The Science of Happiness

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Back in July (I know that feels like years ago now), I did a blog about making yourself happy and being kind to yourself. That article focused on the physical and emotional facts behind what makes us happy as humans. I have been thinking about this topic a lot recently and have been doing extensive research into why we are happy, and when things go wrong how we can use positive thoughts and experiences to change this around. When people say the word ' happy' or 'happiness' they often think purely about the emotional aspect and having a smile on their faces, but there is far more to it than that. Our emotions are funny things that are constantly changing. Understanding why we feel certain emotions, however, is what science is all about.

Finding satisfaction and contentment is a continual process. Psychologists have now identified many of the tenets that help individuals along that journey.

Happiness incorporates curiosity, and the ability to tolerate risk and anxiety to discover new passions and facets of identity. It involves a balance between momentary pleasure and longer-term striving toward goals. It is abetted by friends and family who can both celebrate accomplishments and provide support after failures. Happiness includes the ability to acknowledge and embrace every emotion, even the unpleasant ones. It involves seeing the big picture, rather than getting stuck in the details. Overall, being happy is to live with mindfulness, meaning, and purpose. 

The key to lifelong happiness is taking time to cultivate small tweaks on a regular basis. Incorporating habits into your daily life such as keeping a gratitude journal, practicing kindness, nurturing optimism, learning to forgive, investing in relationships, finding flow activities, avoiding overthinking, savouring life’s joys, and committing to goals can make happiness a permanent fixture.

People often want to avoid difficult emotions, so they reach for quick fixes like tasty treats or luxurious purchases. Those indulgences provide happiness, but only momentarily. Yet pinning all hopes of happiness on milestones like getting married, gaining fame, or becoming wealthy is also misleading. Lasting happiness occurs when we invest in meaningful goals, relationships, and values and develop skills to overcome distress.

Positive psychology is a school of thought devoted to understanding what leads people and communities to flourish. Five agreed-upon factors boost well-being: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Beyond those overarching principles, specific models and concepts have emerged as well.

I would like to give credit and thanks to Psychology Today for allowing me to use reference to their article on this topic. 

Connor
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