Do you want to be happier? Here are 5 habits to adopt
If you look around at your friends and family, or even at yourself, it is evident that some people see the glass as half full, while others see it as half empty.Some people are simply happier than others. They don't have to work at it, right? They just are. "They're kind of like naturally thin people who don’t have to work at it," social psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky recently told CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his podcast, Chasing Life.Counting your blessings is a great way to take stock of the positive things in your life.Sonja Lyubomirsky, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, has been studying happiness for over 35 years. She has also written several books on the subject, including "The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want."Happiness, as a subjective and abstract concept, is a difficult topic to study: emotional states are hard to define and even harder to measure objectively."Happiness has two components," Lyubomirsky said, noting that you need both aspects to be a "happy" person. "The experience of positive emotions—so happy people are more likely to experience joy, enthusiasm, tranquility, curiosity, affection, pride—this is one component. The second component is having a sense that your life is good and you are satisfied with your life."Researchers measure these components by asking people questions like, "How often do you experience joy, tranquility, curiosity?" and "How satisfied are you with your life?" Certain aspects of happiness can also be quantified by examining brain structure and facial expressions, or even through voice analysis. Lyubomirsky said it's less about having a set point of happiness and more about having a range. For researchers (and many of us), a big question is whether you can change your range and become a happier person. Lyubomirsky says this is possible to some extent."You can't change your genes," she said. She also noted that trying to change your environment—such as getting a new job or starting a relationship—can only take you so far (assuming you're not in a dire situation)"So what do we have left? We can change our ways of thinking and behaving," she said. "We can change our habits." We can develop new ones.She and other researchers have observed that happy people tend to have certain habits.What habits can you develop to boost your happiness? Lyubomirsky has five tips.
2024-07-26 09:00
