10 Ways to Get Happier

It pays to be happy. Happy people live longer and, by definition, they lead happier lives. They make better decisions and have more fulfilling relationships. They also make more money, being as much a consequence of happiness as a cause.
The psychology of happiness attempts to answer some very fundamental questions pursued over the years by philosophers, theologians, and politicians—specifically, three types of questions.
The first series of questions is really about the definition and measurement of happiness; the second is about why certain groups are as happy or unhappy as they are; and the third concerns what a person should do (or not do) to increase happiness.
The research suggests that happy people have strong immune systems. They tend to be more successful at work and have better personal relationships at the office and outside of it. They are more attractive to others. They seem to like themselves more than unhappy people and to cope better with setbacks. Happy people make better decisions and tend to be more creative. Unhappy people seem to waste time and effort being vigilant for signs of failure. This saps their energy.

There is evidence that subjective well being is partly inherited. Twin studies have shown that just as people inherit a propensity or predisposition for depression, so they do likewise for happiness. But environmental factors inevitably play a part, particularly early family home environments which can mark us for the future. We also know that although people can experience events that cause them extreme happiness or unhappiness in the short term, they tend to return to their normal happiness levels relatively quickly.
It seems that some societies and individuals are simply happier than others. For example, Latin nations seem happier than Pacific Rim nations. Several factors seem to relate to overall national happiness—the wealth, stability and democratic nature of the society in which people live, and the social norms and conventions governing the desirability of experiencing positive and negative emotions. The evidence shows that dire poverty certainly makes people unhappy, but at the other extreme, great wealth has little effect on subjective well-being. Studies also show that the more materialistic an individual, the less happy he or she is.
And the happiest people all seem to have good friends.
So even if you have not inherited a “sunny disposition," or a family fortune, you can become happier. The gurus in this game have made the following observations:

1. Don’t count on money. Wealth is only weakly related to happiness, both within and across nations, particularly when income is above the poverty level. You become no happier after reaching an income of around £40/$50,000 per annum.
2. Don’t count on retail therapy or eating out. Activities that make people happy in small doses—such as shopping or good food—do not lead to fulfillment in the long term, indicating that these have quickly diminishing returns.
3. Get creative and let your juices flow. Engaging in an experience that produces "flow" is really gratifying and happy-making. Flow is experienced when one’s skills are sufficient for a challenging activity, in the pursuit of a clear goal, when immediate self-awareness disappears and sense of time is distorted.
4. Be thankful for what you have, and for what others have done for you. People who express gratitude on a regular basis have better physical health, optimism, well-being, and progress toward goals—and they help others more.
5. Get on with it. Happiness is journey, not a destination. It is a process, not a goal. Trying to maximize personal happiness can lead to unhappiness.
6. Watch the Good Samaritan. (Observe selfless volunteers.) People who witness others perform good deeds experience an emotion called "elevation," which motivates them to perform their own good deeds.
7. Learn to see the glass half full. Optimism can protect people from distress. Optimism is self-fulfilling—as is pessimism. Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you are right.
8. Start early. People who report more positive emotions in young adulthood live longer and healthier lives.
9. Take the knocks. Healthy human development can take place under conditions of even great adversity due to a resilience that is common and completely ordinary.
10. Scribble away your woes. Individuals who write about traumatic events are physically healthier than control groups who do not. Writing about life goals is significantly less distressing than writing about trauma, and is associated with enhanced well-being.

Should happiness be a competency at work? Should employers seek out inspiring, spirit-lifting, life-enhancing types, and reject gloom-mongering heart-sinkers? Is happiness easy to fake at an interview? Probably. But ask a referee to rate a person’s base level of happiness and they will have no problem doing so accurately.