Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Habits of Happy People

Wise habits of happy people, another article by Travis Bradberry for TalentSmart / LinkedIn. Happiness doesn’t last, according to research – even for lottery winners. Happiness that lasts is earned through your habits.

1. Slow down to appreciate life’s little pleasures. Savor the taste of your meal, revel in the amazing conversation you just had, or step outside to take a breath of fresh air.

2. Exercise. Helps release a neurotransmitter that makes your brain feel soothed and keeps you in control of you impulses. Exercise pays dividends in your mood.

3. Spend money on other people. Research shows that spending money on others makes you happier than spending it on yourself – especially small things that demonstrate effort.

4. Surround themselves with the right people – happy people. Builds confidence, stimulates creativity, and it’s fun. Hanging out around negative people has the opposite effect.

5. Stay positive. Happy people reflect on what they’re grateful for. Bad things happen to everyone. Instead of complaining, happy people find the best solution and move on. If you expect bad things you are more likely to experience them. If you look at the facts, things aren’t as bad as they seem.

6. Get enough sleep. Let’s your brain recharge, removing toxic proteins that accumulate during the day. Sleep helps your mood, focus, self-control, energy, attention, and memory.

7. Have Deep Conversations. Happiness and substance goes hand in hand. Avoid gossip, small talk, and judging others. Engage with people on a deeper level: it feels good, builds an emotional connection, and is an interesting way to learn.

8. Help Others. Gives you a surge of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which creates good feelings. Employees who help others were ten times more likely to be focused work and 40% more likely to get a promotion – and are happier during times of high stress.

9. Make an effort to be happy. You gotta make an effort. Happy people constantly evaluate their moods and make decisions with their happiness in mind.

10. Do things in person. Driving across town to see someone is better than facebooking them.

11. Have a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe you are who you are and cannot change. When challenged these people feel hopeless and overwhelmed. People with a growth mindset believe they can improve with effort. This makes them happier because they are better at handling difficulty. They outperform those with a fixed mindset because they embrace challenges as opportunities to learn something new.


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