2010-02-23 13:07:20
Clara Moskowitz
LiveScience Senior Writer
LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
livescience Senior Writer
livescience.com Mon Feb 22, 11:50 am ET
SAN DIEGO - The pursuit of happiness is sometimes easier said than done.
Some scientists have argued that happiness is largely determined by genetics,
health and other factors mostly outside of our control. But recent research
suggests people actually can take charge of their own happiness and boost it
through certain practices.
"The billion-dollar question is, is it possible to become happier?" said
psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside.
"Despite the finding that happiness is partially genetically determined, and
despite the finding that life situations have a smaller influence on our
happiness than we think they do, we argue that still a large portion of
happiness is in our power to change."
Lyubomirsky spoke here Saturday at the annual meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. She and colleagues last year
reviewed 51 studies that tested attempts to increase happiness through
different types of positive thinking, and found that these practices can
significantly enhance well-being. The results were published in the Journal of
Clinical Psychology.
Here are five things that research has shown can improve happiness:
1. Be grateful - Some study participants were asked to write letters of
gratitude to people who had helped them in some way. The study found that these
people reported a lasting increase in happiness - over weeks and even months -
after implementing the habit. What's even more surprising: Sending the letter
is not necessary. Even when people wrote letters but never delivered them to
the addressee, they still reported feeling better afterwards.
2. Be optimistic - Another practice that seems to help is optimistic thinking.
Study participants were asked to visualize an ideal future - for example,
living with a loving and supportive partner, or finding a job that was
fulfilling - and describe the image in a journal entry. After doing this for a
few weeks, these people too reported increased feelings of well-being.
3. Count your blessings - People who practice writing down three good things
that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness,
studies have found. It seems the act of focusing on the positive helps people
remember reasons to be glad.
4. Use your strengths - Another study asked people to identify their greatest
strengths, and then to try to use these strengths in new ways. For example,
someone who says they have a good sense of humor could try telling jokes to
lighten up business meetings or cheer up sad friends. This habit, too, seems to
heighten happiness.
5. Commit acts of kindness - It turns out helping others also helps ourselves.
People who donate time or money to charity, or who altruistically assist people
in need, report improvements in their own happiness.
Lyubomirsky has also created an iPhone application, called Live Happy, to help
people boost their well-being.