19 Dec 11 Simple Habits That Will Make You Happy Every Day, According to a UCLA Happiness Researcher
Habits for happiness.
That’s the name of one of my most popular Audible audiobooks and the central theme of much of my work.
If you can make healthy and positive behaviours habitual, then. health and happiness become yours.
I’d love for you to check out my podcast, FREE on Audible (HERE).
And / or you can read this Inc.com article by Minda Zetlin for some similar but slightly different ideas …
They’re fun, free, and easy to fit in your schedule.
Do you want to be happier? Most of us think that the key to greater happiness is to make big changes in our lives. Surprisingly, research shows that increased happiness often comes from tiny changes to our daily or weekly routines. Each of these happiness habits can provide a powerful lift to your mood and your outlook on life. Do several of them together, and you’re guaranteed to make yourself happier.
That advice comes from Cassie Holmes, professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and author of Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most. In a review posted to UC Berkeley’s Greater Good site, psychologist Jill Suttie explores how Holmes’ recommendations can translate into a happier, less stressed life for all of us.
The key to increased happiness, Holmes writes, is how we spend our discretionary time–the hours when we get to choose what we do. Studies suggest that spending too much time watching TV or on social media can lead to unhappiness and even depression, whereas activities such as social interaction, exercise, and spending time in nature lead to greater happiness.
With this research in mind, starting a few small habits can have an outsized effect on how you feel. Give a few of them a try, or try all of them together if you want a real happiness boost.
1. Focus on relationships.
We’ve all done it. You’re out for dinner with a loved one or good friend, but your attention keeps drifting away to the social media messages or work emails popping up on your phone. Our instincts tell us that these important messages require our attention right now, but when we give in to these instincts, our own happiness and well-being suffer because we lose some of the opportunity to interact and bond with the person who’s in front of us.
Even when we’re on our own, a real conversation with someone we care about trumps a social media message. So Holmes has a stunningly simple suggestion: “Simply close out of that social media app you’re in and dial up a friend to actually talk.”
2. Give yourself moments of flow.
When you’re working on something–at your job, a side hustle, a creative endeavor, or even a hobby–you’ll be happiest when you can get into “flow,” that state where you’re fully engaged in what you’re working on to the point that you lose track of time. So give yourself opportunities for flow by scheduling chunks of time for you to focus on your project and work with as little interruption as possible.
Conversely, at moments when you’re not focusing on a project or complex task, look for opportunities to interact with, and have real conversations with your colleagues. Just as stronger relationships make us happier in our personal lives, stronger relationships at work will make us happier on the job.
3. Get some exercise every day.
You already know that getting regular exercise will help you feel healthier and live longer, but there’s also ample evidence to show that it will make you feel happier and less stressed. That’s a very good reason to make time for exercise every day, or as close to every day as you can manage. Not only that, recent research shows that exercise helps you sleep better and feel more refreshed and energetic the following day. So the hour or half-hour you invest in a walk, a run, or a workout pays dividends that make it very worthwhile…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE