make the happiest people in the world so happy
via the Ladders by Eric Barker
Research has found about 9 zillion things you can do to increase happiness.
Of course, you’re probably not doing any of them. To be fair, most people don’t really do much to deliberately make their lives happier.
Via 100 Simple Secrets of the Best Half of Life:
Researchers found that the majority of the subjects they studied were not able to identify anything they had done recently to try to increase their happiness or life satisfaction.
So you want to start? You want something insanely easy to do that research has demonstrated over and over again works?
Something that the happiest people in the world all do?
Here you go:
Next time something good happens, stop whatever you are doing, give it a second and appreciate that moment.
Old cliches like “stopping to smell the roses” and “it’s the little things in life”? They’re true.
The happiness researchers call it “Savoring.” Here’s how it works.
What is savoring?
We’re busy. We’re multitasking. And we think this makes things better because we get more done.
But the problem is that means you’re paying less attention to any one thing — and therefore you enjoy all of those things less.
Do you watch TV while you eat? That means you’ll enjoy your food less.
Savoring is all about attention. Focus on the bad, you’ll feel bad. Focus on the good and… guess what happens?
Via Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth:
The key component to effective savoring is focused attention. By taking the time and spending the effort to appreciate the positive, people are able to experience more well-being.
“Stopping to smell the roses”? It’s true. People who take time to appreciate beauty around them really are happier.
Via 100 Simple Secrets of the Best Half of Life:
Those who said they regularly took notice of something beautiful were 12 percent more likely to say they were satisfied with their lives.
Research shows that the happiest people take the time to appreciate the little things in life.
I know what you’re thinking: correlation isn’t causation. Maybe they’re just wired that way.
Nope. Wrong answer. Research shows it can work for anybody.
Focusing on the positive and appreciating those things more leads to happiness increases in less than a week.
Via Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life:
One group was told to focus on all the upbeat things they could find— sunshine, flowers, smiling pedestrians. Another was to look for negative stuff— graffiti, litter, frowning faces. The third group was instructed to walk just for the exercise. At the end of the week, when the walkers’ well-being was tested again, those who had deliberately targeted positive cues were happier than before the experiment. The negatively focused subjects were less happy, and the just plain exercisers scored in between. The point, says Bryant, is that “you see what you look for. And you can train yourself to attend to the joy out there waiting to be had, instead of passively waiting for it to come to you.”
Impressive, huh?
Okay, so what’s the best way to start savoring?
…keep reading the full & original article HERE