Why not try these science-based tips to get more happiness in your life?
Some people are born to be happier than others. But whether you’re the type of person who sings in the shower and dances in the rain, or you’re more prone to melancholy, contentment isn’t something that happens out of nowhere. We can all change our habits to achieve more happiness in our lives.
Here are our top tips for a happier 2025.
Embracing friendship as we age
Friendship benefits people of all ages, but in later life it can become an especially important source of happiness.
While older adults often reduce their social circle to prioritize time spent with those who know them well, research shows that it’s a good idea to remain open to new friendships, as they provide us with slightly different benefits than our family relationships, which can be based on obligations.
Because friendships are voluntary, not obligatory, relationships that can begin or end at any time, they tend to be more fun and less strained or strained.
Although older adults may face a number of obstacles that can make meeting new people difficult, in some ways it should be easier for us to make friends: our personalities mature, we gain more social skills, our outlook becomes brighter and we tend to connect with each other.
And it’s worth striving to maintain quality friendships even as we age, as the benefits go beyond psychological well-being, but also improve our cognitive functioning and physical health.
Indeed, research consistently suggests that friendships are as important as family ties in predicting well-being in adulthood and older age.
And if you’re the kind of person who finds it difficult to make friends, sharing an amazing moment, like the total solar eclipse that passed across North America last year, is one way to help you feel closer to the people around you and At the same time, inspire some positive emotions.
Practice “happiness”
Compassion is a well-known foundation of true friendship. Derived from the Latin for “shared pain,” this empathy helps us form strong bonds when our friends need help. But there is an opposite state that is relatively unknown and equally important: confidelityas David Robson wrote for the BBC, term in English that could be translated as “conflicidade”.
Meaning “shared happiness,” it’s an underrated aspect of good relationships and may be as important as compassion in maintaining friendships, several studies suggest.
Enthusiastically supporting a friend’s good news and asking questions about it is the foundation of being a good friend. Responding too passively or actively downplaying your friend’s success risks damaging the relationship.
Volunteer
It’s almost cliché to say that doing something for someone else makes you feel better than rewarding yourself, but the more you learn about altruism, the more it seems to be true.
In fact, studies have found that volunteering can help even with serious illnesses like chronic pain and depression. A 2002 study of people suffering from chronic pain, for example, found that those who volunteered to help others suffering from chronic pain saw their pain intensity scores decrease during their volunteer work.
Other studies have shown that caring for animals can improve our health, and caring for houseplants can help us thrive, especially in older age.
Some health professionals now even prescribe volunteering as a particularly effective form of “social prescribing”: prescribing that connects people to community resources and activities.
Recommending people activities such as art classes or cycling or group dancing are health interventions that are proving increasingly valuable and can also reduce pressure on public health services.
Connect with your ancestors
There is another way the past can help the present.
Research suggests that interacting with our ancestors can have profound psychological benefits. Family stories about overcoming adversity, for example, can be empowering when passed on to the next generation.
Susan M. Moore, professor emerita of psychology at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, found that people who know their family history better have higher levels of satisfaction and well-being.
Engaging in the task of family tree research can make people feel more in control of their lives, as well as a deeper understanding of their place in the world.
It can also give you a positive sense of perspective and gratitude, knowing that your current life was made possible by the struggles and courage of your predecessors on behalf of those who came after them.
Write a list
Being grateful for what you have is ancient advice, and is the basis of a simple but proven intervention.
It is known that writing a list of three good things that have happened to us can help improve our mood.
Whether it’s a life-changing event like passing a big exam or having a baby, or something as seemingly ordinary as meeting an old friend or enjoying the beautiful early evening light on a hike, there are a growing number of research suggesting it can improve our well-being. -being.
Enjoy the wait for fun activities
Researchers at the University of Richmond in Virginia taught pet rats to drive small Perspex cars in the laboratory.
The rats quickly learned this new skill and soon eagerly jumped into the car, preparing for the next journey. Finally, the researchers noticed that some rats made small jumps excitedly, as if enjoying the anticipation of pleasure.
This led to a new avenue of research. Could the expectation of enjoyment be as rewarding as the activity itself?
In another experiment, scientists trained some mice to wait for the reward, while others received it immediately. They next assessed the rats’ optimism and found that those who had been trained to wait for rewards were more optimistic.
The researchers hypothesized that this might work for humans too: By regularly anticipating pleasant activities or events, we might reprogram our brains to be more optimistic.
Don’t do anything
If you’ve made it this far down the list, this might come as a surprise. But research suggests that worrying too much about happiness can actually be a barrier to achieving it.
Experiments that encouraged people to want more happiness – perhaps by reading about how they can be happy – before watching an upbeat or uplifting movie found that they ended up feeling more disappointed than elated.
The theory is that by raising expectations, reading and worrying about the importance of happiness can actually make people feel discouraged.
Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself during a big event or party you were looking forward to that didn’t live up to expectations.
Iris Mauss, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, has also shown that the desire and pursuit of happiness can also increase feelings of loneliness and disconnection. He recommends adopting a more stoic attitude and being more accepting of life’s ups and downs.
Don’t drink too much caffeine
During the cold, dark days of winter, a cup of coffee can give your brain and body a much-needed boost.
Consuming caffeine can make us feel alert because it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, where it overtakes adenosine, a chemical that makes us feel tired.
Research shows that there are many health benefits associated with caffeine consumption, including reduced risk of various forms of cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, as well as improved physical performance and protection against depression.
But timing is key when it comes to caffeine, as it can take a while to kick in and a long time to wear off.
Scientists recommend taking your last dose of caffeine eight hours and 48 minutes before going to bed.
We also shouldn’t consume too much caffeine – no more than 400 mg or about two to three cups of coffee, depending on the concentration – to avoid sleep disturbances, headaches, nausea and anxiety.
*Read the original version of this report (in English) on the website Future of the BBC.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
