Studies have been conducted on how one can easily obtain happiness. Ranging from exercise, spiritual engagement, doing what one loves most and faking it to get it.
There abound some seemingly random activities just like shortcuts to happiness that you never considered to be worthwhile. Though happiness tend to be an elusive thing, yet some scientifically proven facts about happiness have just exposed the secrets.
Happiness gets easier as you age.
According to a 2005 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, those in the ages of 20-24 are sad for 3.4 days per month. While those aged between 65-74 are sad only 2.3 days per month.
Thinking About Death
Whenever people are reminded of how mortal they are, they tend to be better people by making their short time and privilege they have in the world more positive and valuable. Though we all know that our existence in this world is just temporal, but i do agree with this report, no one find it fun to think about death.
In an experiment published on sciencedaily, researchers had two groups of people; one walking beside a cemetery and another walking a block away. Researcher would accidentally drop a notebook while passing by the two groups, right in front of them. It was noted that, those in the group closer to the graveyard were more likely to help the researcher pick up the notebook. The researcher said the reason for this was that, the graveyard made them think about death and the necessity for them to do charity while they still could.
Happiness has a distinctive smell.
Research on body odour have proven your scent changes between when you are stressed or happy.
Your Sweat can spread Happiness – Study finds
You can retrain your brain to be happy
Happiness can be reprogrammed in our brains, as explained in positive psychology and advocated by Shawn Achor:
The problem is that the brain is like a single processor in a computer. It only has a finite amount of resources for experience in the world, which means that that person that walks into the room is using the majority of the resources to scan for the things which cause them to feel more negative, to make them feel more unhappy.
He cited a study where pessimists were compelled in the morning for 21 days to write down three things they are grateful for. This changed the pessimists’ thoughts to positive ones.
Doing Chores
Some prefer giving out houseworks like washing plates, cleaning the room to helpers. However, researchers say you are hurting yourself because you are on the wrong step.
A particular study involving 30,000 people from 34 countries show that men’s happiness is proportional to the amount of housework they do i.e. the active they are in chores, the happier they become. Since they are more supportive of gender equality, they feel guilty whenever they sight their wives doing chores by themselves. But, feel more contented if they could take charge and do the chores.
