Happiness…how do you assess if you’re happy and whether you need to do something to feel happier in life?
Defining happiness can be subjective and is entirely dependent on the person’s perspective.
Instead, what if we observe other people who are content in their lives, learn the habits that contribute to their happiness, and apply the habits that resonate with us to our own lives?
It’s not a bad idea and thankfully that part is made easier with scientific studies that give us a glimpse of what makes people happier.
After looking through a few of those studies, I’ve compiled a list of 5 things that you can do to increase your overall happiness and satisfaction in life.
Let’s jump right into it!
1. Get Enough Sleep
Getting sufficient sleep made it to the top of the list because it is a daily occurrence that has a huge impact on happiness.
In a study published by the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, it was found that a longer sleep duration had a strong association with higher positive emotions, especially happiness.
Another study in the Annals of General Psychiatry found that poor sleep quality is related to a higher risk of depression.
It is important for healthy adults to get around 7-9 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
If you have an inconsistent sleep schedule, you can learn how to calculate your ideal sleep schedule which I explain in my other post.
If you are not getting enough sleep each night, then make it a priority to do so and you will hopefully see a positive effect in both your quality of life and happiness.
2. Spend Time In Nature
Nothing is better than breathing in the clean, crisp, and fresh air that nature provides.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people who walked for 90 minutes in a natural setting experienced lower levels of repetitive negative thoughts compared to those who walked in an urban setting.
If you are someone who works remotely from home, it could be beneficial to add an outdoor activity, like a brisk walk at the park, to your break or lunch schedule.
Even if you simply look at the trees through a window, it could provide some benefits.
Reconnecting with nature can be a great way to boost your levels of happiness, so be sure to make it a habit to increase your exposure to the natural world.
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3. Hobbies
Having a personal hobby or two is a great way to increase your overall happiness in life.
If you already have a hobby that you know you love doing, but you haven’t gotten around to pursuing it, then try adding it to your daily schedule, even if it is as little as a few minutes each day.
If you don’t currently have a favorite hobby, then now is the time to experiment and try new things until you find an activity that you truly enjoy doing.
Here are some ideas for you: cooking, reading, knitting, DIY crafts, arts, writing, gaming, and photography.
There are so many more and you could visit this post on Reddit which contains a Hobby Masterlist for some inspiration.
There are so many hobbies listed there, from ballroom dancing to cosplaying, and I’m sure you’ll find a few that interest you.
4. Social Connections
Cultivating meaningful social connections is an important way to increase your happiness.
From spending time with your family outside of the home to hanging out with friends, it is beneficial to maintain your social relationships.
When it comes to your social circle, choose quality over quantity.
It is important that your social group is positive and not toxic or hurtful towards you.
If you feel uplifted and supported by the people close to you, then be sure to nurture your relationships with those people.
Having those social connections will help you have a greater sense of belonging, security, and self-worth, which are all contributing factors to your overall happiness.
5. Three Good Things
Expressing gratitude is a simple yet very effective way to be a happier person.
In a study published by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, it was found that gratitude was substantially correlated with life satisfaction.
Taking the time to be aware of things that you are grateful for is so powerful because our minds tend to emphasize the negative things that happen to us, so we need to balance those thoughts with positive ones.
By taking the time each day to stop and reflect on good things, you are forming a new perspective that can have a dramatic effect on your happiness.
The best part is that engaging in an act of gratitude doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your day!
A great method that should only take a couple minutes to complete is to list 3 things that you are grateful for at the end of each day.
By making gratitude a habit and a consistent part of your daily routine, you are actively engaging in a positive cognitive process.
Those happy thoughts will go a long way, trust me!
Being Happy 24/7 Is Not The Goal
I want to emphasize that while it’s good to look for ways to be a happier person, it is not realistic, nor the goal, to feel happy all the time.
It’s human to feel a range of emotions and to even have different moods at different times of the day.
We have to be mindful of what type of happiness we want.
True happiness includes accepting and acknowledging negative emotions and learning how to properly deal with them.
Once you have that mindset, then you can go ahead and implement the habits listed above.
Key Takeaways
Depending on your current circumstance, there might be one or many habits that you could incorporate in your day-to-day schedule to give you a greater satisfaction in life.
First, assess how much sleep you’re getting each night and if it’s quality sleep or not.
If you could do with more sleep each night, then hold yourself accountable and do what you can to accommodate more sleep into your schedule.
Next, assess how much time you are spending in an outdoor, natural setting. If you live in an urban area, see if you can immerse yourself in a natural environment at least a couple times a week.
Then, see what hobbies you engage in. Do you enjoy those hobbies? If yes, make it a consistent part of your weekly routine. If no, then explore new hobbies!
Make sure that you have supportive and positive social connections, as it plays a large role in your overall happiness.
Finally, don’t forget to list 3 things that you are grateful for each day.
Even if you only pick a couple of the items in this list, that is a great start to add more meaning, quality, and positivity in your life.
Remember that happiness at the surface level is an emotion that can come and go, and true happiness goes deeper than that.
It is the overall satisfaction in life, where you have a support system, moments of appreciation, enjoying your time, and taking care of yourself, that should be your goal.
