Benefits of happiness
1. Happiness Boosts Productivity
Consider a study which measured people’s initial level of happiness, and then followed their job performance for the next 18 months. Even after controlling for other factors, people who were happier at the beginning received higher pay and better evaluations later on. Happy workers, in general, are more productive, perform more effectively as leaders, generate more sales, take fewer days off due to sickness, and receive higher pay and higher performance ratings across the board.
2. Happiness Improves Your Physical Health
Being happy promotes a range of lifestyle habits that are important for overall health. Happy people tend to eat healthier diets, with higher intakes of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. A study of more than 7,000 adults found that those with a positive well-being were 47% more likely to consume fresh fruits and vegetables than their less positive counterparts. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have consistently been associated with a range of health benefits, including lower risks of diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
3. Happiness combats stress
In the study mentioned above, where participants rated their happiness more than 30 times in a day, researchers also found associations between happiness and stress. The happiest participants had 23 percent lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than the least happy, and another indicator of stress—the level of a blood-clotting protein that increases after stress—was 12 times lower.
4. Happiness lengthens our lives
The ultimate health indicator might be longevity—and here, especially, happiness comes into play. In perhaps the most famous study of happiness and longevity, the life expectancy of Catholic nuns was linked to the amount of positive emotion they expressed in an autobiographical essay they wrote upon entering their convent decades earlier, typically in their 20s. Researchers combed through these writing samples for expressions of feelings like amusement, contentment, gratitude, and love. In the end, the happiest-seeming nuns lived a whopping 7-10 years longer than the least happy.
Strategies for Greater Happiness
So how can you become happier?
In another review of studies on happiness, looking at 51 studies that tested attempts to increase happiness through different types of positive thinking, Lyubomirsky identified some key ways to improve happiness.
Be grateful.
People reported happiness that lasted for weeks and months after writing letters (they don’t even have to be sent) of gratitude to others.
Be optimistic.
Visualizing positive circumstances and outcomes increased happiness for study participants.
Count your blessings.
People who wrote three positive things that had happened to them each week found their spirits lifted.
Use your strengths.
Identifying strengths and making a commitment to try to use them in new ways appeared to enhance happiness in one study’s participants.
Act kindly.
People who help others report that it also helps their own sense of well-being.
Sources of happiness
1. Being optimistic
With optimistic, you get to enjoy the journey of life. With pessimism, you are only happy when you have gotten exactly what you want and even then, that doesn’t last long. Be optimistic, believe in yourself and enjoy pursuing the life you want; whether you get everything you want or not.
2. Fun time
Fun is simply a way to release your inner child and enjoy being you. Whatever your hobbies and interests are, you need to make time for them. Some people have fun reading a book or watching a movie while others need some physical activity. Fun is subjective so you need to determine what works for you and make time for it in your schedule.
3. Social network
It will be fantastic if you have a strong social network in the real world. People who can be there to support you when you are down. A good social network provides you with friends to share with, learn from and have fun with. The bond and connection shared with good friends is the most authentic source of happiness available to any of us.
Source of happiness 