HAPPINESS TAKES WORK – HERE ARE THE SECRETS TO SUCCESS
Happiness is within your grasp, and all it takes is practice. Oh, and a willingness to talk to strangers.
New research by the University of Bristol has revealed long-term happiness is something that can be learnt through creating habits for wellbeing.
The study suggests that actively working on mental health in a way that you would maintain physical fitness is key to helping cure your underlying blues.
Back in 2018, the team created a ‘Science of Happiness’ course, where they found that teaching students the latest scientific studies created a substantial improvement in their wellbeing.
However, these wellbeing boosts were short-lived, unless the habits they learnt on the course, such as gratitude, exercise, meditation or journalling, are kept up long term.
The latest study revealed that of 228 undergraduate students who took a positive psychology course, 115 students, around 51%, who continued to practise the recommended activities maintained their increased mental wellbeing over the period of follow-up.
The team discovered links between showing kindness, getting enough sleep and chatting to new people as ways to boost happiness.
‘It’s like going to the gym – we can’t expect to do one class and be fit forever,’ said senior author Professor Bruce Hood. ‘Just as with physical health, we have to continuously work on our mental health, otherwise the improvements are temporary.’
The team suggest that continued engagement is a key factor in maintaining long-term benefits of positive psychology courses.
‘This study shows that just doing a course – be that at the gym, a meditation retreat or on an evidence-based happiness course like ours – is just the start. You must commit to using what you learn on a regular basis,’ said Professor Hood.
‘Much of what we teach revolves around positive psychology interventions that divert your attention away from yourself, by helping others, being with friends, gratitude or meditating.
‘This is the opposite of the current ‘self-care’ doctrine, but countless studies have shown that getting out of our own heads helps gets us away from negative ruminations, which can be the basis of so many mental health problems.’
Happiness Hacks for you to know
As well as committing to wellbeing techniques such as meditation and journalling on a long-term basis, the team revealed a few other secrets to happiness.
- Talking to strangers makes us happier
- Social media is not bad for everyone but can be bad for those who focus on their reputation
- Loneliness impacts our health by impairing our immune systems
- Optimism increases life expectancy
- Giving gifts to others activates the reward centres in our brain – often providing more of a happiness boost than spending money on yourself
- Sleep deprivation impacts on how well we are liked by others
- Walking in nature deactivates part of the brain related to negative ruminations, which are associated with depression
- Kindness and happiness are correlated
Professor Hood and his team converted the course into a new book, The Science of Happiness: Seven Lessons for Living Well, to create an evidence-based recipe for better wellbeing.
The study is published in the journal Higher Education.
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2024-03-12T15:23:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd