Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Happy

It is a holiday season and new year is upon us, holidays are not quit an easy time of the year, many of us are missing their loved ones out there while others are fighting with mental illness that stands in the way of happiness. So this year we explore some scientifically proven ways so that we all can become happier and less stressed. Now that’s a New Year’s resolution of worth trying.

Below we’ve discussed some scientifically proven ways to be happy for you.

1. Help other people around:

Anyone around you who has been suffered from bouts of sadness knows well what it is like to be told to try harder and harder. This is a frustrating advice, especially when it comes from someone who does not understand what you are going through with. It is not good to tell somebody to “get over with” when they are not able to shake the blues. Whether that person has suffered from clinical depression or mourning the loss of beloved one, surely there are countless reasons why it is difficult to get over that feeling down. Belittling someone’s emotions is not going to help anyone feel any better. Getting over is not be a good option, focus on your own feelings and just tries to be a happier person could really elevate you mood.

According to research just trying to be a happier person improves your sense of well being. In the research volunteers were instructed to listen to uplifting music. One group was told to feel happy while listening to the music and other group was told to just listen to the music. The group that actively attempted to feel happier felt significantly more positive than the other group after the experiment. In other study, one group was told to listen and focus on happy music while in the meantime a second group was told to listen to happy music but to focus on improving their mood. The participants who were told to focus on their own happiness reported the highest feelings of positivity after the experiment ended. The researchers concluded that concentrating on being happy led to happy results.

2. Unplug from the social media:

In today’s global village world people are spending more and more time ever on the social media and the cell phones. A study shows that people are fiddling with their cell phones all over the day are more likely to be suffered from a psychological problems like stress, depression and sleep deficiency issues. It wasn’t like looking at screens that caused problems; stress was the product of being constantly using it. People reported feeling obsessed with because they felt like it was their responsibility to respond to their calls and messages right away.

Not only adults who are suffering from the negative effects of constant use of electronic devices, but our children are at risk of depression and anxiety. They spend too much time watching TV shows, playing video games on game consoles or even looking at their parent’s cell phones. Those health issues are been found to be the most significant when children spend hours on these electronic devices, although effects start showing when children clock more than two hours looking at electronic screens.

So the solution! Well Switch it off for some hours in your daily routine. It is very important to deliberately disconnect, especially when you are cooking a meal, driving a car and eating with your family members (that is a recommended time to disconnect). Cutting off from social media, responding immediately to texts, and answering emails can bring about big changes for your health. Some of the positive things that come from cut off include improved sleep patterns, better productivity, and a much higher self-esteem.

3. Go Outside:

From sun burn to skin cancer and immune system problems we all know that spending a lot of time in the sun is bad for your health, especially obsessive tanning in not a good idea. The fear of ultra violet exposure with increased use of technology, forced us to be locked inside our houses. Instead of proper knowledge of sun at times of peak ultra violet radiation, what we are doing is, we have opted out the direct sunlight.

The WHO (World Health Organization) has suggested that more diseases can be result of not enough sunlight than too much. Major health benefits come from the production of vitamin D, which our skin produces when it is in contact with UVB radiation of sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency is related with a plethora of mental and physical problems and according to research, vitamin D supplements are not enough to replace natural sunlight. Just about 10–15 minutes of direct sunlight, without sunglasses, produces health benefits.

4. Meditate:

A 2005 study by the The National Center for Biotechnology Information showed how the practicing meditation actually changes your brain’s structure (in a good way). In this study, participants who meditated had a stronger and thicker cortex (the part of the brain that processes emotions, attention and sensory awareness) than those who did not meditate at all. The more they meditated, the thicker the cortex grew. Pretty mind-blowing.

Meditation also boosts your social life. Strange, right? Even if you may meditate solo, studies have shown how meditation can make you more compassionate, decrease loneliness and increase social connection.

Meditation might not be a quick fix, but it is one of the most effective and long term ways to become a happier person. It does not make it easier to be happy; it alters your genetic expression too. Researchers studied two groups of people to observe the effects of meditation on a molecular level. One group was instructed to spend a day being calm and relaxed, while the second group was comprised of skilled mediators’ who were instructed to spend a day engaged in mindful meditation.

5. Spend money on loved ones:

It is the season of giving to people you love. If you keep that mantra all year round, you are most likely to be happier than those who do not give to others. According to researchers from the University of British Columbia and Harvard University, money can buy happiness—but only when you are buying things for your loved ones. The researchers found that households who had yearly incomes of less than $50,000 were less happy than people who earned between $50,000 and $75,000, but a bigger factor for happiness than income was giving to others. Money only affects happiness to a certain degree and only if spent right.

It isn’t all about money, either—daily acts of kindness and altruism can promote happiness and higher overall life satisfaction. In a study published in The Journal of Social Psychology, three groups of people were given different tasks. Every day for 10 days, one group was required to perform one act of altruism, another had to try something new, and the third group was told to live as they normally would. The first two groups reported higher levels of happiness after the 10-day period, suggesting that new activities and acts of giving can significantly improve our satisfaction in life.