2023-08-13 20:13:01
There are some studies that claim that doing half an hour of aerobic exercise a day is very effective once morest depression
Many times, even if all the will and energy is put into the things that you want to achieve in life, the results and happiness that are expected from those actions are not achieved. Does it happen due to bad luck, bad decisions or because they take the wrong paths?
According to psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, a leading researcher with a graduate degree from Harvard University and a PhD from Stanford University, everyone in the world places happiness at the top of their list when asked what they want most in life. However, said the expert, we tend to look for happiness in the wrong places, since what we think will really make a big difference in our lives only makes a small difference, while we overlook the true sources of happiness and well-being. .
In her book “The science of happiness, a proven method to achieve well-being”, the researcher stated that happiness is not related to a stroke of luck, such as winning a lottery prize, obtaining a salary increase or finding someone the couple we were looking for. Nor is it related to the accumulation of material goods, professional achievements or pleasant experiences, nor is it the result of chance. According to research carried out, only 10% of our happiness is related to external events.
Of the remaining percentage, 50% would be given by our genetic conditions and this is the good news: 40% depends on the activities that we can carry out intentionally.
The World Happiness Report defines the social support factor as having someone to trust or turn to in times of need. A pillar to achieve happiness
In other words, we have 40 percent in our hands to introduce permanent changes that will lead us to increase our happiness in life.
Lyubomirsky stated: “Another great fallacy is the notion that we would only be happy if the circumstances of our lives changed a little. This way of thinking is what I call: ‘I would be happy if…’ or ‘I will be happy when…’. Those of us who remember times in our lives when we have been truly happy share this logic, but it seems to us that we will never be able to recover the exact circumstances that caused that authentic happiness”.
The psychologist gave as an example the time we were students at the university, the first time we fell in love, or when the children were small. However, she warned the expert: “The reality is that the elements that determined our happiness in the past and that can bring future happiness are still with us now and are here, waiting for us to take advantage of them. Changes in our circumstances (however positive and sensational they are) actually have very little effect on our well-being.”
Among the true sources of happiness and well-being, the researcher cited gratitude and kindness. “Gratitude is basically thinking regarding the people who are part of your life, who you are grateful to have, who make you feel that you are not alone and this makes you happier. And regarding kindness, my research has shown that people who help others and who support them are also happier, because they feel like better people and more connected to others,” said the researcher, noting that during the pandemic this is He saw all over the world, how people in their neighborhoods, communities, families, came together to help others. Therefore, she considered that we will come out better from this terrible experience that we suffered.
Listening to the sounds of nature and breathing fresh air have been found to promote happiness (Getty)
“Another key to being happy, from all the studies I have done and read, is relationships and connecting with others. Everything we can do to connect with others will make us happier,” says the psychologist and warns: “I often talk regarding the fact that happiness involves work, like everything that matters in life, if you want to raise successful children, if you want to have a brilliant career, if you want to lose weight… Getting all this entails a job, and happiness is no different, “he reflected.
Dr. Laurie Santos is a professor of psychology at Yale University and the host of The Happiness Lab podcast, which examines the science behind happiness. She says there’s a concept known as plenty of time, where people who have free time report feeling happier. “Research shows that if a person is “hungry” for time, that can have as big an impact on their well-being as being unemployed.”
And study of 2021 published by the American Psychological Association showed that there is too much free time, but also showed that less than two hours of free time a day equates to lower levels of happiness. He concluded that two to five hours of free time each day was ideal for optimal happiness.
Happiness is also related to physical activity. According to Santos, “There are some studies that analyze happiness and exercise and one of the most convincing compares doing half an hour of cardiovascular exercise a day with, for example, taking medication once morest depression”, says Santos.
Some researchers suspect that exercise improves brain function, which may help with certain mental disorders, leading to greater happiness.
Having friends, a partner, family and other strong social ties is essential for happiness (Getty)
Cortisol is the so-called stress hormone. Its increase raises blood pressure and sugar level, influencing memory and concentration. Walking through green spaces, in contact with nature, reduces its levels and increases our physical and mental well-being.
Also, exercising outdoors can offer a better effect. Listening to the sounds of nature and breathing fresh air have been found to promote happiness.
“Being in nature calms us down and improves brain health,” Peter James, an associate professor of population health at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Brain&Life magazine. Living near green spaces is linked to better mental health and a longer life.
Positive Psychology, founded by the American psychologist Martin Seligman, who has scientifically and empirically investigated happiness, developed a model called PERMA in which he distinguishes 5 pillars that have an impact on the well-being of people:
Learning to set realistic goals, define the times that each one will take us and be self-disciplined with our purposes can lead us to a state of happiness through the realization of achievements.
1.Development of positive emotions, such as joy, hope, gratitude, forgiveness and optimism, the invitation around this pillar is to enhance the experiences that contact us with positive affective states, focus on having a hopeful look at circumstances, even when they may be difficult and painful, attend to the positive things that exist in each one’s life, emphasizing what we have and not only what we lack.
2. Involvement, the idea of this pillar is to promote those activities that are closely related to our essence and strengths, those activities that make us lose track of time, activities that we enjoy so deeply that we reach a state of flow in their execution, In short, do what we love and are passionate regarding.
3. Interpersonal relationships: cultivating varied and quality ties is a predictor of well-being across different cultures, many of our experiences of happiness occur in moments and activities in which we share with others, it is only necessary to think of experiences in that we have felt fully happy and probably many of them are related to situations of closeness and intimacy with others. Interpersonal relationships are not only important in intimate ties but also provide us with the possibility of social participation and community life.
4. Sense: this pillar aims to develop activities that have a meaning beyond ourselves, it is to use our strengths, virtues and abilities at the service of something that transcends our being. Experiences such as volunteering, contributing to common welfare causes or even visualizing our work as a contribution to society can be a very rewarding experience.
5.Achievement: this pillar invites us to achieve our goals, therefore it highlights the need to set goals and work on them. He is related to learning to set realistic goals, define the times that each one will take us and be self-disciplined with our purposes.
Keep reading:
The curve of happiness: does the best stage of life begin at 50? What is “lagom”, the Swedish philosophy that seeks happiness in what is just and necessary? What can we do to be happier?
1691958985
#simple #habits #enhance #wellbeing #give #happiness
