Positive psychologists Sheldon, Lyubomirsky and Shotti have created a happiness formula that identifies three categories that make up our general happiness:
- 50% – your genetic set point. This is the capacity for happiness that you are born with.
- 10% – the conditions of your life. These are both the things you can change and things you cannot, including your environment, where you live and work, your marriage status, your job, your health and wealth.
- 40% – your voluntary activities. This includes everything you choose to do for pleasure, both immediate and long term.
Perhaps surprisingly you will see that your living conditions hold the least amount of effect on your happiness. Having money or not, good health or not, have far less effect on how happy you are than those things you can choose voluntarily. And, on the other hand, you’ll see that you have control over the 40%.
So in this blog I’ll share 5 strategies with you to manage the 40%, so you can boost your happiness!
- 1. Be Open and Curious
Remember if you think the worst is going to happen it is likely that it will! Embrace a growth mindset which is open and curious. Being open to new (and old) experiences and open to continuous learning. This will have a great effect on every aspect of your happiness and well-being.
2. Be Grateful and Appreciate What You Have
Understanding what you are grateful for is probably one of the most important ways to increase your day-to-day pleasure and happiness. Of all the findings in positive psychology, the effect of gratitude is immense, for example, research by Emmons and McCullough concluded that writing on a weekly or daily basis about the things you are grateful for can make you healthier, encourage you to exercise, helps towards achieving personal goals and will make you more optimistic.
3. Be Kind
You can increase your positive emotion and well-being by increasing your sense of kindness. All random acts of kindness are a real boost to happiness.
4. Spend Time With Other People
Being with other people is one of the greatest sources of happiness and immediate pleasure. Consider how much time you spend with friends and family? How can you make real effort to continue to develop these relationships?
5. Be Authentic
Research shows us that when people are authentic and themselves they are happy and they are happiest when they are able to be all that they are. Be aware of the qualities you want in their life, develop your self-awareness on who you are and who you want to be. Discover who you are at your best and at your happiest. How can you bring more of these qualities and moments into you life?
Source: C Style.
I suggest you work through the 5 happiness boosters and try out a different one for a month. And then you can reflect on their impact upon your sense of happiness.
Contact me if you want to know more.