10 Scientific Suggestions to Increase Happiness

Humans have remarkable control over their own happiness. Happiness is different for each person, which is why weve compiled 10 different methods to help you find your inner sunshine. 1. Draw pictures of unhealthy food. Studies have shown that eating high-calorie comfort foods can make your happier. The downside is this will also make you fat. As an alternative, a study published in the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science in May 2013 found that simply drawing pictures of foods high in fat, like cupcakes or pizza, and foods that taste sweet, like strawberries, can also boost your mood. The positive reactions were independent of subjects weight and hunger level. These results extend a growing body of biobehavioral research on the positive impact of food images on mood by showing that this impact can be applied to enhance mood when expressing food images through art, the researchers concluded. 2. Be both an optimist and a realist. People who have the positive attitude of optimists paired with the rational outlook of realists tend to be more successful and happy, according to psychology researcher Sophia Chou. Thats because so-called realistic optimists have the perfect blend of personality types to succeed. Unlike idealists, they are willing to face challenging situations with a clear view of reality, but will use creativity and a positive outlook to try to work their way out of the problem. 3. Get your hands dirty. Breathing in the smell of dirt may lift your spirits, according to a study which found that a bacteria commonly found in soil produces effects similar to antidepressant drugs. The harmless bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, stimulated the release of serotonin in the

brain after it was injected into mice. Having low levels of serotonin is what causes depression in people. In a human test, cancer patients reported increases in their quality of life when they were treated with the bacteria. The findings leave us wondering if we shouldnt all be spending more time playing in the dirt, lead author Chris Lowry of the University of Bristol in England said in a statement. 4. Master a skill. Working hard to improve a skill or ability, such as learning how to drive or solving a math problem, may increase stress in the short-term, but makes people feel happy and more content with their lives in the long run, a 2009 study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies reported. People often give up their goals because they are stressful, but we found that there is benefit at the end of the day from learning to do something well. And whats striking is that you dont have to reach your goal to see the benefits to your happiness and well-being, coauthor Ryan Howell said in a statement. 5. Focus on what youre doing right now. Are you thinking about something other than what youre currently doing? If the answer is yes then you are less happy than people who dont have a wandering mind, according to research from Harvard University. About 46% of people spend their waking hours thinking about something other than what theyre doing, say Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost, the study, published in the journal Science, concluded. 6. Eat seven servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables are good for the body and soul. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that people who eat at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day are happier than those who eat very few fruits and vegetables. When comparing small and large levels of fruit and vegetable consumption per day, the effect corresponds to between 0.25 and 0.33 life-satisfaction points. To put that in perspective, the known (huge) effect of being unemployed corresponds to a loss of 0.90 of a life-satisfaction point, the authors explain. 7. Volunteer. Doing good for others increases personal happiness, a 2008 study published in the journal Social Science and Medicine confirmed. People who volunteer for religious groups and organizations report higher levels of happiness than those who do not volunteer, regardless of socio-economic factors. Interestingly, the researchers learned that other types of altruistic behavior, like giving money to charity or donating blood did not have the same effect on happiness. They believe that volunteering increases empathy by making people more aware of others needs. Volunteers come to appreciate what they have rather than focusing on what they dont have.

8. Smile more. Research from Clark University found that smiling activates memories associated with happiness. In the study, published in 2003 in the journal Cognition and Emotion, subjects were divided into three groups: One group was told to smile, another group was told to make an angry expression, and the last group was supposed to look sad. All groups were then shown cards with neutral words on them, like tree or house. The group of smilers had more positive responses to the cards than the angry and sad groups. Pretend that you are happy, and you will feel happy, pretend that you are angry, and you will feel angry, the authors wrote. 9. Stop comparing yourself to others. Unhappy people are consumed by peer comparison, an experiment conducted by professor Lyubomirsky showed. In another study, Columbia University economics professor Enrichetta Ravina and her coauthor Karen Dynan, a vice president and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, warned that being envious of the rich specifically members of the middle class wanting to do financially better than their neighbors can cause individuals to go into debt. 10. Limit the amount of TV you watch. Happiness is linked to the strength of our bonds with other people watching TV limits the amount of time we have to engage in social activities that develop these relationships, according to a 2007 study in the Journal of Economic Psychology. Heavy TV-viewers reported lower life satisfaction and higher levels of anxiety, the report said.