Get Happy

 

 

Everyone wants to be happy—and for good reason.

Happy people earn more money and are more likely to get married and stay married. They also attract more friends, are more productive at work, and even outlive their gloomier counterparts by about nine years.

So how do you become one of the happy people? It may be easier than you think. Experts agree that small acts can make a big difference when it comes to life satisfaction. Here are ten suggestions to get you started on the road to a more joyful life.

1. Choose to be Happy (Nature vs. Nurture)

It turns out you can blame your parents for your unhappiness—genetically speaking, at least. Just as depression runs in families, some people are genetically predisposed to be happier than others.
In 1996 University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken published a landmark study examining the influence of genes on one’s happiness. He gathered information about 4,000 sets of twins (both identical and fraternal) born between 1936 and 1955, and concluded that genes determined a person’s happiness more than any other factor, including income, education, or social status. In fact, researchers agree that about 50 percent of your happiness baseline is genetic. (Life circumstances only account for about 10 percent.)
But what if jocularity doesn’t run in your blood? Despite nature’s role, there is still plenty you can do to nurture your own happiness, starting with consciously choosing to be happy and adopting a positive attitude.
John Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis, uses the analogy of a man riding an elephant to describe the way we can control our attitude. The elephant represents the thoughts and feelings that drive our behavior; even though the man is not nearly as strong, he can still control the elephant—just as we can control our thoughts. What we see depends on what we look for. If we seek out the good, we’ll find it; if we search for the negative, we’ll find plenty of that, too.
Psychologists suggest that we change our thinking about happiness, viewing it as a state of being, not a thing to be obtained. Happiness must be nurtured as an attitude. Simply put, instead of pursuing happiness, you need to consciously choose it.

2. Count Your Blessings

Researchers agree that one of the best ways to keep a positive attitude is to focus on your blessings.

3. Spend Time with Friends and Family

Most researchers believe the largest single contributor to happiness (aside from genetics) is meaningful relationships with other people. The stronger the social network of friends and family, the happier a person is.

4. Buy Some Happiness

The relationship between money and happiness is a complicated one. Many people think that more money guarantees more life satisfaction, but studies show that once a person’s basic needs are taken care of, more money doesn’t necessarily mean more joy.

5. Volunteer

Volunteering also leads to happiness. “When you give something away that you value [like time or talents], you become the primary beneficiary.

6. Settle for Good Enough

Generally there are two types of people: satisficers and maximizers. Satisficers are those who are happy once they have found a certain level of quality that meets their criteria. Maximizers, on the other hand, insist on having the best of everything and are more prone to get overwhelmed by endless choices, exploring every possibility. And while maximizers are usually the ones who end up with the best jobs and the best cars, they also tend to be more stressed and unhappier in the long run.

7. Fake It Till You Make It

“Feelings follow actions,”

8. Try New Things

Humans are generally creatures of habit. But adding a new activity to your routine can pay big dividends.

9. Utilize Your Strengths

Martin Seligman and Chris Peterson, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, have identified 24 personality strengths, or “signature strengths.” Seligman theorizes that when you use these strengths at work, in your personal life, and in the service of others, you can increase your happiness dramatically. But how do you know what your signature strengths are? Yours are those that energize and uplift you, the ones you yearn to put into action.

10. Go to Bed Angry

Contrary to what we’ve been told for years, bottling up anger, frustration, or sadness may actually be a better option than venting every negative emotion we experience—findings reveal that expressing emotion actually magnifies the feeling. So just as expressing gratitude brings more happiness and a variety of positive emotions, venting anger and frustration will only intensify what you were already feeling.

Now Let Us Rejoice

Happiness was a recurring theme during last October’s general conference. Here are some talks in the November 2008 Ensign that address the importance of finding joy in our lives, regardless of our circumstances:

“Finding Joy in the Journey,” President Thomas S. Monson

“Come What May, and Love It,” Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

“Happiness, Your Heritage,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“The Infinite Power of Hope,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf