Unapologetically Marie

Writer, podcaster, mental health advocate

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Finding Happiness and Resiliency

Finding happiness and resiliency is about having balance across three areas in your life: community & connection; health & wellbeing; and meaning & purpose.

How to change your mindset with this simple Best Possible Self exercise

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What is the Best Possible Self Exercise? 

When I first started exploring the world of positive psychology, I admit I was a huge cynic. I didn’t understand the science behind the bright t-shirt slogans that yelled “Choose Happiness!” and I railed against ‘toxic positivity’ and perceived band aid solutions to deep mental health issues.  

Years later, after interviewing dozens of global experts and reading countless peer-reviewed research articles, after studying and gaining certifications, and after podcasting and writing on the topic of happiness every week, I admit there are some topics that still make me sceptical. Granted, the list is quite short now, and although these truly are scientifically proven to increase life satisfaction, when it comes to meditation, mindset exercises and positive affirmations, they’re just not for me.  

Having said that, as an author and blogger, I cannot deny the power of writing or journaling. Writing helped me to not only recover from depression and trauma. It also helped me discover the power of positive psychology and a love of life. That’s why I’m happy to be exploring the Best Possible Self exercise this week, one of the most widely used Positive Psychology Interventions – even though it really boils down to being a mindset exercise but in long-form writing. But as with all topics on this site, it is science-backed and has been proven to help people be more optimistic and achieve a happier, healthier life. So, read on! 

What’s the Science? 

Time and time again, the personality trait of optimism has been shown to increase wellbeing, leading to greater physical wellbeing and even longevity. Optimists are happy people, who look forward to the future, and believe things will work out. That’s not to say that bad things don’t happen to them or that they don’t feel the appropriate negative feelings – like sadness, frustration or anger – because that is a natural and healthy response when things go wrong. Instead, optimists have a level of resilience that allows them to work through their feelings and move forward quickly. 

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon 

So, if optimism has so many benefits, then wouldn’t it be great if you could learn it? Well, you can. All it takes is the Best Possible Self exercise, which many researchers have studied and determined it can positively impact people’s mindset and increase optimism – leading to higher levels of mental and physical wellbeing. 

In one study, researchers asked participants to write about their best self across personal, relational, and professional dimensions for five minutes a day, over two weeks. They then measured the effects on optimism and mood after one day, one week and two weeks. The results showed that participants had significantly larger increases in optimism compared to people who simply wrote about daily activities, both after only one session and over two weeks.  

A second study, led by Sonja Lyubomirsky and colleagues, lasted four weeks and played with some factors to see what might detract from or amplify the results. Not surprisingly, the study supported previous research validating that the BPS exercise significantly boosted positive affect and flow. Additionally, they found that there was no difference in results when completing the exercise online versus in-person. However, students who read a testimonial about the benefits of BPS had the best gains in wellbeing compared to those who read neutral information or completed a control task. “The results lend legitimacy to online self-administered happiness-increasing activities and highlight the importance of participants’ beliefs in the efficacy of such activities for optimum results,” said the researchers.  

Convinced? Let’s get started! 

How to do the Best Possible Self Exercise 

Time: 10-15 mins per day for 2 weeks 

What you need: Pen and paper or journal 

This is a simple exercise that can have profound impacts. All you need to do is set aside 10-15 minutes a day for two weeks. Find somewhere quiet or peaceful to sit and write continuously about your imagined best possible future. Let all ideas come freely, don’t sensor anything… even bad grammar or spelling. Let it all out on paper. 

STEP 1: Block some time in your diary or calendar to dedicate to this activity over a 2-week period (or more). Lock it in so it happens! 

STEP 2: Decide how to organise what you want to write about. You can try social, health, academic and career, or personal, relational, and professional, or come up with your own dimensions.  

STEP 3: Sit somewhere quiet and distraction free. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes. 

STEP 4: Write on paper about your realistic best possible future self for each category. Imagine that you are happy and have all you want. You have worked hard, opportunities have presented themselves, and you have taken them. You have achieved all that you imagined possible. Think about the steps that would be needed to get there, and how you would feel making that positive progress. When painting your ideal future, be as specific as you can. Who would be there with you? What would you be doing? How would you do it? What would you see, hear, taste, smell? Be descriptive and imaginative and really put yourself into a day in the life of your best possible future self. 

STEP 5: Repeat the exercise the next day, and the next, and the next. Stick with it for at least 2 weeks.  

Before you go: Final Words of Caution 

Be realistic: You may be tempted to write about a future in which you win the lottery or marry your (already married) high-school sweetheart. Be careful to be realistic about your best possible future self. If you spend too much time wanting something that simply cannot happen, then it can often have negative mental health impacts. 

Focus on the future: Similarly, make sure you stay focused on the future. Another trap is to spend too much time worrying about what you did or didn’t do in the past that will prevent your best possible future self from being realised.   

That’s it. Happy writing! 

Want to make happiness a habit in your life? Simply subscribe to the Happiness for Cynics podcast and my email newsletter for your weekly dose of happiness!   

Want the science? Check out these studies 

King, A. (2001). The health benefits of writing about life goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 798-807.  

Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). What is the optimal way to deliver a positive activity intervention? The case of writing about one’s best possible selves. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(2), 635-654.  

Meevissen, Y., Alberts H., & Peters, M. (2011). Become more optimistic by imagining a best possible self: Effects of a two-week intervention. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 42, 371-378 

Carrillo, A., Rubio-Aparicio, M., Molinari, G., Enrique, Á., Sánchez-Meca, J., & Baños, R. M. (2019). Effects of the Best Possible Self intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 14(9). 

Top Positive Psychology Research in 2021

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The Positive Psychology world suffered two great losses this year, first with Edward Diener who passed away in April and then Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in October. Diener, otherwise known as Dr. Happiness, was recognized as a leader in measuring what he called “subjective well-being.” Csikszentmihalyi was a pioneer in the Positive Psychology space and introduced the concept of flow theory in the 1970’s. These losses were great but the legacies that these two larger than life figures left behind will live on in the Positive Psychology world for years to come. 

In what was a tough year all around, there was still plenty of hope and great research into how to live a happy life, which not only helped many of us to cope with an unprecedented global crisis, but also learn more about ourselves and what’s truly important in life.  

What we Have Learnt from the Pandemic 

COVID-19’s Impact on Mental Health Hasn’t Been All Bad (Psychology Today). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental distress, but it has also strengthened people’s mental health in many ways. New research shows how the crisis has increased mental health through three main processes. 

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Start Over (The Atlantic). It’s time to prepare for a new and better normal than your pre-pandemic life. 

Stumbling into the Next Stage of Your Pandemic Life (Greater Good Magazine). A therapist explores the psychology of coming back from the big pandemic pause. 

How to Make Your Post-Pandemic Happiness Last (GQ). Human happiness is surprisingly resistant to change—even to positive shifts. So as the pandemic wanes in the U.S., is it possible to make these good feelings stay? 

The 9 Silver Linings of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Psychology Today). Researchers found that the average sentiment of participants’ responses was positive when describing the pandemic’s silver linings. The results of the study may help people better heal from this crisis and be better prepared to respond to potential future crises. 

Research Suggests Positive Forward-Thinking Safeguards Mental Health During Lockdowns (Mental Health Today). We all might feel nostalgic for a time when we weren’t confined to our homes or had rules imposed upon us in public spaces; however new research from the University of Surrey suggests that if we forget about 2020 or even our current lockdown state in 2021 and look forward to the future, our mental wellbeing will presently be more resilient. 

Plan to Find Happiness 

Frequent travel could make you 7% happier (Science Daily). People dreaming of travel post-COVID-19 now have some scientific data to support their wanderlust. A new study shows frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all. 

How Trip Planning and Happiness Are Directly Correlated (Psychology Today). Research reveals that planning future travel may boost mood and mindset. 

What Is Transformational Travel? Holidaying With A Purpose Is The New Switching Off (Bazaar). Explore how the power of trips taken with consciousness can emanate positivity, personal growth, and mental wellness for all. 

Be Curious and Learn 

Learning Boosts Happiness, New Study Suggests (Sci News). New research from University College London suggests that how we learn about the world around us can be more important for how we feel than rewards we receive directly. 

Curiosity and Happiness Go Hand in Hand (The Philadelphia Inquirer). As Einstein said: The important thing is to never stop questioning. Research suggests that consistent curiosity goes hand in hand with happiness.  

Happiness can be Learned Through Meditation, Philosophy and Training (Medical Xpress). Is it possible to learn to be happier? Well, it seems it is—at least according to a scientific study coordinated by the University of Trento and carried out in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, now published in Frontiers in Psychology. 

The Wonder Stuff: What I Learned About Happiness from a Month of ‘Awe Walks’ (The Guardian). Feeling down? You need to experience more awe, psychologists say. So, I set off every day to explore my local area, leaving my phone behind. 

Green is Good 

Green Space Around Primary Schools May Improve Students’ Academic Performance (The Conversation). Greenery around primary schools may improve students’ academic performance, while traffic pollution may be detrimental, our study shows.  

Spending Time Outdoors Has a Positive Effect on Our Brains (Neuroscience News). Brain structure and mood improve when people spend time outdoors. This has positive implications for concentration, memory, and overall psychological wellbeing. 

The Built Environment Impacts Our Health and Happiness More Than We Know (Arch Daily). The built environment is directly linked with happiness and well-being, and too often urban environments fail to put people at ease. 

Nature-Based Activities Can Improve Mood and Reduce Anxiety (Neuroscience News). Participating in nature-based activities including exercise, gardening, and conservation, helps improve mood and reduce anxiety for those with mental health problems. 

Birds and Bees ‘Secret Weapons’ to Raising Happiness Levels (Belfast Telegraph). Studies show that increasing people’s connection with nature boosts happiness. 

Embrace your Inner DJ 

20 Surprising, Science-Backed Health Benefits of Music (USA Today). Research suggests that music not only helps us cope with pain — it can also benefit our physical and mental health in numerous other ways. Read on to learn how listening to tunes can ramp up your health. 

The Unsung Secret to Stability and Happiness During The Pandemic (ZDNet). It’s been a hard year, but at least many people have found a reliable way to reduce stress and increase happiness. Netflix is great and exercise is important, but music, it turns out, has made a positive difference in the lives of many during an often-bleak and perpetually uncertain pandemic year. 

Coping With COVID-19 Stress Through Music (Neuroscience News). Study reports people who experienced an increase in negative emotion during lockdown listened to music to relieve feelings of depression, stress, and fear. Those with a more positive state of mind turned to music as a replacement for social interaction. 

Work for Meaning, Purpose and Happiness  

The ‘Great Realization’ has Inspired People to Seek Happiness in Their Jobs and Careers (Forbes). A study of work happiness commissioned by Indeed, the large job aggregation site, and conducted by Forrester, delved into how we feel about our jobs and careers. 

Why Work Is More Than Just a Job (Psychology Today). We have been conditioned to think of work primarily as a source of income. The truth is, our job can have a powerful effect on our psychological well-being. Acknowledging the benefits of work can help us better shape our careers. 

The Great Resignation is Here: How to Find Purpose in The Next Stage of Your Career (Forbes). By now, you’ve likely heard about the Great Resignation. Due to the pandemic, changes in work-life balance, childcare and other factors, an estimated 40% of the global workforce is considering changing jobs in 2021. Anecdotal evidence and data suggest that it has much to do with our values and feeling aligned with our purpose. 

How Self-Determination Can Boost Satisfaction at Work (Psychology Today). Self-Determination Theory provides a framework for understanding changes in work motivation. Motivation often decreases when core psychological needs have not been met. Work structures that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness can facilitate motivation and productivity. 

Get the Best Sleep 

The Organizational Cost of Insufficient Sleep (McKinsey). In an increasingly hyperconnected world, in which many companies now expect their employees to be on call and to answer emails 24/7, sleep is an important organizational topic that requires specific and urgent attention. 

Mindfulness Training Helps Kids Sleep Better (Stanford Medicine). At-risk children gained more than an hour of sleep per night after participating in a mindfulness curriculum at their elementary schools, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found.  

Natural Light May be Key to Improving Mood and Reducing Insomnia (Neuroscience News). More time spent outside in natural light was associated with improved mood, better sleep quality, and ease of waking. 

Laugh! 

How Laughing at Yourself Can Be Good for Your Well-Being (Psychology Today). Laughing at oneself is healthy when it is not motivated by self-demeaning drives. People who engage in excessive self-defeating humour may be trying to hide underlying emotional problems. Self-directed laughter can remind us of our humanness and promote positive interpersonal interactions. 

Laugh more, live better (McKinsey & Company). Naomi Bagdonas and Connor Diemand-Yauman, lecturers at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, hilariously explore the power at the intersection of humour, business, and leadership. It’s no joke. 

Seriously Funny: Humour is a Character Strength (Neuroscience News). Researchers say the use and appreciation of humour is positive for overall wellbeing and psychological health. Humour is observed in all cultures and at all ages. But only in recent decades has experimental psychology respected it as an essential, fundamental human behaviour. 

A Little Laughter Decreases Stress and Improves Productivity (Forbes). Paul Osincup is a positivity strategist and his mission is to create workplace happiness. He does this with his humorous and inspirational style of teaching and speaking. According to Osincup, “Humour is the new mindfulness.” You can actually train your brain to see and experience humour more often. 

Viewing Memes Online Increases Positive Emotions, Helps Cope with Pandemic (Penn State). Viewing memes online may increase positive emotions which can help improve one’s confidence in the ability to cope with life during a pandemic. The recently published study also showed that people who viewed memes with COVID-19-related captions reported lower levels of COVID-related stress than did those who saw a non-COVID caption. 

Share the Love! 

There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing (The New York Times). Research has found that people laugh five times as often when they’re with others as when they’re alone. Peak happiness lies mostly in collective activity. 

Hard Times Make for Stronger Bonds and Greater Happiness: Here’s Why That Matters (Forbes). You’ve heard it before: Going through hard times is one of the things that can create bonds between people. In fact, the more difficult the experience, the more bonding that may occur. And a global pandemic certainly qualifies as a condition for strengthening bonds.  

Getting Beyond Small Talk: People Enjoy Deep Conversations with Strangers (NeuroScience News). People overestimate feelings of awkwardness when talking to strangers and underestimate the enjoyment of deep, meaningful conversations with those we have just met. 

Selflessness and Feeling in Harmony with Others Coincides with Greater Happiness (PsyPost). A study published in the Journal of Individual Differences suggests there’s more to happiness than feeling satisfied with one’s life. The study found that experiencing the self as interdependent coincided with increased happiness through feeling greater harmony with others. 

Why we Missed Hugs (The Conversation). Similar to regular hunger, touch hunger serves as an alert that something important is missing – in this case, the sense of security, intimacy, and care that comes with tactile contact. 

Express Yourself 

Twirl to Happiness: Does Dance Therapy Hold Promise for Treating Anxiety and Depression? (Economic Times). Researchers understand that the majority of our daily communication is nonverbal, and traumatic memories are encoded, or stored, in nonverbal parts of the brain. 

What is it That Makes Baking Such a Soothing, Evocative Pastime? (Happiful). So, what it is that makes baking such an effective mindfulness tool, and how can we harness this to support our mental health? With help from a counsellor, and the people who have explored this connection for themselves, we’re asking the rising question: what happens when you add baking into the wellbeing mix? 

How you Decorate Your Home can Impact your Happiness (Women’s Health). Google partnered with the Arts & Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University to explore the impact of sensory input on our minds and bodies. They designed three different rooms, and participants wore bands to track their physiological responses as they moved through each room. 

Why Doing Something Different Can Boost Well-Being (Psychology Today). A neuroscience-based method to improve happiness. Experiential diversity—going to new or different places and doing different things—can boost well-being, research suggests. 

The Benefits of Texting Your Gratitude (Psychology Today). Research suggests that expressing gratitude by texting may be just as beneficial as an in-person show of appreciation. 

Art for Happiness – How Culture can Keep us Healthy and Sane (Mostly) (Evening Standard). The Wellcome Collection is exploring happiness in its new dual exhibitions, but what role can museums and culture play in maintaining our mental health? 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays

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What Are The 7 Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays? 

One of the things I love about life today is the easy access to inspiring ideas and content. We now have millions of experts, researchers and professionals at our fingertips, publishing content on the internet, just a click away. 

By far, one of the best curators of engaging talks and content is TED, and when it comes to the topic of happiness, they do not disappoint. TED has featured many of the great positive psychology superstars over the years (check out these top 11 positive psychology talks of all time), and they continue to publish new content on happiness from psychologists, journalists and monks among others. 

But like many of these amazing platforms, it’s easy to get drawn down a rabbit hole of random content. That’s why we’re pulled together this list for you – to keep you focused on the best and most recent inspiration, research and knowledge on happiness. So, if you want to start 2022 with a fresh and happy new outlook, these are the top happiness Ted Talks to watch these holidays. 

Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays 

3 Rules for Better Work-Life Balance, Ashley Whillans, 5:07 

Have you answered a work email during an important family event? Or taken a call from your boss while on vacation? According to behavioural scientist and Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, “always-on” work culture is not only ruining our personal well-being — but our work, as well. She shares which bad habits are stopping us from getting what we need out of our free time and three practical steps for setting boundaries that stick.  

What’s your Happiness Score?, Dominic Price, 14:37 

How do you rediscover a happier, more purpose-driven (and less productivity-obsessed) self in the wake of the pandemic? Quiz yourself alongside work futurist Dominic Price as he lays out a simple yet insightful four-part guide to assessing your life in ways that can help you reconnect with what’s really important. 

How to be your best self in times of crisis, Susan David, 45:54 

“Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility,” says psychologist Susan David. In a special virtual conversation, she shares wisdom on how to build resilience, courage and joy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Responding to listeners’ questions from across the globe, she offers ways to talk to your children about their emotions, keep focus during the crisis and help those working on the front lines. 

Helping others makes us happier – but it matters how we do it, Elizabeth Dunn, 14:20 

Research shows that helping others makes us happier. But in her ground-breaking work on generosity and joy, social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn found that there’s a catch: it matters how we help. Learn how we can make a greater impact — and boost our own happiness along the way — if we make one key shift in how we help others. “Let’s stop thinking about giving as just this moral obligation and start thinking of it as a source of pleasure,” Dunn says. 

The lies our culture tells us about what matters – and a better way to live, David Brooks, 14:45 

Our society is in the midst of a social crisis, says op-ed columnist and author David Brooks: we’re trapped in a valley of isolation and fragmentation. How do we find our way out? Based on his travels across the United States — and his meetings with a range of exceptional people known as “weavers” — Brooks lays out his vision for a cultural revolution that empowers us all to lead lives of greater meaning, purpose and joy. 

How to turn off work thoughts during your free time, Guy Winch, 12:20 

Feeling burned out? You may be spending too much time ruminating about your job, says psychologist Guy Winch. Learn how to stop worrying about tomorrow’s tasks or stewing over office tensions with three simple techniques aimed at helping you truly relax and recharge after work. 

This is what makes employees happy at work, Michael C. Bush, 3:59 

There are three billion working people on this planet, and only 40 percent of them report being happy at work. Michael C. Bush shares his insights into what makes workers unhappy — and how companies can benefit their bottom lines by fostering satisfaction. 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

How to Avoid ‘Toxic Positivity’ and Take the Less Direct Route to Happiness

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How to Avoid Toxic Positivity

Brock Bastian, The University of Melbourne and Ashley Humphrey, Federation University Australia

The term “toxic positivity” has received a good deal of attention lately. Coming off the back of the “positivity movement” we are beginning to recognise while feeling happy is a good thing, overemphasising the importance of a positive attitude can backfire, ironically leading to more unhappiness.

Yes, research shows happier people tend to live longer, be healthier and enjoy more successful lives. And “very happy people” have more of these benefits relative to only averagely happy people. But pursued in certain ways, happiness or positivity can become toxic.

Our research, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology and involving almost 500 people, was inspired by these apparently inconsistent findings – pursuing happiness may be both good and bad for our well-being. We aimed to uncover a key ingredient that turns positivity toxic.

Read more: The rise of pop-psychology: can it make your life better, or is it all snake-oil?

Expecting the Best, Feeling Worse

Some studies have shown that when people place a high value on their own happiness it can lead to less happiness, especially in contexts where they most expect to feel happy.

This tendency to expect happiness and then to feel disappointed or to blame oneself for not feeling happy enough, has been linked to greater depressive symptoms and deficits in well-being.

As the line to a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen depicting a patient confessing to his psychologist puts it:

I am very, very happy. But I want to be very, very, very happy, and that is why I’m miserable.

However, researchers have also observed when people prioritise behaviours that maximise the likelihood of their future happiness – rather than attempting to directly increase their levels of happiness “in the moment” – they are more likely to experience improvements (rather than deficits) in their levels of well-being.

This may mean engaging in activities that provide a sense of achievement or purpose, such as volunteering time or completing difficult tasks, or constructing daily routines that support well-being.

This work suggests pursuing happiness indirectly, rather than making it the main focus, could turn our search for positivity from toxic to tonic.

Read more: Coronavirus: tiny moments of pleasure really can help us through this stressful time

Valuing Happiness vs. Prioritising Positivity

We wanted to find out what it was about making happiness a focal goal that backfires.

To gain a better understanding, we measured these two approaches to finding happiness: valuing happiness versus prioritising positivity.

People who valued happiness agreed with statements such as “I am concerned about my happiness even when I feel happy” or “If I don’t feel happy, maybe there is something wrong with me”.

People who prioritised positivity agreed with statements such as “I structure my day to maximise my happiness” or “I look for and nurture my positive emotions”.

We also included a measure of the extent to which people feel uncomfortable with their negative emotional experiences. To do this, we asked for responses to statements like: “I see myself as failing in life when feeling depressed or anxious” or “I like myself less when I feel depressed or anxious”.

People who expected to feel happy (scoring high on valuing happiness), also tended to see their negative emotional states as a sign of failure in life and lacked acceptance of these emotional experiences. This discomfort with negative emotions partly explained why they had lower levels of well-being.

On the other hand, people who pursued happiness indirectly (scoring high on prioritising positivity), did not see their negative emotional states this way. They were more accepting of low feelings and did not see them as a sign they were failing in life.

What this shows is when people believe they need to maintain high levels of positivity or happiness all the time to make their lives worthwhile, or to be valued by others, they react poorly to their negative emotions. They struggle with these feelings or try to avoid them, rather than accept them as a normal part of life.

Pursuing happiness indirectly does not lead to this same reaction. Feeling down or stressed is not inconsistent with finding happiness.

Read more: Here comes the sun: how the weather affects our mood

What Makes Positivity Toxic?

So, it appears the key ingredient in toxic positivity is not positivity itself, after all. Rather, it is how a person’s attitude to happiness leads them to respond to negative experiences in life.

The prospect of experiencing pain, failure, loss, or disappointment in life is unavoidable. There are times we are going to feel depressed, anxious, fearful, or lonely. This is a fact. What matters is how we respond to these experiences. Do we lean into them and accept them for what they are, or do we try to avoid and escape from them?

Read more: Why bad moods are good for you: the surprising benefits of sadness

If we are aiming to be happy all the time then we might feel tough times are interrupting our goal. But if we simply put a priority on positivity, we are less concerned by these feelings – we see them as an ingredient in the good life and part of the overall journey.

Rather than always trying to “turn a frown upside down”, we are more willing to sit with our low or uncomfortable emotions and understand that doing so will, in the long run, make us happy.

Learning to respond rather than react to these emotions is a key enabler of our happiness.

Our reaction to discomfort is often to get away and to reduce the pain. This might mean we employ ineffective emotion regulation strategies such as avoiding or suppressing unpleasant feelings.

If we do, we fail to engage with the insights an unpleasant experiences bring. Responding well to these experiences means getting “discomfortable” – being comfortable with our discomfort. Then we can be willing to feel what we feel and get curious about why those feeling are there. Taking this response allows us to increase our understanding, see our choices, and make better decisions.

As the saying goes: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional”.

Brock Bastian, Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne and Ashley Humphrey, Lecturer in Psychology, Federation University Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources! 

Volunteering and Happiness: Why Volunteering is The Superfood of The Positive Psychology Movement

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International Volunteer Day takes place every year on 5 December. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and thank people all around the world who dedicate their precious time and efforts to voluntary service. It’s also a great opportunity to remind you that volunteering can have a huge impact on your happiness levels! 

What’s the Link Between Volunteering and Happiness? 

Volunteering is like the superfood of the positive psychology world. According to Dr Dawn Carr, author of 5 reasons why you should volunteer, volunteering has been shown to: 

  • Connect you to others 
  • Be good for your mind and body
  • Advance your career 
  • Bring meaning and fulfilment to your life 
  • Be good for society (of course!) 

Not only that but finding the right volunteering activity can also give you the benefits of other proven positive psychology activities such as finding purpose, being social, being generous and practicing kindness – which have all been shown to also improve mood, mental wellbeing, resilience, physical health and even longevity. 

Not convinced? Let’s dig a little deeper into what’s going on and how you can use volunteering to achieve a happier, healthier life. Read on! 

4 Ways Volunteering Make us Happier 

Does volunteering make us happy? The answer is a resounding yes!  

Volunteers have greater levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological wellbeing than those who don’t volunteer. Here’s how: 

1. It Connects you with Other People 

Volunteering is arguably the best way to engage with your community. Making friends takes time but getting involved in an activity with other people gives you a reason to keep coming back each week while relationships deepen. Whether strengthening old bonds or meeting new people, working together over a shared interests connects you to people and that boosts overall happiness. 

In fact, economists Stephan Meier & Alois Stutzer released a study in 2004 which concluded that, “volunteering constitutes one of the most important pro-social activities and helping others is the way to higher individual wellbeing.” They found robust evidence that volunteers are more satisfied with their life than non-volunteers.  

Are you shy? Want to meet new people but hate walking into networking events alone? Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and work on your social skills in an environment with little pressure. Don’t know what to say to your new contacts? Simple. You can just focus on the task at hand until you get to know everyone a bit better. After some time, progressing to drinks at the pub or dinner after work will seem natural.  

2. It’s Great for Your Mental Health 

If volunteering keeps people connected, then it stands to reason that volunteering – and the relationships it fosters – can also help to improve mental health by combatting loneliness and depression. Having good friends and strong social contacts are buffers against depression – allowing people to talk through issues and problems before they become overwhelming.   

Not only that, but our brains are wired for social connection, so whenever we help others our brain releases pleasure hormones– further strengthening our mental health. Those meaningful connections can also lead to more empathy, which lead to more stress relief and help combat depression. Research from the UK found that volunteering was associated with a positive change in mental wellbeing, showing that people who volunteer become happier over time and those who volunteer more attract greater benefits from the experience. According to a Harvard study, volunteering at least once a week yields improvements to wellbeing equivalent to your annual salary doubling! 

Additionally, being helpful stimulates pleasure for the giver. Similar to when we experience awe, volunteering takes your focus away from self-reflection and helps to stimulate contentment and inspiration. In the Journal of Happiness Studies, researchers Douglas A. Gentile, Dawn M. Sweet and Lanmiao He found that doing good deeds through acts of charity or volunteer work can make you feel better and happier. They also found that simply wishing someone well can have a similarly positive effect on our moods. In fact, even witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, which aids in lowering blood pressure, and improves self-esteem, optimism and our overall heart-health. 

A 2018 study on workers in a Spanish Company saw those giving out acts of kindness were even happier and more content than those who received the acts. “Our results reveal that practicing everyday pro-sociality is both emotionally reinforcing and contagious inspiring kindness and generating hedonic rewards in others,” said researchers, J. Chancellor, S. Margolis, K, Jacobs Bao, S. Lyubomirsky in the American Psychological Association Journal. 

3. It’s Great for Your Physical Health  

As many of us have noticed over the past few years, just getting out of the house is important for meeting the minimum movement levels we need to maintain a basic level of physical fitness…. Yet sometimes it’s just easier to sit on the couch. Having something to do and get us out of the house – such as a regular volunteering commitment – is a great way to ensure you get some movement into your days. 

We know that getting more movement and exercise into our daily lives helps to combat a raft of diseases and conditions. Movement, and volunteering in general, has also been shown help lessens symptoms of chronic pain and reduces risk of heart disease. For retirees, the results of regular volunteering are even more pronounced, with studies showing regular volunteering yields improvements in blood pressure and chronic pain, and reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.  

In 2017, researchers looked at data on volunteering, employment and health of more than 40,000 European citizens. They found that volunteers are as healthy as non-volunteers who are five years younger. The researchers controlled for other determinants of health (gender, age, education level, migrant status, religiosity and country of origin) and found that volunteers were still in substantially better health than non-volunteers.  

Although the researchers found that increases in health could be partly explained by higher income among volunteers (which could be explained by the benefits of volunteering on job prospects), they note that the direct association between volunteering and health was so highly statistically significant that it ruled out association by coincidence. Volunteering conclusively and positively impact our health. 

“Firstly, volunteering may improve access to psychological resources (such as self-esteem and self-efficacy) and social resources (such as social integration and access to support and information), both of which are found to have an overall positive effect on health,” said professor Sara Willems. “Secondly, volunteering increases physical and cognitive activity, which protects against functional decline and dementia in old age. Finally, neuroscience research has related volunteering to the release of the caregiving-related hormones oxytocin and progesterone, which have the capacity to regulate stress and inflammation.” 

4. It Can Help Your Career  

Want to switch careers or industries, or build new skills for your next promotion? Think of volunteering as an unpaid internship, with all the benefits of gaining valuable skills while only working when it suits you. There are many organisations that will take eager, hard workers with little to no experience, or which are willing to take a bet on a worker who brings transferable skills from a different industry.  

Volunteering in a busy environment can enhance your problem-solving and communication skills. This can prepare you for a more demanding career or give you a glimpse of the realities of different role before you take the plunge. 

Volunteering can help you earn more experience and direct job skills that are relevant to the career you want to pursue. In fact, some volunteering opportunities are designed to offer intensive training to volunteers. In some cases, if you show determination and consistent results, you might earn a referral or a direct job posting. If you are an active job seeker, volunteering can add that much-needed weight to your CV. Finally, it helps you make connections and meet more people in the same field. This exposure increases your chances of finding a mentor who can shape your career faster or a potential new boss. Career fulfillment is a huge source of meaning, purpose and life satisfaction – especially in the modern competitive job market – so any attempts to bring you closer to a job you’re passionate about are well worth the effort! 

Finally, the research showed that volunteers have a higher incomes. According to professor Stijn Baert: “This finding corroborates with previous research showing that volunteering activities on one’s CV yield higher employment opportunities, especially for non-natives.” 

Volunteer Opportunities 

It’s clear that volunteering involves more than meets the eye. All of the benefits discussed here culminate in an increased level of happiness in oneself and more satisfaction in life. So, how do you get started? 

If you’re already working for a large corporate, many of them have partnerships where you can donate your time and skills. Otherwise, just get onto Google. There are many organisations and charities that are often on the lookout for volunteers. Why not look for opportunities to: 

  • Mentor someone 
  • Donate blood 
  • Get involved in a charity day at your work such as Australia’s biggest morning tea or join in a fundraising walk or cycle, or grow a mo for Movember 
  • Find an organisation you believe in or support and offer your time and skills on a regular and recurring basis 

If you’re in Australia, check out your state-based organisation or NSW Volunteering for more ideas and active volunteer jobs listings. Or you can try my latest favourite organisation: The Australian Resilience Corps. 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

How To Live a Happy Life – The Harvard Study That Started it All

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How to Live a Happy Life

The Benefits of Social Bonds For a Happy Life 

Like any scientific field, positive psychology has a raft of research and many competing voices. Yet, if there’s one thing nearly all of the scientific community agrees on, it’s that community and connection are critical elements of good mental health. The one, sure-fire way to bolster and boost your happiness is with strong relationships with friends and family.  

Studies show that social people are more happy, and happy people are also more social. The happiest people have a core group of people they can talk to and tend to have a wide community network, through activities like church or regular volunteering.  

Their close friends and family help to amplify the mental health benefits of happy times – celebrating and cheering them on when things are going well. On the flip side, happy people can depend on their friends and family when things get tough. Close friends and family provide a shoulder to cry on, and they’ll will pick you up and push you forward when you get stuck and when life gets you down.  

We know all this thanks to many, many studies. There’s this study, which showed that social engagement and connectedness may simply be the single most powerful factors for cognitive performance in old age. There’s also this 2019 study by Harvard Medical School, which revealed that people who have close social connections, have reduced levels of Cortisol (stress hormone). 

But if you want to understand the importance of building deep connections with others to your health and wellbeing, there’s one definitive study that started them all: The Harvard Study of Adult Development.  

Related reading: How To Make Friends As An Adult 

The Study That Started Them All: The Harvard Study of Adult Development 

The Study of Adult Development is a longitudinal study which aims to identify the psychosocial predictors of healthy aging. This ongoing Harvard study is considered one of the world’s longest studies of adult life – starting in 1938 during the Great Depression. 

Over that time, researchers have followed the lives of two groups of men: the Grant Study includes 268 Harvard graduates from the classes of 1939-1944 and the Glueck Study includes 456 men who grew up in the inner-city neighborhoods of Boston. 

Over more than 80 years, researchers have tracked the lives of these 724 men, following up with each one annually to ask about their work, home lives and health. Researchers sent out questionnaires, conducted in-person interviews, collected medical records from their doctors, drew blood, and scanned brains and more. These mental and physical health and social variables helped reporters understand how these factors could predict health and wellbeing in late life.  

With such a raft of information, researchers have been able to publish findings on dozens of topics, including what aspects of childhood and adult experience predict the quality of intimate relationships in late life, and how late life marriage is linked with health and wellbeing, such as these recently published papers.  

In 2015, about 60 of the original 724 men were still alive and participating in the study, most of them in their 90s. And the study had begun a new phase, called the Second Generation Study, in which researchers began studying more than 2,000 children of the original participants. 

Related reading: Are Strong Friendships the Answer to Your Covid Woes? 

What One of The World’s Longest Studies Tells us About Living a Happy Life 

So, what have we learned from this study?  

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, perhaps the most important lessons we’ve learned from this epic, ground-breaking study is that wellbeing and happiness are intricately and strongly linked to friendships, social connection and love. 

Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School, is the fourth and current director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” Waldinger said in The Harvard Gazette in 2017. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.” 

The study has shown that the people who fared the best were the people who leaned into relationships, with family, with friends, with community. “It turns out that people who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community are happier – they’re physically healthier and they live longer than people who are less well connected” said Waldinger in his widely popular 2015 Ted Talk. “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”  

On the flip side, people who are lonely or more isolated than they want to be from people are less happy and their as they reach middle age, their health declines and they end up leading shorter lives.  

In the end, it’s the quality of close friendships and relationships that mattered. When looking at the data over time, the researchers wanted to see if they could predict who would make it to their eighties and be happy.  

“When we gathered together everything we knew about them at age 50, it wasn’t their middle age cholesterol levels that predicted how they were going to grow old. It was how satisfied they were in their relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80,” said Waldinger. “And good, close relationships seem to buffer us from some of the slings and arrows of getting old. Our most happily partnered men and women reported, in their 80s, that on the days when they had more physical pain, their mood stayed just as happy. But the people who were in unhappy relationships, on the days when they reported more physical pain, it was magnified by more emotional pain.” 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!   

How to Live a Psychologically Rich Life

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How to Live a Psychologically Rich Life

What is a Psychologically Rich Life?

We talk a lot about happiness and how to achieve it on this site, but if there is one thing I have learned in my exploration of happiness, it’s that achieving happiness is extremely subjective. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else. But, the journey of finding what works can be more fun, bring more joy and lead to greater self-discovery than finding the right happiness habits on day one. 

So, I always love finding a new theory or way of looking at the pursuit of happiness, and this week I discovered the work of University of Virginia psychologist, Shigehiro Oishi, who defines happiness and wellbeing as a ‘psychologically rich life.’  

According to Oishi, a psychologically rich life is characterised by variety, depth, and interest. It is a life without boredom, and full of novel experiences. As someone who gets bored far too easily, this kind of happiness appeals to me! 

What’s interesting about this theory is that ‘novel’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘pleasant’ experiences. In fact, the research shows that experiencing things that push our limits or push us out of our comfort zone can be extremely beneficial to our mental health, often resulting in great feelings of accomplishment, gratitude or personal growth.  

Recent research into understanding good stress verses bad stress back up this idea. For example, University of Rochester psychologists found that re-evaluating how you perceive stress can positively impact your mental health, general wellbeing, and success. Their study, which was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that training students to treat their stress response as a useful tool helped them to reduce anxiety. The shift in perception also helped them get better marks on tests, procrastinate less, stay enrolled in classes, and respond to academic challenges in a healthier way. The study builds on his earlier research on optimising stress responses. 

Psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman agrees. “The psychologically rich life is full of complex mental engagement, a wide range of intense and deep emotions, and diverse, novel, surprising and interesting experiences. Sometimes the experiences are pleasant, sometimes they are meaningful, and sometimes they are neither pleasant nor meaningful. However, they are rarely boring or monotonous,” says Kaufman, who describes himself as a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist exploring the mind, creativity, and the depths of human potential. 

“Recent research on psychological richness has found that it is related to, but partially distinct from, both happy and meaningful lives. Psychological richness is much more strongly correlated with curiosity, openness to experience and experiencing both positive and negative emotions more intensely,” says Kaufman in a recent article the Scientific American. 

Dr Kaufman talks about the psychologically rich life as including: 

  • Deep emotions 
  • Diverse experiences 
  • Novel experiences 
  • Surprising experiences, and 
  • Interesting experiences. 

So how do you know if you’re living a psychologically rich life or just a ho-hum, comfortable life? Well, Oishi has a simple test for that. 

Take the Test! Are you living a Psychologically Rich Life? 

In their research, Oishi’s team poses questions to measure a person’s level of psychological richness, or propensity toward novel experiences. So, if you’re up for it, it’s time to do some soul-searching and see how you rate the below statements. Grab a pen and paper and write down the answers on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) and see how you go. What you do with your final score is up to you. 

  • I have had a lot of novel experiences. 
  • My life has been full of unique, unusual experiences. 
  • My life consists of rich, intense moments. 
  • I experience a full range of emotions via first-hand experiences such as travel and attending concerts. 
  • I have a lot of personal stories to tell others. 
  • On my deathbed, I am likely to say ‘‘I had an interesting life.” 
  • On my deathbed, I am likely to say ‘‘I have seen and learned a lot.” 

How to Live a more Psychologically Rich Life 

If your above answers leave a little to be desired, there is so much you can do to get your life back on track. Here are three ways to challenge yourself that are also proven to positively impact your mental health. 

  1. Travel somewhere new: People dreaming of travel post-COVID-19 now have some scientific data to support their wanderlust. A new study shows frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all. 
  1. Do an online course: A study found that participants in online psychology courses saw increases in well-being from their baseline measures. If these classes have long-term benefits, they could become reliable public health interventions. 
  1. Find Your Purpose or Pleasure: (Psychology Today). Some argue that a sense of purpose is the key to healthy aging; others maintain that fun is more important. Research bolsters the idea that purpose is highly beneficial as we age, but some research also points to pleasure as essential for healthy mood. Creatively combining pleasure and purpose in these 7 ways might yield the best results. 

If none of those ideas takes your fancy, then take a look at this fab article I found called “30 fun things to do if your summer holiday has been cancelled” for some inspiration for fun things to do.   

Please note that I get a small commission if you buy something from my site. Your support helps to keep this site going at no additional cost to you. Thanks!

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

Coronavirus: Tiny Moments of Pleasure Really can Help us Through this Stressful Time

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Desirée Kozlowski, Southern Cross University

If I told you that last night I built a blanket fort in the living room, crawled inside with my cat, a glass of wine and my just-arrived copy of the New Yorker, would you think less of me?

After all, we’re in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic. Borders are closing, people are sick, dying, losing their jobs, and locked in isolation. And there was I, playing – as though I didn’t have a care in the world.

Meanwhile, you might be reading this holed up at home, screaming with fury at those bloody hoarders. Or perhaps you’re on a train valiantly trying to keep 1.5 metres away from the next person, shrinking back as they cough and splutter.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you think about the pandemic, the economy, or your compatriots, a tiny part of you knows you could do with a bit of pleasure right now.

Read more: What is hedonism and how does it affect your health?

The Effects of Sustained Stress

When we’re first exposed to something stressful, like a deadly new disease, our body reacts with a cascade of small changes such as releasing adrenaline and other chemicals, and activating brain regions related to fear and anger.

In many cases those changes make it more likely we’ll meet the challenges we face.

But if the stressful conditions continue, and especially if we feel powerless to fix the situation, the consequences of the stress response increase.

Read more: Coronavirus is stressful. Here are some ways to cope with the anxiety

Our risk of chronic diseases increases, immune function can be compromised, and we become more vulnerable to mental health problems.

We can feel depleted, disconnected, anxious and depressed. We can become fixated on negative thoughts and on looking for signs of threat. Sound familiar?

The good news is the effects of stress on the brain are reversible.

Pleasure in Times of Stress

It may seem too simple to be true but shifting our attention toward the small, everyday pleasures in our lives can offset the consequences of stress or negative events.

US researchers reported last year that experiencing pleasurable emotions, for example having interesting things to do, serves as a buffer between chronic stress and depression. So, among people with sustained, high levels of stress, those who reported more pleasurable moments were likely to experience less severe depressive symptoms.

Pleasurable experiences might even be of most benefit in times of stress.

We experience pleasure in a myriad ways. Perhaps one of the most potent of pleasures, and one that springs most easily to mind, is a lover’s caress.

Read more: Coronavirus and sex: Dos and don’ts during social distancing

But to maximise the pleasure in every day, we should look more widely, to a multitude of sources.

If we’re too busy reading those alarming headlines to notice the beauty of the sun setting outside our window though, it’s a missed opportunity for a moment of delight.

When I recently asked people on Twitter to share the things bringing them delight in these challenging times, I received hundreds of replies within a couple of hours.

Each one was a small vignette conveying a personal moment of simple pleasure. Gardens and dogs and children and nature featured strongly, and many people reflected on the added pleasure of recalling such moments.

Indeed, recollection and anticipation – along with relishing pleasure in the moment – are effective ways to maximise the value of positive experiences or emotions. We call it “savouring”.

Luckily, we can get better at savouring with practice. And the more we savour, the less stressed we feel. And that’s why I’m here.

If we increase the pleasure we experience, it can lift our psychological well-being. In turn, higher well-being is linked to better immune function.

Read more: Running out of things to do in isolation? Get back in the garden with these ideas from 4 experts

It’s About Boosting our Personal Capacity

My message is not to avoid the facts or pretend nothing has changed. It’s to intentionally build in moments of reprieve and restoration. It’s to turn your attention to what is still good and rich and fun – to really focus on those things.

This is how we can harness the protective power of small pleasures, for the sake of delight itself and to build grit and resilience.

So, there may never have been a better time to build a blanket fort, or to bring out a game of Twister, or to lie on your back in the garden making fantasy creatures out of passing clouds. Find excuses to giggle.

Read more: Social distancing can make you lonely. Here’s how to stay connected when you’re in lockdown

Making Pleasure Happen

In difficult, frightening times, no one is immune to worry; it’s a natural response. But what we can do is take steps to protect ourselves, as much as possible, from its physical and psychological ill-effects.

The challenge is to make this happen, to tear yourself away from analysing the COVID-19 curve and intentionally, systematically engineer more small delights into your day.

Do you like the sunshine? Then know when the sun falls on your balcony, in your garden or in the street near your place. Take a cup of tea or coffee with you and soak up the warmth.

Read more: Cat lovers rejoice: watching online videos lowers stress and makes you happy

Pets? Run, play, be silly with them. Eating a tomato? Plant the seeds and watch something grow, from nothing, because of you. Sing. Dance. Delight someone with an act of kindness.

Plan your opportunities for pleasure. Put them in your diary. Set your alarm for them. Commit to share them with others. Photograph them. Post them on social media or share them directly with friends and family. Anticipate them gleefully and reflect on them with delight. This is our time to be here. Savour.

Desirée Kozlowski, Lecturer, Psychology, Southern Cross University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources! 

Are You Suffering from Covid Burnout?

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Are You Suffering from Covid Burnout

What is Covid Burnout? 

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines pandemic fatigue as being “demotivated” and exhausted with the demands of life during the COVID crisis. The WHO warns that this fatigue could ultimately lead to a longer, more devastating pandemic. 

How this plays out in real life is that at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were scared and unsure, we were willing to follow the rules. We chipped in and did the right thing. We made an effort to always wear a mask – even outside, and even when the rules were unclear. We kelp our distance in supermarkets, following the little stickers to ensure we were 1.5m away from others. We went to get our vaccine as soon as we could. Some of us even did that weird elbow bump thing for a while… 

But over time, fear subsides, and frustrations grow. We simply get tired of it all. That’s when exhaustion and complacency set in. And that’s where many of us are right now… we’re just over it all. 

I’ve spoken before about work burnout, and in many ways Covid burnout looks similar. Everyone is different though, but according to Healthline, the symptoms could include: 

Source: Healthline 

Related reading: Signs Of Burnout At Work 

What to do About Covid Burnout 

We’ve spoken in the past about the difference between flourishing and languishing. When we’re flourishing, we’re at our peak mental health, we’re not simply living life, but we’re loving life. This is where you find passion, energy, excitement, love, awe and hope.  

However, many of us spend a lot of our lives languishing – simply going through the paces…. not quite in poor mental health, but nowhere near the higher end of the spectrum either. Many summarise this mental place as ‘meh.’ This state of mental being is where many of us now find ourselves.  

Listen to: From Languishing to Flourishing (E70) 

But here’s the thing… you can change this seemingly never-ending cycle. If you’re sick of the ‘meh,’ it’s time to do something about it! 

Take Action Against Covid Burnout 

  1. Be aware. Are you starting to struggle, lose focus or energy? If you’re suffering from Covid burnout, you can take back control by firstly being aware of what you’re feeling. Take some time to understand the signs and look at how you’re tracking. Reading this article is a great first step. 
  1. Seek help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unable to move forward, it’s always best to reach out to professionals.  
  1. Work out! If you find you’ve been languishing, then you might need a mental fitness plan to build up your mental strength. You can try: 
  • Planning a holiday: Planning a trip is directly correlated with happiness. Research reveals that simply planning future travel can boost mood and mindset. 
  • Taking a daily walk: Get outside regularly. Many studies have shown that switching off your devices and spending time outdoors is associated with higher levels of happiness. The trees, the sun and the birds have all been shown to improve our wellbeing. 
  • Practicing love and kindness: Research shows that helping others through acts of charity or volunteer work can make you feel better and happier, but more recent research finds that simply wishing someone well may have a similarly positive effect on our moods. 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!  

11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier

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What’s the link between taking a walk and your happiness? 

 

Recently, I hurt my back and I admit it negatively impacted my mental health and resilience. Aside from the ongoing pain and interrupted sleep, I also wasn’t able to exercise, and I found myself spending a lot of time laying down on the couch.  

There are definitely worse things than binge watching cool shows. And the irony here is that this behaviour is also what I would consider my go-to for a lazy Sunday afternoon of self-care. It’s also very similar to how I’ve spent many hours over the last 18-months since Covid hit… but for some reason, this time, it really impacted my mood… 

… until I started walking.  

Now, hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s funny when you look back on the things you know you should, but don’t, do. I’ve done so much research into the mental health benefits of simply taking for a walk – which I was quite able to do despite my back pain — yet I didn’t do it.  

Until I did. I started out with a quick walk around the block for 10 minutes at lunchtime. That turned into a 30-minute walk the next day, which developed into a 30-minute walk every day. And it makes me feel great. Not only that, but the movement started to help my back recover, rather than hurt it – win-win! 

So, here I am to say, even people who live and breathe all this positive psychology stuff (the converts) get it wrong sometimes. And, as a reminder to me, and maybe to you, in this article, I’m going to refresh my memory and explore eleven studies that show why taking a walk will make you happier.  

Read on! 

11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier 

1 Being around birds linked to higher happiness levels (World Economic Forum). Greater bird biodiversity can make people more joyful, according to a study published in Ecological Economics. The happiest Europeans are those who see the most bird species in their day-to-day life.  

2 Street trees have a positive effect of on mental health. Daily contact with trees in the street may significantly reduce the risk of depression and the need for antidepressants, according to research by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academic. 

3 Heading outdoors keeps lockdown blues at bay. A study found that spending time outdoors and switching off devices, such as smartphones, was associated with higher levels of happiness during periods of COVID-19 restrictions. 

4 Pick up the pace and get your heart pumping. Researchers are stressing the important links between your mental health and heart health. And they’re calling on clinicians to screen and address mental health when seeking to treat heart conditions. 

5 Take your lunchbreak and get outside in the sun. A recent study shows that spending time by the sea makes people happier. It also showed that just being outdoors makes you happier — preferably in a non-urban environment, but hey, we’ll take what we can get!  

6 Boost your immune system by walking around trees. Not only does being around trees increase our mental wellbeing, it also has a positive impact on our immune system! Who knew?  

7 Take an awe walk. Studies show that experiencing moments of awe makes us more generous and patient, and helps you deal with stress better. If you feel a need to get out of your head, go take in that vista, take a hike, get into nature, or whatever helps you find your awe—it just might help. 

8 Take a moment to look at nature: On your way to work? Popping into the shops? Wherever you are, be sure to stop and smell the roses, or at least notice them. Research says that observing nature — wherever you may be — will make you feel happier.  

9 Be Active: A study that examined data from almost 34,000 people has found that as little as one-hour of exercise per week, regardless of intensity, can help to prevent depression. So, get out there and something, anything, for just an hour and you can reap the benefits! 

10 Take a happy stroll: Researchers have found that simply going for a leisurely walk can improve mood and boost subjective well-being, particularly for adults who are normally sedentary.  

11 Get out!: No really, get outside! The findings are in - the more green-space in the neighbourhood, the happier people report feeling. Quite simply, if you want to feel better, just go outside.  

Finally, for those of you who can’t currently go for a walk, or even get off the couch or out of bed, or for those who just need to switch off for a bit and zone out in front of the TV, don’t feel bad at all, this recent study shows that watching TV in lockdown was beneficial for people. While going for a walk, exercising, sleeping well and investing in relationships have all been shown to positively impact mental health, this latest research shows it doesn’t hold true that watching TV is always bad for our mental wellbeing. As with all things, if we go about it the right way – in moderation – you can find your happy place while sitting on the couch too. 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!