Good Lifestyle

Happiness seems to be a fairly simple concept. It means feeling good; It's something thatYou justknow If you saw it. But it turns out that there is a wide range of definitions about happiness exactly. Is it something indulgent and hedonistic, or more long and filled? Is it a burst of laughter inhibited, or simply make an amused smile?

Yes, happiness is a much more complicated concept than your average self-help book could lead you to believe - and it's a packaged with surprises. There are many counter-intuitive things that bring us joy or take it from us and the unexpected ways to gain happiness. Here are 50 surprising facts about what it really means to be happy.

It's like the saying goes:Money can not buy happiness. The winning economist from the Nobel AMARTYA SEN award found thatCompanies that have increasedTheir level of freedom and independence has been a corresponding boost in the quality of life of citizens. He concludes that, allowing people to live as they prefer to be much more likely to lead to widespread satisfaction than the usual accent on GDP and other economic concerns.

Here are some good news that anyone actively envisaged to become older: there is a good chance that your level of happiness increases with the number of birthday candles on your cake. AStudy of the University of AlbertaFollow-up of the subjects of happiness over a period of 25 years, determining that, through the board (and controlling other variables), those who have aged, have had more time.

While happiness is a very appreciated trait in Western crops, it is not the world case. "In fact, some people across cultures are opposed to various types of happiness for several different reasons", according toMohsen Joshanloo and Dan WeijersIn Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. They found that in a number of crops, from Japan to Germany in the Middle East, one can find a trend towards the "aversion of happiness". The reasons for this avoidance of happiness fall into a range of categories that may seem, well, foreign to Americans:

• Be happy makes it more likely than bad things will happen to you
• To be happy makes you a worst person
• Express happiness is bad for you and others
• Pursue happiness is bad for you and others

Or at least, they are better for the happiness and health of long distance relationships. The researchers found that those who communicated via telephone or webcam were more likely to feel fueled emotionally by their other. Those who used text messages and instant messaging did not feel any connection of this type.

In his advice book based on science to improve happiness,Happiness hacks: 100% scientific! Curiously efficient!,Alex Palmer writes "Feel down? Light lights - or at least transform them. In three distinct study conditions, researchers found a correlation between the feelings of despair of people and their perception of lighting The room. They discovered that the participants evaluated the brightness of a darker room when they felt hopeless and also indicated a preference for a brighter room. "

Yes, we know-Duh. But here is where it is interesting: according to Allen McConnell, distinguished professor of the university in the Department of Psychology of the University of Miami, the differenceBetween the feines and canines is zero. As he said inHacks happiness, "We have never found any differences between dogs and cats. The main difference is the extent to which you anthropomorphise the pet. If you consider your iguana as a compassion and human type qualities, it's also Good that a golden retriever. It's all in the owner's mind. "

It turns out that you surround yourself with happy people will result in this happiness to rub over you. These were among the findings of researchers who examined the coast study of Framingham, who examined the health and happiness of more than 4,700 inhabitants of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts and found that the people who declared Feeling happy tended to train their own "clusters" with another. They found that your probability of happiness increases 15.3% if a family member or close friend is happy.

Countries and states that obtain high places on the lists "the happiest places" also tend to have the highest suicide rates, according toresearchfrom the University of Warwick, in Coventry, England; Hamilton College, Clinton, New York; and the bank of the Federal Reserve of San Francisco. "This result is consistent with other research that shows that people judge their well-being in relation to others around them," said one of the researchers. "These types of comparison effects have also been shown with respect to income, unemployment, crime and obesity."

Like the experience of emotions beyond happiness can have surprising and positive side effects, bad days can really be good for your long-term happiness. A Psychology Team of Franklin W. Olin College of EngineeringfoundSubjects that have experienced a combination of happiness and sadness at the same time were more likely to improve their sense of long-term mental health.

The big cities are not excellent for happiness, according toresultsResearchers on public policies at the University of Texas in Dallas, who examined the data of the general social survey, revealing a correlation between higher levels of happiness and a small town or rural area.

Another Palmer point raises is that as a study by the University of Northern Texas' Mark A. Davis revealed: "Moderate levels of positive mood can help open our minds and bring us to think outside the box. But those who know high levels of happiness did not show the same glow of creativity as those who feel less happy. "

Like Palmer explains inHacks happiness"Researchers have developed the concept of" depressive realism "- that depressed people have a more precise vision of the world around them and their place in" and in a study ", asked the participants to press a button and a green light would be or would not illuminate. When we would ask to evaluate the level of control, they felt that they had on the light, the non-expressed subjects overestimated the amount of control they had, while depressed students were much more accurate. "

We imagine that "the pursuit of happiness" is part of the DNA of a person, but, like Peter N. Stearnsexplains inHarvard Business Review, "Until the 18th century, Western standards encouraged, if anything, a slightly saddened approach to life, with facial expressions to match. As a Protestant of Dour, I would encourage it, God would encourage a person who does not has not allowed joy or pleasure, but a kind of melancholy behavior and austerity. "

According to the Stearns, our modern concern with personal happiness can be found in enlightenment, with Alexander Pope indicating "Oh happiness! Our being finished and goal!" And John Byrom said "it was the best thing that can be done to be always cheerful." This philosophy has influenced Western thought more widely and shaped how Americans in particular have considered their sense of life satisfaction.

The smiles were not used to being all that is nice to look at, then, as Stearns pointed out, "A historian also noted the 18th century as an era of improved dentistry, when people became more willing to lift their lips in a smile; He argues that the ambivalent smile of a Mona Lisa probably reflected the discomfort at dental caries. "

Although the link between physical health and mental health has been well established, it turns out that little physical activity has a significant and positive impact on its mental health and, in less time, one would otherwise be expected. The researchers found thatExercise only 10 minutesImproves the mood of a subject, reduces stress and usually improves well-being.

But while some exercises stimulate a little mood, a lot of exercise does not necessarily stimulate their mood. The same study followed the responses of the subjects after 30 minutes of exercise and found that there was no marked improvement in their mood on those who exercised only 10 minutes.

Do not listen to those who try to tell you that too much coffee is bad for you. On aStudy of Spanish researchers, those who drank two cups of coffee a day were 22% less likely to die above the decade they have been studied as those who have not drank coffee. More impressive: those who drankfourcoffee cups were64%unlikelydie that non-cafed drinkers. So warm this coffee maker!

They are not just good for your physical health. It turns out that they improve your well-being. A study of more than 12,000 AustraliansFound there to be a correlationBetween the consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased levels of happiness.

An analysis of the average happiness of the countries around the world found that it was largely on the rise. Examine the global happiness database, which involves 1531 data points in 67 nations,A pair of researchersDetermined that "GDP and happiness have increased in most countries and the average happiness has increased further in nations where the economy has greatest."

Although there is no reason to doubt that chocolate makes a happy person (at least in moderation), this enjoyment can be strengthened by stopping and thinking of chocolate. It was the discovery of aGetTysburg College StudyIn which 258 materials have eaten chocolate or crackers and some have been invited to deliberately think of what they ate, focusing on color, taste and tactile sensations. Those who were more aware of their food chocolate reported a higher positive mood.

Happiness can be a cultural construction. While Americans tend to think about it as a big smile and enjoy yourself, according to oneteam of researcherswrite in theStudies of the journal of happiness"In North American cultural contexts, happiness tends to be defined in terms of hedonistic personal experience and personal realization, while in the contexts of East Asia, happiness tends to be defined in terms of social harmony. "

Staying hydrated does not just allow you to tackle a physical task - it stimulates your mood so you perceive it as more manageable.In a studyThe researchers have discovered that dehydration has conducted topics to visualize a task more difficult than those that were completely hydrated, which affects their levels of well-being and reported happiness.

According to Willethub '' s "The best cities in America"Classification, some of the happiest cities in the country are in California. The happiest city of its list, marking 79.89 based on emotional well-being and physical well-being, the community, environmental factors, etc. ., East Fremont, with the Silicon Valley hub of San José taking the number-three spot. The Irvine has arrived at the number eight and Huntington Beach flew the new nine position.

According to the Walethub survey, the north and the South Dakota also houses fairly happy places, with the city of Bismarck, North Dakota, second position on the list. Fargo, North Dakota (Despite its cinematographic roots) entered sixth and sioux Falls, South Dakota, was published at the seven number. A large part of their high rank can be related to income and unemployment in United States, with Bismarck and Fargo, respectively, the number-one and two-two stains for this particular factor. And for more information on which cities have the most inherent joy, meetsThe 100 happiest cities in America.

But looking at the states as a whole, HawaiiTake the topAccording to Wallet Tethub, with the highest levels of emotional and physical well-being of one of the measured states. It is followed by Utah, Minnesota, North Dakota and California, respectively.

Among the 182 cities that Wleletehub ranked, Detroit landed dead on his list, with only 28.65 points, because of his lack of emotional and physical well-being and job opportunities.

At the bottom of the list of happiest states in Willethub, Western Virginia is Western Virginia, with deaf rankings in the three main categories. The state also houses two of the lowest cities in the most happy list of huntington (180) and Charleston (177).

Income inequality is a topic of policy on policy policy, but it turns out that it also has a major impact on its individual well-being.The researchers foundThat companies with greater levels of inequality between the rich and the poor see a greater decline in physical health, mental health and the well-being of children.

It turns out, by writing negative thoughts down and throwing them physically, you can "get rid of them". At least what'sa study found,Who asked topics to do exactly that, while another control group wrote thoughts and reindeer. The group that laid negative reflections on less negative feelings.

If a society knows a widespread misfortune, something that can help stimulate spirits is to host a major sporting event. It does not matter that the host country wins or loses, it is enough for so long that it welcomes the game. It was theFindings of a studyOut of 12 European countries in which the organization of an international event, such as the Olympic Games or the World Cup, enjoys great stimulance in the satisfaction of its citizens.

"You will have more joy things from your home when you do them yourself," Palmer writes inHacks happiness."It was the conclusion of a group of researchers who found that when a group of topics has made efforts to produce three different products (IKEA storage boxes, Origami, andLEGO models) It has increased the value that has been placed on it.

You can not touch Scandinavia when it comes to the highest levels of happiness. According to the United Nations "2017 World Happiness Report,The happiest countries were Norway, Denmark and Iceland, respectively. Compare this first three in 2012, the first year, the report was published: Denmark, Finland and Norway, respectively.

Have you ever wondered how the United Nations measures the level of happiness of a country? Through a series of variables relating to the quality of life of citizens and many other factors. But according to the UN, three-quarters of the differences between these countries are only six variables, including GDP per capita, years of healthy life expectancy and the level of social support. The happiest countries have all done great on these factors.

Like so many other resources, a wealth of happiness is not appreciated equally around the world. In his conference,Science of happiness, Harvard Evolutiony Psychologist Nancy Foff explains that: "We see here in the United States one of the highest levels of happiness .... we see regions of Africa [with] a huge unfortunate ... what we Let's find it is that circumstances mean a huge amount when people have very little. So, if you have great poverty, if you have tyranny, if you have great inequality, these things will slide happiness. "

If you do not know, the internet is not a good place to look for happiness. It was the determinationstudyThis asked topics to indicate what they go online to do and their level of happiness. Topics that have seen the internet as a way to connect with others or to help solve a personal problem, have been deemed more likely to undergo depression, social anxiety and worse (compared to those who have just launched Online for active tasks such as task search. Information or sending email).

Although we thought everything you need is happiness, it turns out that a better goal is to have a good balance between "e-university" (feeling a mixture of emotions such as joy , fun and sometimes melancholic or less positive emotions). Ato studyWith more than 37,000 people have found that high levels of this emodity have resulted in higher levels of physical and mental health. So looking for more than just happiness.

Although all the relationships aims to be happy, will devote too much time to find happiness can finally create the opposite result. The researchers found that topics more value put on happiness, theLONELIER They describedFeel in daily newspaper entrances.

The low side of this study is that those who have accepted their negative feelings have been able to overcome them with greater speed and start feeling better faster.A study that requestedThose who have panicked disorders to accept, delete or control their feelings of anxiety revealed that those who told him to accept them to overcome their negative feelings faster than one of the other two groups.

"As with many emotions, the feeling of loneliness can often look like something we can not help - something external to ourselves that we just have to accept," Palmer writes inHacks happiness. "But an analysis of intervention strategies to reduce solitude among adults revealed that it could actually work well to lead individuals to change the way they respond to their sense of loneliness. Just by encouraging people to say to someone their feelings, researchers have seen progress in the topics and improvements in their mood. "

A constant conclusion on many studies is that nature - the promenade of nature, looking at it, thinking there, tends to stimulate happiness. For example, inA study of prisonersIt has been found that those with views of their surrounding landscape cells have undergone fewer stress-related diseases that these prisoners who have not had the view.

Instead of "feeling blue", it might be more precise to say that someone is "feel gray". Those who feel anxious or depressed have been found to associate their mood with the color variations of the color of the color of the monochromatic color of acolor palletPresented by researchers from the South Manchester University Hospital. On the other hand, healthy participants were most likely to point to yellow color (particularly yellow 14) as the mood they felt. The researchers have proposed the color wheel as an effective method to help detect emotional disorders, but this also emphasizes the potential power of mood-boosting of sunny colors.

While their wages are higher, on average, that those who work in other areas, lawyers are one of the younger professionals in American research at Johns Hopkins University found that lawyers were 3.6 Times more likely than non-lawyers to suffer from depression as another study has revealed a level of disproportionate addiction among those of the legal profession.

This has a bit of meaning: if you are a happy person in a manipular way, you may not consider the potential for the decline or danger in a particular action and could end up taking risks where a cheaper person less blind could Anticipate the risks. This was wornin search, which found that these experiencing increased emotional states make individuals more likely to participate in risk behavior, high alcohol consumption to frenzy consumption.

Maybe because happy people are too faithful or not as difficult with those who length at the bargaining table, it turns out thatEnter a trading to feel happy Can leave you with the poorest results that if you had been a little Jerk. AStudy of the University of AmsterdamFound through a series of experiences that the topics that entered an angry trading were more likely to win the concessions of the person they trot.

Although we can feel that we connect with friends and family going on facebook or Instagram, these social networks have actually beenFound to hurt his well-being By what researchers call "the user to disengage for real-time social interaction requests" that we live differently to the IRL. Those who strongly use social media have been foundIn a studyBeing less likely to be in a relationship and more likely to suffer low levels of life satisfaction and higher stress levels.

As you can expect,Take from social media Help you actually improve its level of happiness. A group of Danish researchersasked a groupPeople to stop using Facebook for a week only and their satisfaction of life, as measured on a scale of 1 to 10, increased from 7.56 to 8.12. Those who continued to use the social platform as they had seen their level of satisfaction remain static.

Social media has means of increasing its level of life satisfaction, according to findings of a study from the State University of Michigan, in which the researchers have found that the use of social media had benefits Separate positive for subjects, including "social capital". (Creating connections between people from different walks of life) and "social capital collaboration (liaison of people with related persons), who led to a boost of happiness.

While the importance of a "happy childhood"It has become so central to our culture that we take it as a given, Stearns explains that" only at the beginning of the 20th century were child farm manuals filled with chapters on the happiness of children. "

You may think that early retirement is the dream for many years, but cross-cutting studies find out from the world of work can lead to a decrease in happiness. "Additional studies find a connection between retirement and memory - what a pair of economists calls" mental retirement "," Notes to Palmer in Hacks happiness. "Based on US memory test data, England and 11 European countries, they found that the first people retired, the more their cognitive abilities decreased."

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