Happiness Hacks Read online

  Be Grateful

  When you focus on what you love about your life, your positive emotional brain fires up. This creates a focused, positive feeling free of worry and fear, a state of mind that allows you to truly enjoy moments of happiness. Before you go to sleep each night, write down at least five things you’re grateful for and pause to re-experience the pleasure each one brings you. Focus on what is making you feel lucky and good about your life, and you will soon find that you feel more positive in general and that you begin to slow down and savor the good times.

  Have an Orgasm

  It doesn’t take a genius to know that sex can make you happy. For most people, having sex creates pleasurable feelings that (hopefully) lead to orgasm. An orgasm provides the biggest blast of legal, naturally occurring dopamine available to your brain. After scanning the brains of lucky volunteers who were experiencing orgasms at the time, Dutch researchers likened their brain scans to scans of people experiencing heroin rushes!

  Slow It Down

  Learn the art of savoring something: choose a pleasurable experience and slow it down. Let’s say you’re taking a walk. Along the way, stop in your tracks and slowly take in a panoramic view of your surroundings. Pause to smell a flower or pet your neighbor’s dog. Stop occasionally to slowly breathe in the fresh air and feel it replenishing your lungs. Allow the scents of the season to revive memories of happy days in your past. Or spend a half hour truly listening to your favorite music, lingering in a bath, or massaging your partner. The point is to luxuriate in whatever activity brings you physical, mental, and emotional pleasure.

  Sleep More

  If you want to have a good attitude and feel happier about your life, then make sure you get good sleep. Your body needs it! Without sufficient sleep, sleep researchers say, your mental function becomes impaired: for example, insufficient sleep can negatively impact your daytime performance, causing lower levels of energy and duller thinking. Inadequate sleep has serious consequences. Certain regulatory systems and important organs continue their vital work while you sleep—in fact, researchers have been able to pinpoint parts of the brain that actually increase their activities when subjects are asleep. Getting adequate sleep enables you to wake up refreshed, energized, and in a good mood.

  Go on Vacation

  Take your vacation days—they’re good for you! One study found that the risk of suffering a fatal heart attack decreased in middle-aged men who regularly took an annual vacation. Even so, roughly a third of Americans who have accrued vacation time don’t take all the time they are allotted. Vacations can restore the balance between work and the other areas of your life by providing relief from the relentless pressures of work commitments, schedules, and deadlines. Even if you don’t travel anywhere, take some vacation days to just hang out, sleep, and rejuvenate yourself. Then you can return to work feeling happy and recharged.

  Get the Chip Off Your Shoulder

  If you want to be happy, then don’t harbor a grudge. Holding on to anger, resentment, and hostility hurts you, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Even if the incident happened only yesterday, the person you are mad at may not even remember the incident, so what’s the point in continuing to be angry? Don’t give up your power to have positivity in your life just to harbor a grudge. Find a way to move past it. Take an anger management class or read books offering specific strategies for dealing with anger issues. Take good care of yourself—love and respect yourself enough to let go of a grudge.

  Tell a (Funny) Joke

  Telling a funny joke is a terrific way to cheer up others, defuse tense situations, and add levity in times of stress. The key here is to make a funny joke, not something overly corny or lame. Memorizing a joke and telling it to others is a good way to cultivate a sense of humor. Plus, did you know that laughing may actually reduce your risk for heart disease? Laughing can also mitigate the damage that’s incurred when you are experiencing deep distress and pain. Want to feel good? Be able to laugh at stressful situations.

  Eat Your Favorite Food

  You know how happy you feel when you’re eating your favorite food. That’s why it’s your favorite. Cook or order that one dish that just puts a smile on your face. It could be comfort food from your childhood, an exotic creation you first tasted on vacation, or even a savory palate-pleaser you learned to cook when you were dating someone from another country. Happily savor every bite of that Moroccan tagine chicken, New England crab cake, Midwestern meatloaf, Southern fried chicken, or whatever is your favorite.

  Feel the Luck of the Bamboo

  Put a “lucky bamboo” plant on your kitchen counter, where it will happily enjoy some warmth. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can successfully grow this plant. It doesn’t need much light and will thrive in plain old water (as long as the water is clean and kept at the same level in the vase or jar). According to the ancient Chinese tradition of feng shui, the “lucky bamboo”—actually not a bamboo at all, but a member of the Dracaena family—creates harmony wherever it is placed. Its numerous long green leaves gracefully grow out of slender stalks. Put a three-stalk plant in the bedroom to ensure longevity, wealth, and happiness, or if you work from home, put a six-stalk plant in your office to attract prosperity.

  Get Thee to a Church/Synagogue/Service

  Attend at least one service in your spiritual faith this week. Research suggests that participation and belief in a religious faith or spiritual tradition is an important ingredient in a purposeful, self-actualized, meaningful, and happy life. One way to stay in touch with your core spiritual beliefs is to attend a religious service or gathering where others share your faith and beliefs. Some studies link regular participation in such events to a greater sense of well-being, a stronger connection to community, a reinforcement of personal beliefs, and a more stable, healthy, and happy family life. If you don’t have a specific faith, create a regular ritual to honor what you believe in. It can be an elaborate affair, or it can be something as simple as finding a few minutes to read about or reflect upon beliefs that inspire you.

  Take Your Partner on Vacation

  Nothing thrives through neglect. This is especially true for romantic relationships. Lavish the kind of attention on your romantic partner that you desire for yourself! Make a reservation at one of the best hotels or bed-and-breakfast establishments in your area. Such accommodations usually offer intimate, cozy settings and comfortable bedrooms (sometimes with fireplaces and Jacuzzi tubs). Surprise your partner with a weekend getaway and watch how your love blossoms.

  Practice Random Kindness

  Push the button in the elevator for a fellow rider. Help an elderly person up the steps of a building or a subway exit or onto a bus. Put your pocket change into a charity box. Invite a fellow shopper to move ahead of you in the check-out line. Shovel the snow off your neighbor’s walk. Offer to let someone share your umbrella. Random acts of kindness require very little effort, but such acts pay great dividends in the good karma and personal happiness they generate.

  Donate Blood

  The greatest gift you can give anyone is the gift of life. Hospitals nationwide provide lifesaving blood transfusions every day, yet all too often a shortage of blood prompts blood donation centers, the American Red Cross, and hospitals to call upon citizens to donate. Consider donating on a regular basis or even just once a year—perhaps make your donation on your birthday so that someone else can make it to his or her next birthday. The happiness you feel on your special day will be magnified by your generosity.

  Flirt with Someone

  Flirting is fun and harmless and can make you feel good about yourself. Next time you’re in a bookshop or coffee shop—or even a supermarket!—try a little flirting. Let’s say you see a great-looking guy thumbing through a travel guide. Or maybe an attractive woman is standing in front of the science fiction novels or shelves of business books. The point is that you like what you see. You could walk over, excuse yourself, and reach past her to retrieve a bo
ok that’s right in front of her. If you’re a bit timid, simply flash a nice smile after making eye contact. Or comment on the travel book he’s reading. Is it a guide to Ireland, where you once bicycled through rolling hills? Have you read Finnegans Wake? Show your curiosity and interest in the topic (and the person) and get your best flirt on.

  Tell Someone Else to Cook

  Ever too tired to cook? Feel like having to plan what’s for dinner is the bane of your existence? Don’t let that stress you out and rob your happiness. Encourage (or tell) each family member to choose one day each week to prepare dinner. Be graceful and supportive if you’re presented with a stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—at least you didn’t have to make them! If you have children, get them an age-appropriate cookbook and help them make some recipes. After that, they’re on their own. Train the whole family so that the next time you are too tired to cook, you can relax and check the family schedule to see whose turn it is to cook instead.

  Make a Birthday Card

  Making a card that says exactly what you want to say is way more fun than perusing dozens of cards on a store shelf. Oh, and since it costs nothing when you already have the materials on hand, you’ve got another reason to smile! A sheet or two of colored paper, paste, scissors, colored pens, and some magazines are all you need to make a great, personalized birthday card guaranteed to evoke smiles of appreciation. Find birthday greetings on the Internet or make up your own, then use magazines to clip out images or words that express your thoughts. Have fun with it! You’ll find that the receiver of the card will be far more appreciative of all your hard work than if you had simply pulled a generic card off a shelf.

  Grow Your Own Veggies

  Freshly picked vegetables taste far superior to and have greater nutritional value than their shipped-and-warehoused counterparts. Why not make your body healthier and yourself happier by growing your own vegetables? Plant a small garden and include companion plantings—plants that repel specific pests next to plants that would otherwise attract those pests—to naturally minimize the pest population. You don’t need much space for a small garden, but if space is a major consideration, you can grow your veggies in pots and planters on the patio instead of in a garden bed. As an added healthy bonus, you will also be certain your veggies haven’t been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

  Take a Spa Day

  When you feel like life has become a treadmill and you just need to step off, treat yourself to a day at the spa. Get a manicure, a pedicure, or a skin rejuvenation facial. If you’d like to try something a tad more radical, get a colon cleansing, take a mud bath, or slip into a sensory-deprivation tank. For a healthy state of mind and body, try some treatments at an upscale med-spa center that integrates innovative, cutting-edge therapies and holistic wellness modalities with the ancient healing practices of other cultures.

  Relax Before Bed

  After a long day at work, are you tense? Are you tossing and turning while trying to go to sleep every night? If you release your stress before you go to bed, you may find you are able to fall asleep more quickly, have a better quality of sleep, and wake up more rested and refreshed. There are lots of ways to calm your mind and let go of the tension you hold in your body, including taking a warm bath, sipping a glass of wine, listening to peaceful music, doing some deep breathing, or praying to release your concerns to a higher power. Rather than living a stressed-out life, make a point to let go of the tension you’ve accumulated throughout the day so that you get deep, restorative sleep.

  Make a Budget (and Stick to It)

  When most people think “make a budget,” they don’t relate budgeting with being happy. But if you are living in debt (which is not very happy), then making a budget is your ticket onto the happy train. When you know where you are going, you can control how you get there! Start by writing down exactly how much money you have coming in each month and the sources of your income streams. List all your bills, starting with those that carry late payment fees or debts that come with high interest rates. Make another list of your monthly needs. Brainstorm low-cost ways to meet your financial obligations and needs: making your lunch instead of buying it, taking a thermos of coffee to work with you and forgoing your usual cup at the local coffee house, carpooling instead of driving solo. Write the due dates of all bills on your calendar. Live frugally, but feel empowered as little by little you watch your debt begin to shrink and your savings begin to grow.

  Carry a Bag for Someone

  Come to the aid of someone struggling with her luggage. Maybe she’s trying to get onto the tram that goes to the airport and you are going her way, or perhaps your traveling buddy is headed back from the local flea market and his rented bike is overloaded with bags. You could take one and lighten his load. Or maybe you see a senior crossing the street after buying her groceries and she’s struggling with her bags. Don’t wait for someone else to rush over and help her—do so yourself. And put a smile on your face. Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes!

  Bake Cookies for the Office Grouch

  If someone in your office often scowls, chronically complains, or flies into fits with little or no provocation, offer him a plate of warm cookies. Even if your cookies are refused, you can be assured that you at least tried to bring a little pleasure into that person’s life. This gesture may work . . . or it may not. Some people get so used to being unhappy and feeling like the whole world is against them that they are outside of their comfort zone when someone does do something unexpected and nice for them. The truth is that the grouch is probably hungry for friendship and attention.

  Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth

  Can you go through an entire day telling the truth and only the truth? Telling the truth, like thinking positive thoughts, is a skill that requires lots of practice. People tell little white lies, half-truths, or useful falsehoods for all kinds of reasons: to evade blame, deceive, deny reality, or feel better about themselves. In some instances, a little white lie might be motivated by a desire to prevent someone from being hurt. For example, you know that a coworker is about to be fired, but when he asks you if you’ve heard anything about his possible termination, you tell him no. It takes more effort to think about how to answer him truthfully and still not hurt his feelings than to just lie. But if you live and work from a place of truth, others will trust your word and will appreciate your honesty.

  Write a Thank-You Note

  A member of your work team helped you meet a deadline, someone stood in for you in a meeting, your partner took on part of your housework, your parent baked you your favorite meal . . . Whatever the kindness was, take the time to write that person a thank-you note. And don’t send the thank-you note by email! A handwritten thank-you note is a much more personal expression of appreciation. When you let people know that you view them and their contributions as important and meaningful by taking the time to write a thoughtful note, most likely you’ll be rewarded with loyalty and assistance the next time you need help.

  Dance Around the Kitchen

  Start your day with a little salsa, mambo, cha-cha-cha, or your favorite dance steps as you make your way over to measure the coffee, add the water, and turn on the pot. Dance until the coffee is ready. Have a cup and then dance some more! Start your fancy footwork in your kitchen and jig throughout your house. If you have to leave for work, dance your way to your dressing room and keep moving while you do your makeup. Dance over to pick up your purse, briefcase, and car keys . . . and then dance right into the garage. Keep moving and feel your smiles emerge and pounds melt away.

  Collect Something

  One of the easiest ways to start a collection is by acquiring something that attracts you, perhaps because of its historical significance, beauty, or value. Whether it’s amber jewelry, classic toys from your childhood, salt and pepper sets from the turn of the century, old comic books, or whatever else that captures your fancy, use that piece to start a collection. Set a bud
get for your collection and make space in your home for it. Expand what you know about your collectibles and network with others who buy and sell those items. And then spend many happy hours searching for items to add to your collection!

  Have Coffee with an Adversary

  Rather than letting resentment grow and ruin your happiness, find a way to work with an adversary. Say you owned a vintage dress shop four doors down from another secondhand dress store that just opened. Would you sit down and meet with the new owner if the knowledge you gained from the meeting would help you both compete better? That might be a good idea, right? Suggest having coffee as a way to open dialogue between you and your “adversary.” Use the time to see where your two ideologies dovetail and where they depart. Actively listen and repeat aloud what you think you just heard. You may discover discrepancies between what was actually said and what you thought was said. See if you can find common ground. Is there a way you might team up to bring more business into both stores? Find win-win scenarios that might serve you both well.