20 Secrets To a Happier Life

Singing the blues could be hurting you. Use these methods to smile away sickness a
nd laugh at the Grim ReaperBY JULIE STEWART November 7, 2016
Imagine if big pharma were able to patent a pill for happiness. There d be smiley-
faced bottles on drugstore shelves faster than you could say blockbuster pharmace
utical.
It isn t just that Medication H would be the ultimate antidepressant: Studies show
that happiness can ward off infection, enhance memory, reduce pain, and prevent
heart disease.
Side effects? None, other than mild jaw soreness (all the smiling).
But if not the pharmacy, where can you find more happiness? You are going to man
ufacture it. Your life is your lab, and what follows are your feel-good ingredie
nts.
For more brilliant strategies and scientific tricks for living your best life, c
heck out The Better Man Project From Men s Health.
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1. EAT MORE HAPPY MEALS
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1. EAT MORE HAPPY MEALS
What s good for your heart may be a salve for your psyche: In a Nutrition study, p
eople who ate a Mediterranean-style diet for 10 days reported more contentment t
han a control group did.
Credit the mood-stabilizing magnesium found in nuts, as well as the stress-reduc
ing omega-3s in fatty fish. (Stock up on more foods that ll keep your body operati
ng in prime condition.)
2. Don t See Dollar Signs
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2. DON T SEE DOLLAR SIGNS
There s nothing wrong with chasing raises unless you re trying to catch contentment.
Richard Easterlin, Ph.D., a professor of economics at the University of Southern
California, found that as people earn more, they acclimate and are no longer sa
tisfied with things they can afford.
Ask for the kind of compensation that delivers on a deeper level: the option to
telecommute. Workers who can do this are happier than their cubicle-bound counte
rparts, reports a Stanford study.
Discover The Best Way to Build Your Home Office.
3. Grab a Bud
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3. GRAB A BUD
Take time to reignite an old bromance. In a study in the journal Emotion, people
who tried a variety of happiness-increasing activities reported that the most i
mportant and meaningful method was strengthening their relationships.
Reconnecting with a pal may get you out of a funk, says study author Acacia Park
s, Ph.D. To maximize the payoff, make time for face time: Participants spent at
least 40 minutes several times a week bonding.
But not all friends will do the trick especially not these 25 Annoying Facebook Fr
iends.
4. Go Nowhere Fast
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4. GO NOWHERE FAST
You ve heard of the runner s high, right? Well, this is the stationary cyclist s buzz.
In a study conducted at Stanford University, people who pedaled at 50 rpm for 1
5 minutes improved their mood by 19 percent.
While researchers still haven t pinpointed exactly how exercise lifts spirits so q
uickly, the effect may be the result of a sweat-fueled boost in mood-enhancing e
ndocanna-binoids and neurotrophic factor, a protein that speeds up neural activi
ty and protects the brain.
Not a fan of cycling? No worries. You ll get the same mood-enhancing effects with
METASHRED-EXTREME. It s an all-new workout program from Men s Health that s designed t
o shred body fat and maximize muscle growth simultaneously.
5. Lighten Up, Bub
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5. LIGHTEN UP, BUB
Miserable in the morning? People often turn grumpy when their sleep cycle is out
of whack, says Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., director of the Lighting Research Cente
r at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The best way to hit reset is with a.m. illumination; it ll suppress the sleep horm
one melatonin.
Eat breakfast by a window, or if it s still dark, buy bulbs that simulate daylight
, says Figueiro. Look on the box for a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 6,5
00K.
6. Clock-Block Yourself
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6. CLOCK-BLOCK YOURSELF
Only the real work deadlines are worth stressing over.
A 2014 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found
that workers who always set arbitrary time limits on their tasks ( I can crank th
is out in under two hours ) were less happy than people who didn t ( I ll work on this p
roject until it s great ).
Living by the clock can hinder both your creativity and your ability to apprecia
te the good times, explains study author Anne Laure Sellier, Ph.D.
7. Give Thanks, Get Happy
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7. GIVE THANKS, GET HAPPY
It s easier to fix your outlook if you have the right tools. In this case, that me
ans pen and paper.
In a study in the journal Emotion, people who wrote one thank-you letter a week
experienced greater gains in happiness and well-being than those who simply list
ed their recent activities.
The best part: You don t have to actually send the notes to feel the lift. You can
thank us later.
Need another happiness boost? Meet 20 Guys Who Prove Good People Still Exist.
8. Mind the Minutiae
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8. MIND THE MINUTIAE
Try this experiment: The next time you take a stroll outdoors, note any pleasing
sights, sounds, and scents. (Yes, that woman jogging past qualifies as a pleasi
ng sight.)
Now savor them. Short-term positive emotions can brighten your outlook and event
ually lead to lasting happiness, says Parks.
Check out 19 More Ways to Live a Stress-Free Life.
9. Grin and Win
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9. GRIN AND WIN
It doesn t matter if you have nothing to smile about: Do it anyway.
A study conducted at the University of Kansas found that when people smiled thro
ugh a difficult test, they reported feeling more positive afterward than those w
ho maintained a neutral expression.
Note: Grinning for no apparent reason may make you look unbalanced, so employ th
is strategy with care. Also, make sure you ve got the kind of smile you want to sh
are.
Check out these 9 Surprising Ways to Whiter Teeth.
10. Be a Boogie Man
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10. BE A BOOGIE MAN
Busting a move could bust your bad mood, British researchers report. People who
danced for five minutes felt 16 percent happier than at the start of the experim
ent.
The combination of movement and music may promote the release of endorphins, exp
lains study author Liat Levita, Ph.D.
Can t get down just now? Study participants also felt better after simply listenin
g to an upbeat song. Find out how music can also make your office more collabora
tive.
11. Snack for Sweet Relief
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11. SNACK FOR SWEET RELIEF
Fruit can pull you out of the pits. Research from the U.K. found that people who
noshed on bananas, apples, or clementines every day for 10 days reported a 32 p
ercent decrease in anxiety compared with those who chomped on chocolate.
That may be because these fruits are rich sources of vitamin C, a nutrient that s
been shown to possess mood-lifting properties.
12. Take a Mental Selfie
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12. TAKE A MENTAL SELFIE
Visualize yourself reaching your most important life goals. Do you like how that
feels? Write it down.
This technique is called the best possible selves exercise, explains Sonja Lyubomi
rsky, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at UC Riverside. It inspires you to work h
arder at whatever you re doing, which causes you to feel more optimistic.
13. Create Happy Endings
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13. CREATE HAPPY ENDINGS
You already know that sex is the original antidepressant. But what s the minimum e
ffective dose?
Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder concluded that people who
reported having sex at least once a week were 44 percent more likely to experie
nce higher levels of happiness than those who hadn t gotten lucky at all over the
past year.
So there s another reason to jump into the sack tonight. And to keep things intere
sting, sample any of these 45 Sex Positions That Every Couple Should Try.
14. Decongest Your Drive
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14. DECONGEST YOUR DRIVE
Some commuting tolls just aren t worth paying. Researchers in Canada report that p
eople who have hour-plus drives to and from their workplaces are less satisfied
with their lives than those with shorter treks.
The stress of being crunched for time and stuck in traffic can erode happiness,
says study author Margo Hilbrecht, Ph.D.
Until you change your address or your place of employment, hit reroute on your GPS
. If you choose a commute option that steers clear of congested roads, your dail
y drive may feel a little less soul-crushing even if it means you need to set your
alarm a bit earlier, says Hilbrecht.
Want to start your day off right? Let these 5 Guys Who Wake Up at 4 a.m. to Work
Out Tell You How They Do It.
15. Give Away Some Dough
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15. GIVE AWAY SOME DOUGH
Being generous brings happiness as long as you feel connected to the charity or pe
rson you decide to help, reports a study in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
Researchers say that knowing where and how a donation is put to use is more sati
sfying than shelling out money to a random group.
16. Embrace Cheap Thrills
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16. EMBRACE CHEAP THRILLS
Adding variety to your schedule prevents something called hedonic adaptation, whic
h occurs when the initial high of a memorable moment big or small wears off, accordi
ng to a University of Missouri study.
Something as simple as a new workout once a week could be enough to keep your li
fe from becoming rote, says Lyubomirsky.
Don t put off these 7 Essential Trips Every Man Should Take before He Dies.
17. Suck It Up
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17. SUCK IT UP
Don t hold your breath waiting for your mood to improve. Ten minutes of mindful br
eathing can reduce negative thoughts to a significantly greater degree than simp
ly letting your mind wander freely, a study in the Journal of Research in Person
ality found.
To direct your attention away from gloom and doom and focus on the present, clos
e your eyes and take note of how each exhalation and inhalation feels, says stud
y author Laura Kiken, Ph.D.
Chill out and think about something peaceful, like these 15 Ideas For Your Next
Vacation.
18. Go on a Head Trip
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18. GO ON A HEAD TRIP
When your 9-to-5 feels more like 10 to life, escape from your jail walls.
Surrounding yourself with nature is known to be restorative, says Elizabeth Nisb
et, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Trent University in Ontario,
but people often underestimate how much of a mood boost taking a walk outdoors a
ctually offers.
(Walking isn t just good for your mood. Find out how a 5-Minute Walk Could Save Yo
ur Life.)
If you can t break free, then just bring the outdoors inside: People who have plan
ts in their offices experience more workplace positivity, according to U.K. rese
archers.
19. Compare and Despair
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19. COMPARE AND DESPAIR
Screw the Joneses and anyone else you re gauging yourself against.
People who are relatively happy tend not to compare themselves to others, says Lyu
bomirsky. Every time you find yourself dwelling on how your neighbor s house is bet
ter or your colleague makes more money, distract yourself.
Watch your favorite TV show to choke off the envy before it makes you mope. Star
t with these 10 Old TV Shows That Are Totally Worth a Binge Watch.
20. Cross Off Crankiness
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20. CROSS OFF CRANKINESS
Nothing sucks the joy from a day like a 17-line to-do list.
So think of it as a want-to-do-list, says Cassie Mogilner, Ph.D., an assistant p
rofessor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Reframing duties as tasks that can benefit you will make you feel happier and mo
re accomplished once you complete them, says Mogilner.
So instead of Finish report, write Finish report so I can take a day off next week.
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