Finding your own brand of personal happiness is not as hit or miss as you may believe. There is actual science at work behind the scenes of calm and contentment. The field of Positive Psychology calls this the Science of Happiness.
The science of happiness is not simply the practice of positive thinking or visiting mental “happy places.” Instead, it is built on the idea that your happiness is not so locked into your genes that it cannot be offset.
Studies indicate that the neural pathways of the brain are receptive to change. Despite what psychology once believed, you’re not stuck managing misery. You can actually increase your happiness and resilience permanently.
Through research-based interventions you can offset your genetic level of happiness and choose to work through and around it to get more out of life.
How?
Amplified happiness is achievable through what positive psychologists believe is a very special set of “happy-making” skills. Skills that, with practice, will secure emotional abilities and characteristics that support lasting happiness. Consider the following habits:
Mindfulness. Practicing non-judgmental awareness has been shown to effectively reduce stress, assist emotional management, and improve psychological well-being. Happiness may be supported by the way in which mindfulness is known to ease our stress, sleep deprivation, and other ills of modern life.
Gratitude. A lot of attention has been paid to the benefits of being thankful, and they appear to be well grounded. Counting blessings seems to counter our natural tendency to gravitate toward the negative. Your happiness quotient is significantly increased as stress, anxiety, and depression lessen.
Wellness. The cycle of health and happiness is well established. Happiness and health work well together. Taking care of your body usually correlates to optimism and health. A wealth of studies reveal that disease and mental illness are closely linked to insufficient attention to physical wellness.
Giving/Altruism. Those feel good emotions you experience during the holidays can be yours year-round if you develop a habit of giving. Altruistic behavior creates a sustainable cycle of generosity and wellbeing that is evidenced by measurable increases in brain activity in areas that signal pleasure and positive social connection.
Vulnerability/Forgiveness. Happiness and a long-standing grudge don’t often go together. But research does point to authentic connection as a foundational part of a happy life. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable makes others receptive to you and expressive towards you. Extending forgiveness when necessary maintains those connections.
Relationships. You need your people. Biologically, psychologically, and emotionally you are meant to be connected to someone else. Happiness without meeting that core need is hard to come by. Happiness is positively contagious and has also been shown to improve overall health and life expectancy.
Meaningful Activity. To be happier in life, your daily life must be purposeful. Slaving away at work for the sake of a paycheck without a sense of meaning or connectedness to the activity is often depressing and sometimes intolerable. Happiness appears to be connected to an ability to recognize and employ your strengths on a regular basis.
Soon you may find that previous insufficient “happy-makers” give way to the more satisfying results of what science deems to happy-making thoughts and actions.
- Happy-making materialism gives way to generosity and people-oriented happiness.
- Happy-making achievement succumbs to the flow and purpose that accompanies meaningful use of your gifts and strengths.
- Happy-making “highs” are traded for contentment, which isn’t so highly vulnerable to circumstantial “lows.”
You can take action on behalf of your own happiness and know there is evidence supporting your path. Where you’re headed, sustainable contentment awaits. And who couldn’t be happy about that?
Denise Kautzer is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and a Certified Public Accountant whose practice is located in St. Paul, MN. You can view her website at www.denisekautzer.com or contact her at denise@denisekautzer.com