There may not be a magic formula, but here’s what we know about how to get there, according to recent research and expert advice.
Make Friends and Family a Priority …
One of the longest-running studies on living well and happily emphasizes the importance of your relationships with family, friends and spouses.
… Especially on Weekends
Busy lives can get in the way of happiness. Our feeling of well-being peaks on weekends, largely because of more time spent with friends and family, this academic says.
Income Equality Helps (So Move to Scandinavia)
National unhappiness is strongly associated with a country’s social inequality, research shows. One index finds that Scandinavia, a place with a wide and broad social net, is the location of the world’s happiest countries.
Gratitude Does, Too
Pharrell Williams, the star behind the 2014 hit music video “Happy,” on the happiness phenomenon: ”If you’re grateful, you can find happiness in everything.”
The Health Factor
A correlation between happiness and good health has been evident for centuries. But which comes first? Does robust health lead to a good mood or the reverse?
It’s Really Good for Kids
Happy kids learn faster, think more creatively, tend to be more resilient in the face of failures, have stronger relationships and make friends more easily.
Well, most of them. Fifteen-year-old girls were found to be the unhappiest group in this report last month on boys and girls.
Don’t Overdo It
Happiness engineers, chief fun officers, ministers of happiness … there’s evidence that “fungineering” at work might have precisely the opposite effect: making people miserable.
And Don’t Obsess About It
Four academics discuss whether the pursuit of happiness is an unhealthy preoccupation.
If All Else Fails, Fake It
Can you fake your way to confidence and happiness? You can, if you “just say yes,” advise self-help books by Amy Cuddy and Shonda Rhimes.
Source: NY Times
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