What Makes Us Happy?

Previous Posts:

1. Savor Everyday Moments
2. Avoid Comparisons
3. Put Money Low on the List
4. Have Meaningful Goals
5. Take Initiative at Work
6. Make Friends, Treasure Family
7. Smile Even When  You Don’t Feel Like It
8. Say Thank You Like You  Mean It
9. Get Out and Exercise

And 10. Give It Away, Give It Away!

Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that those who spend money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend it on themselves. Researcher Stephen Post reports that the “helper’s high” gives you more health benefits than you get from exercise or quitting smoking!!

Anything you do for others gives you a notch up the feeling good ladder. Of course, giving away more than you have can be a problem, especially for women, but think about the goodies you’d get if you quit smoking then did a walk-a-thon that benefited a group in need…..a triple happiness treat!!

So what steps are you going to take to increase your happiness quotient? Look at the 10 things that science is finding will actually work to make you more happy and choose one or two things that you want to do in the next month.

I’d love to hear what you decide…make a comment and my gift to you is a coaching session on how to make it happen!!

Don’t worry! Be Happy!!

*10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Jen Angel YES! Magazine Winter 2009

Previous Posts: What Makes Us Happy?

1. Savor Everyday Moments
2. Avoid Comparisons
3. Put Money Low on the List
4. Have Meaningful Goals
5. Take Initiative at Work
6. Make Friends, Treasure Family
7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

8. Say Thank You Like  You Mean It!

Martin Seligman, the happiness guru (www.authentichappiness.org) and founder of positive psychology reports that people write “gratitude letters” to those who made a difference in their lives score higher on happiness and lower on depression.

Saying it like you mean it is the difference between saying “yea, thanks” to “Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!” Remember when you were a kid and you had to apologize for something that you really didn’t want to apologize for? How many times did you have to say it before Mom was satisfied?

It makes a difference….say it like you mean it!

Robert Emmons found that people who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal goals.

Gratitude rules.

* 10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Jen Angel YES! Magazine Winter 2009

Previous posts: What Makes Us Happy

1. Savor Everyday Moments
2. Avoid Comparisons “Run your own Race”
3. Put Money Low on the List
4. Have Meaningful Goals
5. Take Initiative at Work

6. Make Friends, Treasure Family

Seems like a no-brainer that happier people have good families, friends and supportive relationships. No matter who is in the relationship, the key is that it is more than a surface relationship or acquaintance, the relationship needs to involve understanding and caring. For some that will be their immediate family, for other, it’ll be their friends.

Having a safety net of people around you who love you and will be there when you need them is huge! If you are feeling like you have a lot of acquaintances, but not people who really know and care about you, it may be time to work on creating closer connections to those around you.

Sometimes people think their significant other will meet all their relationship needs, but I personally think that’s unrealistic. For one, that’s a lot for a partner to live up to and, women especially, value their friends as well as their spouses and other family members.

While men are more likely to rely more on their spouses, it’s also important for them to have close friendships in addition to their significant other.

What are your relationships like? Who can you go to when you need someone to lean on? Who can you trust? And is the feeling mutual?

Here’s a great quote from a fun little book I picked up called Without Stress My Life Would Be Empty,

“We may not have it all together….but together we have it all.”

Need I say more?

Next: 7. Smile Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

*10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy by Jen Angel, YES! Magazine Winter 2009