Happiness is an elusive goal; everyone seems to want it, but we don't really know how to be happy and stay happy.
Whether you have five minutes to relax or want to make long-term positive changes in your life, these 10 tips are researched and proven to actually increase happiness:
1. Think about happy times and smile
Thinking about the past can make you feel happier and more optimistic about the future, and thinking about positive things that make you smile can make you feel happier.
Likewise, a genuine smile and listening to happy music can help evoke positive memories. Don't believe us? Research from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, shows that smiling appears to activate the brain's happiness centers.
2. Take a nap
A 2011 study conducted by the British Psychological Society showed that people who stayed awake throughout the day were increasingly sensitive to negative emotions, while people who took naps were more sensitive to positive emotions. Lack of sleep can increase stress levels, and the importance of quality sleep cannot be underestimated.
3. Enjoy the outdoors
Being in nature has many health benefits, and spending just 20 minutes outside on a nice day can not only boost your positive mood, but also broaden your mind and improve your working memory.
A study from the London School of Economics found that for most people, warm, sunny weekend afternoons are perfect for getting outdoors, and that people are happier in purely natural settings than in urban settings.
4. Be more social
Spending quality time with the people we care about can be very beneficial in improving our happiness and overall quality of life. A healthy social life not only makes you happier but also helps you live a richer life, but according to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, healthy social connections are one of the biggest factors in happiness.
5. Meditation
Meditation can help lower stress levels and relieve symptoms of mild depression while improving emotional well-being and sleep quality. Mindfulness meditation helps improve focus, clarity, attention span, calmness, and ultimately our happiness.
In fact, a team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital looked at the brain scans of 16 people before and after they took an eight-week mindfulness meditation course and concluded that after completing the course, part of the participants' brains were reduced in areas associated with compassion. Self-awareness increases and stress-related parts decrease.
6. Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude is simply the act of showing gratitude for the things you have, no matter how simple or small they may be. For example, sometimes just five minutes of quiet drinking a cup of tea can go a long way toward increasing feelings of well-being and calmness.
There is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness, and practicing gratitude has been shown to increase happiness, especially if you start doing it from an early age. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that consciously focusing on blessings (practicing gratitude) has emotional and interpersonal benefits.
7. Exercise
Running or engaging in any form of physical activity causes the brain to release endorphins, which are feel-good neurotransmitters that can improve mood and well-being because people who exercise feel better about their body shape and health. happier. Bonus: A study in the Journal of Health Psychology reports that people who exercise are happier because they feel better about their bodies.
8. Hug your fur baby
Pet ownership is linked to increased happiness, with research showing that petting a furry friend increases activity in the left side of the brain, which is associated with joy and happiness.
A 2017 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that just being around your dog can increase levels of the happy chemical oxytocin in your body. So next time you're feeling blue, take your furry best friend for a walk, a cuddle, a movie, or a game of catch.
9. Volunteer or perform an act of kindness
Experts at the Mayo Clinic recommend: "Consciously set a goal to be kinder to others." Helping others or doing something nice for them can go a long way toward helping yourself, and volunteering can lead to greater life satisfaction, Both of these increase happiness and relieve depression.
Ever wonder why most millionaires and billionaires are very active in philanthropy? That's because spending money on others (also called prosocial spending) increases happiness more than buying things for yourself. Helping others doesn't always mean you need to spend money; giving your time is also a form of volunteering.
Research shows that dedicating just two hours a week to helping others is the best amount of time we should spend in order to enrich our lives and become happier.
10. Put down the phone
A study from Kent State University found that frequent cell phone use is associated with lower grades, increased anxiety and lower well-being. Overuse of even the best technology can reduce our happiness in meaningful ways.
Not surprisingly, frequent cell phone use is associated with lower productivity, increased anxiety, and lower well-being because it means less contact with real-time social networks, and when people compare their lives to those portrayed on social media, they feel empty.
改善心情：经科学证明的幸福的 10 个秘诀
幸福是一个遥不可及的目标； 每个人似乎都想要它，但我们并不真正知道如何快乐并保持快乐。
无论您有五分钟的时间放松还是想在生活中做出长期的积极改变，这 10 个秘诀都经过研究并证明可以真正增加幸福感：
1. 想想快乐的时光并微笑
思考过去可以让你感到更快乐，对未来更加乐观，思考让你微笑的积极事物可以让你感觉更快乐。
同样，真诚的微笑和聆听快乐的音乐可以帮助唤起积极的记忆。 不相信我们？ 马萨诸塞州伍斯特市克拉克大学的研究表明，微笑似乎可以激活大脑的幸福中心。
2.小睡一会儿
英国心理学会2011年进行的一项研究表明，全天保持清醒的人对负面情绪越来越敏感，而小睡的人对积极情绪更敏感。 睡眠不足会增加压力水平，高质量睡眠的重要性不容低估。
3.享受户外活动
身处大自然对健康有很多好处，在美好的一天在户外呆上 20 分钟不仅可以提升您的积极情绪，还可以拓宽您的思维并改善您的工作记忆。
伦敦经济学院的一项研究发现，对于大多数人来说，温暖、阳光明媚的周末下午非常适合户外活动，而且人们在纯粹的自然环境中比在城市环境中更快乐。
4. 更加社交
与我们关心的人共度美好时光对于提高我们的幸福感和整体生活质量非常有益。 健康的社交生活不仅让你更快乐，还能帮助你过上更丰富的生活，但根据哈佛成人发展研究，健康的社交关系是幸福的最大因素之一。
5. 冥想
冥想可以帮助降低压力水平并缓解轻度抑郁症状，同时改善情绪健康和睡眠质量。 正念冥想有助于提高注意力、清晰度、注意力持续时间、平静度，并最终提高我们的幸福感。
事实上，马萨诸塞州总医院的一组研究人员对 16 名参加为期八周的正念冥想课程前后的脑部扫描进行了观察，得出的结论是，完成课程后，参与者的部分大脑相关区域出现了萎缩。 带着同情心。 自我意识增强，与压力相关的部分减少。
6.写感恩日记
感恩只是对你所拥有的事物表示感激的行为，无论它们多么简单或多小。 例如，有时只需安静地喝一杯茶五分钟就可以大大增强幸福感和平静感。
感恩和幸福之间有很强的相关性，实践证明感恩可以增加幸福感，特别是如果你从小就开始这样做的话。 《人格与社会心理学杂志》上的一项研究表明，有意识地关注祝福（实践感恩）对情感和人际交往都有好处。
7. 锻炼
跑步或从事任何形式的体育活动都会导致大脑释放内啡肽，内啡肽是一种让人感觉良好的神经递质，可以改善情绪和幸福感，因为锻炼的人对自己的体型和健康状况感觉更好。 更快乐。 额外奖励：《健康心理学杂志》上的一项研究报告称，锻炼的人更快乐，因为他们对自己的身体感觉更好。
8.拥抱你的毛宝宝
养宠物与增加幸福感有关，研究表明，抚摸毛茸茸的朋友会增加左脑的活动，而左脑与快乐和幸福有关。
2017 年发表在《心理学前沿》杂志上的一项研究发现，只要和你的狗在一起就能增加你体内快乐化学催产素的水平。 所以下次当你感到忧郁时，带你毛茸茸的好朋友去散步、拥抱、看电影或玩接球游戏。
9. 志愿服务或做出善举
梅奥诊所的专家建议：“有意识地设定一个目标，对他人更加友善。” 帮助他人或为他们做一些好事可以对帮助自己大有帮助，而志愿服务可以带来更大的生活满意度，这两者都会增加幸福感并缓解抑郁。
有没有想过为什么大多数百万富翁和亿万富翁都非常活跃于慈善事业？ 这是因为把钱花在别人身上（也称为亲社会支出）比为自己买东西更能增加幸福感。 帮助别人并不总是意味着你需要花钱； 付出时间也是志愿服务的一种形式。
研究表明，为了丰富我们的生活并变得更快乐，每周只花两个小时来帮助他人是我们应该花的最佳时间。
10.放下电话
肯特州立大学的一项研究发现，频繁使用手机与成绩下降、焦虑增加和幸福感下降有关。 即使是最好的技术的过度使用也会以有意义的方式减少我们的幸福感。
毫不奇怪，频繁使用手机会导致生产力下降、焦虑增加和幸福感下降，因为这意味着与实时社交网络的接触减少，当人们将自己的生活与社交媒体上描绘的生活进行比较时，他们会感到空虚。
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