Science of Happiness
Science Of Happiness : People have pondered over the question of what happiness is for centuries. After humongous research, scientists have concluded that happiness means how satisfied we are with our lives and how we feel daily. Technically speaking, we all have control over how we feel. But often, we focus on the more complex things that are beyond our reach and upset ourselves. So how to overcome this? The answer is simple yet effective. You need to get consistent with your practice of doing a Random Act of Kindness and make a lifelong kindness habit of leading a satisfying and more fulfilling life.
The irony behind winning a lottery:
Half a century ago, a famous study concluded that lottery winners are the unhappiest people. It is very shocking to hear this because you might think that after winning a lottery, everyone will feel the utmost happiness in their life. But the answer is the exact opposite. Why? The anticipation of winning a prize will produce happy hormones, which will keep you satisfied for a few moments. But once the initial buzz of winning fades, people usually revert to their everyday lives. If hitting the jackpot is not enough to put an everlasting smile on your face, it makes one wonder what else will do the job.
Happiness factors:
Popular research suggests that happiness is based on 3 main factors
- Our Genes
- Our circumstances
- How we spend our lives
The above three factors determine one’s state of happiness. Although the first two factors are beyond your control, the third one is entirely within our reach. Therefore it is crucial to keep track of how we spend our lives and note what activities of ours bring us happiness and how long the pleasure from that specified activity lasts. The more you keep a record of this happiness tracker, the more accountable you will be for your life. Also, this tracker is the key to living a happy and satisfying life.
Happiness is a Process:
Happiness should always be a process you enjoy and not a result you want to achieve. Why? If you make happiness your only goal to succeed, you will become obsessed with acquiring more happiness without enjoying the process. The biggest problem with this is that it will make you overthink and second guess your choice, ultimately sabotaging every ounce of happiness and peace left within.
The process of doing activities to create happiness is the “Present” when compared to the actual state of feeling happy, the “Future.” It is always better to focus on the present and be satisfied with one hundred percent in it without obsessing over what the future holds. Once you inculcate the habit of trusting the process and not the result, you will already be happier than anyone.
How to program our minds?
Many of us are unhappier in the modern lives we live. That is why positive psychology has had a tremendous breakthrough in recent years. Now, what is Positive psychology? Positive psychology is the practical steps one can take to bring about a change in their life. Our human minds are trained to think on the opposing side. Whenever we have to do something, instead of thinking about how best to do the particular activity, our minds will immediately start obsessing over what will not work, possible hindrances, and a dozen negative feelings associated with it.
Positive psychology focuses on rewiring this thinking process. Positive psychology rewires our brain to think about what will work. It helps us focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses. Positive psychology develops the attitude of gratitude and enables us to nurture what we have instead of trying to run behind things that we do not have.
An experiment conducted by Robert Rosenthal, popularly known as the Pygmalion effect, stated that one’s expectations have the potential to affect their experiences directly. We call this first impression in an ordinary language. If you ever have a wrong first encounter with a person, your brain will automatically make you think all future experiences with this person will go badly and create a strong impression in your mind. The reason for that is the direct relationship between experience and expectations.
As Abraham Lincoln said, “Look for the bad in people, and you will surely find it.” If the same is expressed in a positive psychology mode, it will sound like “Look for the good in people, and you will surely find it.”
As you get into the loop of positive psychology, every negative emotion wears off you, leaving room for more positivity. The more positive you are, the better outlook you have towards your life, and the happier you will be.
How does one improve positive behavior?
One of the most common means to improve your positive behavior is through manifestation and positive affirmations. Practicing positive affirmations will change your attitude and help you attract happiness in life.
Instead of asking how I can do it, start saying I can do it and I will do it, and start noticing the difference in your mind shift. The more you teach positivity, the happier your life will be. From education to work-life to leading a family, hundreds of positive affirmations are available. Choose a few of these affirmations and practice them daily, and you will notice a massive change in your entire life.
As you start practicing positive affirmations, you will notice significant tension between your negative thoughts and positivity. But once you pass this stage strongly without going back to the harmful negativity, your life will change for good. A positive state of mind is a happy state of mind. There will be no room for happy thoughts if you let sad thoughts occupy your mind.
Some of my favorite positive affirmations for a happy life are:
- I am always satisfied and content
- I let go of the things that affect my mind and body
- I am so glad every hour of the day
- I experience joy in whatever I do
- I choose happiness and positive feelings
- I am a happiness magnet
Just practicing these simple positive affirmations for a few minutes in our day-to-day lives will bring significant changes to us. Just imagine starting your day with these powerful and beautiful affirmations, and picture how that entire day will go for you. Visualizing this is more than enough to bring you to a fulfilled state early in the morning.
Manifestation is the process of visualizing what you want in life. How does one manifest happiness? Just picture yourself living a happy life. It makes you focus on feeling comfortable in the present. Imagine yourself at home, work, with friends or family, and in each scenario, create a mental picture of you laughing or enjoying the company of your surroundings. This image will create a happiness chain in your mind. The more you visualize such happy moments, the more comfortable your life will be.
Manifestation originated from the concept of the Law of Attraction. The more you visualize yourself living a comfortable and peaceful life, the more the chances of that life being created for you.
Selflessness vs. Happiness:
Science of Happiness
Our bodies can produce two selfless hormones commonly called “Serotonin” and “Oxytocin.” These hormones are released by our body whenever we work with another individual. The more kind we are to another person and the more selfless we are, our bodies will release more of these hormones, which fill us with feelings of security, trust, and belonging.
The more we boost these emotions in our friend’s circle, the stronger our friend circle will be. The more these emotions are released in your office, the stronger your work culture. The more these emotions are removed, the more contented and satisfied with your life which will help you lead a happier life.
Be Kind
Being Kind to others increases happiness by reminding people that they are a good influence in this world. It helps in promoting positive relationships and elicits positive feedback. Kind people experience greater joy and have happier memories. Kind people are more comfortable and are also healthier compared to other people.
An act of kindness creates an optimistic feeling in the entire surrounding. Practicing compassion is one of the most accessible means to support our health.
A happy life is a stress-free life
Today, we are all leading hectic lives and running towards materialistic things in life without leaving any room for self-introspection, preserving our mental health, or thinking about what makes us happy. Start making regular updates in your happiness tracker whenever you do a kind act for others and give yourself a small reward for every Random Act of Kindness that you have performed daily.
Let us all start rewiring our minds towards positivity by spending at least 10 minutes of our hectic lives on positive affirmations and manifestations. Attracting happiness and positivity towards us is the need of the day to create a happy and positive life.
