WASHINGTON — We spend our lives spending untold amounts of money and time chasing after the elusive goal of happiness. The quest for happiness goes back to Plato and Aristotle, and the great theologians have sought this prescription for thousands of years.
A large body of research shows that happiness makes you healthy, including a study by Laura Kubzansky, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Kubzansky has collated over 200 studies that show the relationship between happiness and health outcomes. Kubzansky found a connection between happiness and changes in health such as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure and lower levels of inflammation.
Many of us think happiness is inextricably linked to wealth and status. In the modern culture, we tend to think we can find happiness “out there” — at the mall, in the gym, or in a bottle in our medicine cabinet. All we need is a thinner body, a better job, a new spouse or more successful children.
Here are 10 tips on how to live a truly happier life:
- Attitude of Gratitude: It is physiologically impossible to be grateful and experience stress at the same time. Research shows grateful individuals report having more energy and less physical complaints than their non-grateful counterparts.
- Choice: Every moment of your life is a choice, and every choice you make has a huge ripple effect. If you choose to commit to practicing happiness and optimism, you can transform your life.
- Proactive: Don’t be the victim of your life by constantly responding to other people and their lives. Create a plan with your deepest passion at the core and live in a proactive manner. You can become the hero of your life, not the victim.
- Smile: Begin the practice of intentionally smiling. A scientist studying facial expressions tells us that when a person has a smile on their face, they release more serotonin and endorphins than non-smilers. Begin a practice of smiling to shift any situation into an optimistic opportunity. Smiling is a powerful way of turning on your body’s relaxation system. Smiling is a discipline. Smile first and the emotion will follow.
- Laugh as often as possible to release the healing hormones endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers. Try renting a funny movie, or go online to a humorous site daily and share it with your co-workers. Laughter lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones and boosts your immune function.
- Play; re-establish “childlike” qualities: Scientists tell us that playing increases your body’s immune cells that combat disease. Playfulness also increases your creativity and optimism at home and at work.
- Health: When you care for your body, you create greater possibilities for happiness. Your body is your greatest asset, so please care for it tenderly.
- Spirituality: The vast majority of happy people have developed spiritual practices that nourish their heart and soul. Discover what brings your soul passion, love and fulfillment.
- Altruism and Philanthropy: A generous soul lives a rich, abundant life. Altruism neutralizes negative emotions that affect immune, endocrine and cardiovascular function. Altruism creates a physiological response – a “helper’s high” — that makes people feel stronger and more energetic and counters harmful effects of stress.
- Forgiveness: Happy people know forgiveness sets the soul free. A famous person said, “Living with resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to get sick.” Open your heart to the gift of happiness by letting go of pain, judgment, anger and resentment.
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