What are some small ways to boost happiness in everyday life? originally appeared on Quora – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Raj Raghunathan, Professor of marketing and happiness expert at UT Austin, on Quora:
I once surveyed my students to make a list of three small things that make them feel happy after watching this video. Here’s the Top Ten list from that survey:
Note that not all of them will work equally well for you, so you need to figure out which ones work best:
1. Engage in vigorous physical activity.
The next time you need a mood-boost, try this out: go for a long run or play a game of basketball.
Now, what counts as a long run for you may be a mere walk in the park for me (it’s more likely to be the reverse), but the point is that the activity needs to be vigorous enough get your heart pumping and your mind distracted from your negative ruminations. If you are like most people, you are unlikely to want to get off your butt if you are feeling down. But, as the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It!” Here’s a fact to get you going: you are guaranteed to feel better after a workout than you felt before it.2. Hang out with friends.
When we feel down, we typically don’t want to interact with others. This is partly because we don’t want others to see our negative side, but it’s mostly because we don’t think that hanging out with others is really going to help us feel better. I’m not sure where this intuition comes from, but I can tell you that it is wrong: our mood reliably improves after we socialize, especially if the people with whom we socialize are happy and likeable. Similar to how it’s important to overcome the reluctance to exercise, it’s important to overcome the pessimism we feel about the effectiveness of socializing when feeling down.
If you are wondering where and with whom to socialize, just call one of the “favorites” on your smart phone and make a plan to meet.
Tell them about what is troubling you to get you started—even a short chat with a close-friend can significantly improve your mood.3. Consume a moderate amount of alcohol.
I know, I know, I shouldn’t be encouraging people to drink, but what to do? It turns out that when we desperately need a happiness quick-fix, consuming a moderate amount of alcohol can be effective. The key here is to consume just enough to feel a little relaxed. The very process by which alcohol lowers inhibitions can also lower the tendency to worry. In other words, alcohol can temporarily take your mind off things that are causing you to feel negative and thus, can be useful in situations in which our mind is on a “negativity overdrive.” Needless to say, it is important to consume only a moderate amount of alcohol. If you are one of those who can’t stop after two, don’t try this at home or elsewhere!
4. Dress to kill.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, human beings are highly social creatures, which means that we worry a lot about what others think of us. When we believe that others view us positively, we feel good, and when we believe that they view us negatively, we feel bad. So,…
The post Ten Simple and Unexpected Ways to Boost Happiness appeared first on FeedBox.