What is happiness in life?

What is happiness in life?

How to be happy or what is happiness in life is a powerful question to ask. This article is about the happiness in life and 9 useful solutions to increase the happiness in life.

Our definitions of happiness might differ, but scientists view happiness as a combination of How satisfied you are with your life, and how good you feel daily. It varies from person to person, but approximately 40% of your happiness is controlled by your thoughts, actions and behaviors, 50% is genetically determined, and 10% is determined by your circumstances.

This table shows this fact about the secret of a happy life:

Contrary to popular belief, we get used to our circumstances over time, so they don’t play as large a role in our happiness level as we might think. Happiness is a skill you can build with consistent practice. You can control how fulfilling your life is! Keep in mind that happiness is not: About feeling hunky-dory all the time It’s not having all the money you could ever want;

It’s not about refusing to see the negative stuff in the world, And it’s not a final destination either. Happy people are healthier people because they: Have lower rates of cardiovascular disease; They have better immunity; They heal faster after injuries; They’re more likely to have a healthier diet, and they live longer too. It’s also healthier to have steady levels of moderate happiness over time than spikes of extreme happiness.

And your happiness isn’t just about you. Happy people: Are more productive at their studies or jobs; They typically have deep relationships with others; They help other people and volunteer more; They’re more likely to donate money to charity; And they’re more creative problem solvers. You can increase your happiness in the long term by Nurturing relationships; Having new experiences; Helping others; Or just being grateful for what you have.

Savoring it

You can get even more happiness out of a good experience by savoring it: Use all your senses. Pay attention to sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. Pay attention to the little details of a great experience. Share it with someone else. And linger and dwell on the moment too. Savoring experiences make us happier, more grateful, and more hopeful while reducing levels of stress, guilt, and depression.

Good experiences strengthen the parts of the brain connected with happiness. 3 things that will kill your happiness over time are: Comparing yourself to others; A lack of close friendships; Or holding onto resentment. People who’ve experienced some adversity in life are happier than those who’ve never experienced any.

You can check Here regarding happiness in life, too.

After adversity, once we’ve got some distance and perspective, making sense of our life’s challenges helps us to: Shape our identities;

Increase our resilience

Cope better with current stressors; and become more optimistic about the future. Feeling connected to a deeper purpose, mission, or direction in life is key to our well-being. People who report having more meaning in their lives are more likely to have stable moods and show sociable behavior.

Fulfilling career

People of all ages report being happier when they have more meaning in their lives. Different ways people can find more meaning are: Through a fulfilling career. People who find meaning at work show more motivation and engagement on the job. Raising children. 85% of parents think that their children bring them the most happiness and fulfillment of any relationship.

Spirituality or religion

Through spirituality or religion. Studies show that Americans who are spiritual or religious tend to be happier. Besides meaning, it also gives people a built-in social network. And you can also get more meaning by pursuing goals that align with your core values. Goals that include commitment to something outside yourself, such as friends, family or community, and goals that promote life satisfaction.

You can also watch this video about happiness in life.

Make Time for Friends

On days when people spend 6-7 hours with friends or family, they’re 12 times more likely to report feeling happy rather than stressed. People who work full-time experience the most happiness on days when they spend 8-9 hours with friends and family – so make the most of your weekends! Being intentionally grateful is very powerful too.

Well-known researcher Brene Brown said “In 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to experience joy who does not also actively practice gratitude”.

In one study, people who wrote down things they were grateful for once a week for six weeks felt happier and less depressed for up to 6 months; they reported better sleep quality; and they were more likely to engage in healthy behaviors like exercise. Here are 5 Ways to instantly boost your happiness: Spend 5 minutes doing something to brighten the day of someone you love.

Thank people

Email someone and thank them for something they did for you. Have a meaningful conversation with a good friend. Take 30 seconds to help someone who needs it. Or just savor a memory – close your eyes and relive the happiest moment of your life.

Flow state

Some other tips are to get into a ‘flow state’ by engaging in an enjoyable activity, that requires a degree of skill and is just enough of a challenge that you can feel ‘in the zone’, and lose all sense of time.

People who regularly practice mindfulness meditation have increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for calm and happiness. And it helps to practice empathy. Take someone else’s point of view. When others feel understood, you have a chance to build intimacy and well-being.

we compare countries, here are the things that correlate with higher happiness. GDP per capita. Freedom to make life choices. Generosity. And longevity. But the most important factor researchers found is social support, or having someone to count on in times of trouble. Remember that happiness is like a skill you can get better at.

Best habits to increase happiness in life

You may have some habits you're trying to shake and you're likely experiencing how hard it is. Habits can drastically alter our lifestyle and mood. So while we should always aim to minimize our bad habits, it might be a good idea to focus on developing some healthy ones first.

Maybe you felt depressed or lost lately, or maybe this is something you've been struggling with for a while, but by developing some healthy habits, you can alter your mood for the better.

So to help you develop some happy habits, here are nine habits that keep you mentally happy.

Number 1, practice gratitude

The first habit to increase happiness in life is practicing gratitude. Are you grateful for what you have? How often do you express it? If your answer is, "Not often," then you should reconsider practicing gratitude. Why? One two-part study found that practicing gratitude can have a strong impact on our feelings of hope and happiness. Meaning it's time to act like it's Thanksgiving dinner every meal. The researchers from Hope College found that gratitude predicts hope and happiness. So if we express how grateful we are more often, it may lead to feelings of happiness.

Number 2, give compliments.

The 2th habit to increase happiness in life is giving compliments. Did you know that paying someone a compliment can pay off? In regards to your mood anyway. In one study, participants were randomly assigned to perform acts of kindness, acts of novelty, or no act every day for 10 days. Researchers measured their satisfaction with life before the experiment was conducted, and then after. Performing acts of kindness or novelty increased overall life satisfaction, so go ahead and pay it forward. A compliment never hurt anyone. It will likely make you both happy.

Number 3, experience and go with the flow.

The 3th habit to increase happiness in life is going with the flow. Have you ever heard the expression go with the flow? Well, we may just have to take that advice, just in a different way than intended. Happy people often experience what is referred to as flow. Flow is a state where one is fully involved and absorbed in the present moment. In this state, one possesses intense concentration, a loss of self-consciousness, and a sense of timelessness.

Sounds pretty happy, right? It may not be so easy to go with the flow if you don't know what drives you to that emotional state, so one step towards experiencing the flow more often: find out what it is that gets you there. Is it your passion that gets you there? Hanging out with your best friend? Playing your favorite sport? Whatever it is, it's not a bad idea to do it more often.

Number 4, savor the little moments.

The 4th habit to increase happiness in life is savoring the little moments. One habit that can keep you mentally happy: savoring the little moments in your life. The practice of savoring has been viewed by many to be a way to increase happiness. We can use our thoughts and actions to increase our appreciation of positive experiences and emotions, and the duration of them. When we do so, this is known as savoring. To practice savoring, the next time you appreciate something small, take an extra minute to consciously acknowledge it and bask in it. Don't let these moments pass you by. Be aware of them.

Number 5, exercise.

The 5th habit to increase happiness in life is exercise. Exercise plays a factor in improving our self-esteem and happiness. Continuous exercise has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression, so it's a good habit to practice. Start with just five minutes a day when you wake up. Then when that becomes a habit, add an extra five minutes. Continue doing so until you feel comfortable. The point is, it's easier to start with a goal of five minutes a day than to expect yourself to suddenly exercise an hour a day.

Number 6, get enough sleep.

The 6th habit to increase happiness in life is  getting enough sleep. Remember those seven to eight hours of sleep you should be getting? Where'd they go? Why are you abandoning them? Sleep is extremely important to our mental health. Did you know that sleep deprivation kills brain cells? And not getting Zs can impair our memory, judgment, and reaction time. So how on earth are we supposed to feel happy if we're so tired all the time?

That's why it's best to opt in to getting an adequate amount of rest each night. Try scheduling when it's time for bed, and be sure to remove any distractions, such as phones, tablets, or video games an hour before bed. This will give your mind a chance to wind down.

Number 7, choose foods that boost your mood.

The 7th habit to increase happiness in life is choosing foods that boost your mood. Another habit to implement: eat healthy foods that will make you happy in the long run. A happy food to add to your diet: carbohydrates. Carbohydrates release serotonin, which is the key hormone responsible for stabilizing our mood and feelings of happiness. Ditch deep-fried foods as those have been known to make you feel down. Instead, opt in for high-protein foods, such as lean meat, poultry, and dairy. High-protein foods release norepinephrine and dopamine, which improves our energy and focus.

Number 8, work towards meaningful goals.

The 8th habit to increase happiness in life is working towards meaningful goals. Do you often find it hard to get up in the morning? Are you unmotivated due to a lack of goals? One way to improve happiness is to set meaningful goals. If we feel our life lacks a purpose, we may fall into a depressive state. Create motivation to keep going by pursuing something that you are passionate about. Then set several small goals as starts to get there. It's something to look forward to, focused on something we love.

And number 9, experience nature.

The 9th habit to increase happiness in life is experiencing nature. According to one study, spending just 30 minutes or more per week outside in nature can help lower your blood pressure and depression. Another study found taking a walk outside in a green environment increases our mood and decreases how many negative thoughts we have. Make sure to take your walks outside in nature though, as those in the study who walked down city streets didn't show any benefits as compared to those who walked in a natural environment.

Looks like you'll be adding a nature walk to your habits list. Ooh, and you'll get in your five minutes of exercise too. So do you have any of these habits? Which ones do you want to have? Let us know in the comments down below.

This article was about the happiness in life. We hope you like it. If you have any other opinion about the happiness in life, tell us in the comments.