What’s the Most Important Thing in Life?
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not money, fame or power. It’s happiness.
There are billions of people who live in third world countries with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, and yet, often these are the happiest people on earth.
What’s their secret? How can you take some of their advice and boost your own happiness levels?
Here are five scientifically proven ways to increase your happiness…
Spend Money on Others
When many of us are sad, we often go out and buy something in an effort to cheer ourselves up. However, research shows that if you really want to use money to boost your happiness, you need to spend it on other people.
Listen to Sad Songs
When we’re feeling down, many of us plug in our headphones and listen to our favourite music. But before you play the happiest songs on your playlist, you might want to listen to this…
Studies have found that listening to sad music actually produced beneficial emotional effects, including regulation of negative emotion and mood. Put simply, sad music helps you handle your bad moods. So if you really want to cheer yourself up, put on the saddest song in your playlist!
Meditate
Of everything listed here, meditation has the most conclusive scientific evidence to back it up. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, long before the science of psychology existed. We have been aware of its benefits for a long time, and its ability to reduce stress is well known. Multiple studies show that it is linked to decreased levels of stress and anxiety.
Go for a Walk
Sometimes the simplest methods are also the most effective. Studies show that the simple act of going for a walk can do wonders for our mood. Some studies show the positive effects of getting outside and experiencing nature, while others found that going for a walk in any location increased happiness simply because it involved physical activity.
Get Your Feelings off Your Chest
Keeping your feelings bottled up inside for a long time is never a good idea. Have you ever felt that feeling of relief when you express your fears and worries? Well, there’s a science behind it – a recent study in the US looked at how writing down a negative experience can help to calm our nerves and helps us deal with the things that are worrying us. The people who recorded their emotional experiences were much more calm than those who were writing about other subjects or not at all.
Visit Happify for science-based activities and games that can help reduce stress, increase happiness and build your resilience.
