Science
Everyone Wants To Be Happy But No One Does These 8 Things
We all want to be happy in life through one way or the other. We make plans and follow them because we think that is what will bring us happiness. Our motivation in life to do things and not waste it away is because we want to be happy.
There are a lot of things that can make us happy but, while we chase the bigger things in life and try to see the big picture, we disregard the little things that can also make us happy.
There can be no denying that it is only normal human behavior to lose sight of these things at times but allow me to remind you of the small things that will make you happy, as neuroscience claims.
1. Saying thank you
When you show someone that you are grateful, your attention is focused on the good things that have happened and this leads to the secretion of serotonin, the happy hormone. It makes you happy from within. This trick is used by a lot of therapists when their patients are suffering from depression as well.
2. Taking one step at a time
When there is something bothering us, even if we put it on hold on the outside, our brain keeps working on it until it has a feasible solution. This happens even more when you do not have a plan and keep doing things haphazardly. You will see that you are keeping better if you make short-term goals and do one thing at a time. Doing this will have your brain give itself positive reinforcement every time you finish one task.
3. Talk about things
Look, no one is saying that talking about stuff that has been eating you up is easy. It definitely isn’t, but it is the way to go about things. When you share, there is a hike in serotonin production in your body and you start to see the positive side of things instead of being stuck on the negative one.
4. Physical touching
Humans are social beings. We need some kind of social interaction from time to time and you will even notice that your immunity is better when you are around people, receiving physical affection from the ones you care about. You even get better fast. When you do not meet people and there is no physical contact with other people, serotonin production falls majorly.
5. New things
Most of the times, we stop learning because we think we know enough but, in reality, we could not be further away from the truth. There is never an end to learning and, while this might sound like a lot of work to you, your brain will actually appreciate it if you keep trying your hand at new things. When you do not learn anything new and just keep doing things that you have always been doing, there is a stagnancy that your brain does not quite enjoy, to put it simply. When you learn new things, there is a lot of encouragement from your brain.
6. Physical activity
This one is easy. When you physically exert yourself, your body produces dopamine. Dopamine has a similar effect as that of a feeling you get with a good drink or a drug but minus the side effects, which definitely is a win. Take a walk, go for a little jog, or just play some music and freestyle your heart out!
Another interesting article: Science Reveals How Complaining Rewires Your Brain For Negativity
7. Get enough sleep
I could not stress this enough. We all have busy lives and insane schedules but that does not mean that we should sacrifice our sleep. Our body needs about 7 hours of rest to make sure melatonin does its job and there is an adequate amount of serotonin produced in our body. Make sure that you sleep in a dark room because that is the only way your body can relax, with the stress hormones at bay. Use a sleep mask if necessary, but never neglect your sleep cycle.
8. Look forward to happy things
No matter how small or big, if it is something that makes you happy, do a countdown or something similar. Looking forward to happy things makes you happy at that particular moment. Good food, meeting some friends, whatever makes you happy, go ahead and do it!
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