How to Be Happy

Steps
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1
Be optimistic. You can influence your happiness in a multitude of ways. It's
the totality of all you think, do and experience. "Hardship builds strength of
character and toughness."; so, happiness is closely related to a hopeful, accept
ance of life's challenges. What works? In the 1970s, researchers followed people
who'd won the lottery and found that a year afterward, they were no happier tha
n people who hadn't. This is called hedonic adaptation[1] which suggests that we
can expect to return to a baseline level of happiness. No matter what events oc
cur, good or bad, the effect on ones happiness is temporary, and happiness tends
to quickly revert to the baseline level. Some people have a higher baseline hap
piness level than others, and that is due in part to genetics, but it's also lar
gely influenced by how you think.
Accumulate all the little joyful things that happen to you during the da
y. They add up. You could keep a journal, and write them down. For example, if t
here was not bad traffic on the road, if you had a very scrumptious breakfast, i
f your friend said something uproariously humorous that made you laugh, if you t
ook your dog out for a walk in the park and played with it, add these together.
Your outlook can begin to brighten.
Think deeply grateful thoughts for the things you have. This is a very e
ffective way to become more happy. If you feel grateful for the things you have,
you appreciate what you have and feel more satisfied with your life.
View the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. Your girlfriend/ boyf
riend broke up with you? Now you have the chance to meet someone good for you! Y
ou lost your job? Now you can seize the opportunity to find a better one! Adjust
your mentality so that, in each thing that happens, you see some kernel of good
, and say hopeful words, "It will be all right!", or "It's going to be good.", o
r "I'll keep expecting good results."
Put yourself in situations where fortunate things are likely to be achie
ved or happen where preparation meets opportunity. It's easier to remain optimis
tic, if you set yourself up for success. Cheating on a partner, or stealing some
while temporarily thrilling
rarely ends well for any party involve
one's bicycle
d. Ask yourself before you act out: Am I setting myself up for success or for fa
ilure?
2
Assess yourself. Figure out, and focus on what is really "it" for you (famil
y, education, career, relationship, marriage, etc.), at least as you see it now.
Consider your pathway, for example: You choose your career objectives. In schoo
l, you get to choose your personal "high school plan" and then, possibly, your "
college degree plan", etc. When ready, write your individual clear short, medium
and long-term goals, for your career-/life-path: Plan how to begin, and then st
art. Follow-through on your ideas, goals and plans to see your future develop. W
ork it out by achieving your goals in steps. But, do not just work harder but wo
rk smarter; so, continue branching-out, achieving your goals, adding to your kin
d of progress, all your life.
Follow the path of "cause-and-effect" -- as life is exactly like that. S
ee what goals you need as causes that will bring the effects needed. If possible
find something you love or like to do, most especially when you make a crucial
decision -- choosing education, career, training, buying a house, showing love t
o your spouse and children, family and friends... Look for possibilities of what
may be caused by long-term results of your decisions and your actions. When you
think of your current situation (however hard it may be) -- then think of how m
uch harder some other people have it, in any aspect. So, be glad that you are no
t in that worse situation, and enjoy your life! Say: "It could be worse." Be ale
rt and eager, mentally leaning forward and reaching toward what you want to gras

p, enjoying learning and improving for years of daily growth and satisfaction.
3
Realize that fun is not happiness. Fun can be here at any moment -- but then
it can be gone just as quickly. That is very different from happiness. Happines
s is what stays with us, changing and growing like a sprout, becoming a tree. Ha
ppiness changes gradually, steadily building up and spreading out. In this way,
happiness, like success, is not a destination, it's an hour by hour, day by day
series of continuing choices in life's processes. We can try to keep making some
bit of daily progress, no matter what.
Joy is like the tree of happiness, it is a growing choice. Choose to smi
le a little, to be cheerful, to do kindness, speak thoughtfully, to read, to stu
dy, think quick to be positive but slow to be angry. But, tell the truth with lo
ve -- for being kind and honest is as important as being right. Let others enjoy
your smiles, cheer, kindness -- then you should feel better, by growing happier
over time, never expecting too much, too soon. Be contented from moment to mome
nt. Say, "Things will change for the better.", or "I expect something good."
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4
Follow your gut to decide happily. In one study, two groups of people were a
sked to pick a poster to take home. One group was asked to analyze their decisio
n, weighing pros and cons, and the other group was told to listen to their gut.
Two weeks later, the group that followed their gut was happier with their poster
s than the group that analyzed their decisions.[2] Now, some of our decisions ar
e more crucial than picking out posters, but while you're poring over your choic
e, the options you're weighing are probably quite similar, and the difference wi
ll only temporarily affect your happiness; so why stress about this?
Next time you have a decision to make, and you're down to two or three o
ptions, just pick the one that feels right, and go with it. Never spend time reg
retting the decisions you've made; be accepting. Live by the 4 C's of life: choi
ces, chances, courage and changes. You need to make a courageous choice, take a
reasonable chance, or your life will never change for the better. Doing the same
thing over and over, expecting something different does not work. Making a new,
courageous choice, brings a feeling of purposeful chances, and hopes of making
good changes.
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5
Own yourself. This means accept and embrace your habits, your personality, t
he way you talk, looks, your voice, and most importantly 'You'. Try to be comfor
table in your own skin and subconsciously communicate to others that, This is me
take it, or leave it. It means don't apologize for something which is really pa
rt of you, like your personality, your voice, habits (good or bad); remember the
re is always someone who likes you for the way you are. For example, if you want
to wear something which is different, but you like it, wear it; no one is stopp
ing you. It's a deeper step towards building a happy relationship with yourself.
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6
food, shelter, and clothing. Any money
Make enough money to meet basic needs
beyond that will not necessarily make you happier. Remember the lottery winners
mentioned earlier? Oodles of money didn't make them happier. Once you make enou
gh to support basic needs, your happiness is not significantly affected by how m
uch money you make, but by your level of optimism.[3]
Your comfort may increase with your salary, but comfort makes people bor
ed, not happy. That's why it's important to push beyond your comfort zone to fue
l personal growth.
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7
Treat your body like it deserves to be happy. It may sound cheesy to say, bu
t your brain isn't the only organ in your body that deserves to be happy. Resear
chers have found that exercise, healthy diets, and regular sleep are key factors
in growing more happy and staying that way.

People who are physically active have higher incidences of enthusiasm an

d excitement.[4][5] Scientists hypothesize that exercise causes the brain to rel
ease chemicals called endorphins that elevate our mood.
Eat right. Eating healthy foods
fruits and vegetables, lean meats and pr
oteins, whole grains, nuts, and seeds gives your body and brain the energy it ne
eds to be healthy. Some scientists speculate that unhealthy diets, especially th
ose rich in processed carbohydrates, sugars, and industrial vegetable fats, is r
esponsible for some cell death, brain shrinkage and certain brain diseases like
depression and dementia
Get enough sleep. Study after study confirms it: the more sleep you get,
the happier you tend to be.[6] Getting just a single extra hour of sleep per ni
ght makes the average person happier than making $60,000 more in annual income,
astoundingly enough.[7] So if you're middle-aged, shoot to get at least eight ho
urs of sleep per night; the young and elderly should shoot for 9 to 11 hours of
sleep per night.[8]
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8
Stay close to friends and family: Or, move to where they are, so you can see
them more often. We live in a mobile society, where people follow jobs around t
he country and sometimes around the world. We do this because we think salary in
creases make us happier, but in fact our relationships with friends and family h
ave a far greater impact on happiness. So next time you think about relocating,
consider that you'd need a salary increase of over $100,000 USD to compensate fo
r the loss of happiness you'd have from moving away from friends and family.[9]
If relationships with family and friends are unhealthy or nonexistent, a
nd you are bent on moving, choose a location where you'll make about the same am
ount of money as everyone else; according to research, people feel more financia
lly secure (and happier) when on similar financial footing as the people around
them, regardless of what that footing is.[10]
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9
Be compassionate. Compassion is all about doing something kind for someone i
n need, or someone less privileged than yourself. A brain-imaging study (where s
cientists peek into people's brains while they act or think) revealed that peopl
e gain as much happiness from watching others give to charity as they do receivi
ng money themselves![11]
Think of effective ways that you can make your community or the world a
better place by being compassionate. Compassion is a key part of sustainable hap
piness:
Tutor, volunteer, or get involved in a church group. Countless child
ren are looking for someone to teach them and act as a role model.
Make a microloan. A microloan is when you give someone (usually in t
he developing world) a very small sum of money for an economic project of their
own. Many microloans have 95%+ repayment rates.[12]
Give a person in need food, clothing or shelter, if it would be safe
. It's so basic, we often forget to think about it, yet so easy to do.
Increase the happiness of those around you by giving small gifts. This w
ill increase your happiness as well - in fact, the one giving the gift usually f
eels a larger pulse of dopamine (the neurotransmitter responsible for feeling ha
ppiness) than the person receiving the gift! [13].
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10
Have deep, meaningful conversations. A study by a psychologist at the Univer
sity of Arizona has shown that spending less time participating in small talk, a
nd more time in deep, meaningful conversations can increase happiness. [14] So n
ext time you're beating around the bush with a friend, instead cut right to the
chase. You'll be happier for it.
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11
Find happiness in the kind of work you have now: Many people expect the new

job or career to dramatically change their level of happiness. But, research mak
es it clear that your levels of optimism and quality of relationships surpass th
e satisfaction gained from your job.[15]
If you have a positive outlook, you will make the best of any job; and i
f you have good relationships, you won't depend on your job for a sense of meani
ng. You'll find meaning in interactions with the people you care about. You'll u
se your job as a crutch instead of relying on it for meaning.
This is not to say you shouldn't aspire to get a job that will make you
happier; many people find that being on the right career path is a key determina
tion in their overall happiness. It just means you should understand that the ca
pacity of your job to make you happy is quite small when compared to your outloo
k and your relationships.
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12
Smile: Science suggests that when you smile, whether you're happy or not, yo
ur mood is elevated. [16][17] So smile all the time if you can! Smiling is like
a feedback loop: smiling reinforces happiness, just as happiness causes smiling.
People who smile during painful procedures reported less pain than those who ke
pt their facial features neutral.[17]
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13
Forgive: In a study of college students, an attitude of forgiveness contribu
ted to better cardiovascular health. You could say forgiveness literally heals t
he heart. While it is unknown how forgiveness directly affects your heart, the s
tudy suggests that it may lower the perception of stress.[18]
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14
Make friends. In a 2010 study published by Harvard researchers in American S
ociological Review, people who went to church regularly reported greater life sa
tisfaction than those who didn't. The critical factor was the quality of friends
hips made in church. Church-goers who lacked close friends there were no happier
than people who never went to church. When researchers compared people who had
the same number of close friends, those who had close friends from church were m
ore satisfied with their lives.[19]
The difference is the forming of friendships based on mutual interests a
nd beliefs. So if church is not your thing, consider finding something else you'
re deeply passionate about, making friends with those who share similar interest
s.
When you interact with people who share your interests, you feel happier
due to sensations of reward and well-being. This is because during such interac
tions, serotonin and dopamine
neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of happ
iness and relaxation are released into the body. In other words, your body is de
signed to feel happier when engaged in social interactions.[20]