15 Research-proven things that make us happy
On February 16, 2025 By thesuccessmanual Topic: Studies, Remarkable
This is Part 2 of our series on the best of happiness research. Read Part 1 'The Best of Happiness Research' here.
1. Buy experiences, rather than things.
2. Write down your problems that make you happy.
3. Writing about a loved one makes us happy.
4. Sitting Up Makes Men Happy.
5. Work hard at improving a skill or ability.
6. Listening to others makes us happy:
If you want to know how much you will enjoy an experience, you are better off knowing how much someone else enjoyed it than knowing anything about the experience itself,
7. Take pleasure in small things: 'Happiness is all those tiny moments we generally dismiss as we rush to the office or wherever it is we are going to "get somewhere."'
8. Expect less, be happier.
9. People who thought about happy life events for are happier.
10. Simple strategies for boosting mood - for example, smiling and thinking about something good that happened yesterday, may actually work.
11. Live among happy people: Study says happiness is contagious. In fact. Happiness is more contagious than unhappiness.
12. Think about death: No, really. Study says ' meditating on death increases happiness
13. Don't try to bring other people down: Study says that 'a willingness to lower another person's payoff below one's own (competitive preferences) seems correlated with unhappiness.'
14. Don't be 'too happy': Extremely happy people 'recover at a slower rate from negative events'.
15. Be more 'Community Minded'.
"People who work part-time, control their own lives, join community organizations, or get involved in active leisure are happier than those who do not. Yet the majority of people do not make these choices." ... “People who belong to community organizations, do voluntary work, and have rich social connections are healthier and happier than those who do not.”
- Daniel Nettle.
Bonus: If someone close to us in our family become prosperous, that makes us happy.
Related Bighow Guide:
How to be remarkable #21: Be Happy
Read the 100 Ways To Be Being Remarkable Series, a special project that brings you business and self-development advice from The Success Manual.
