Happiness is something we all strive for. Some days, we feel down, and some days, we feel incredibly happy and excited. Imagine how lucky we’d be to be happy all the time!
But what if I told you UCLA neuroscience researcherAlex Korbhas some insights that can create an upward spiral of happiness in your life – and perhaps, always be happy.
Here are some ways successful people stay incredibly happy!
Steer clear of conflict and drama
There may come a time in your life where you’ll begin to realize that certain people in your social circle are conflict and drama magnets. It seems as though every time they’re around, some sort of negativity is in the air.
It’s important to try and steer clear of these personality types – and if you must, try to slowly distance yourself from them.
Simplify your life
E.F. Schumacheronce said, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
Simplifying your life isn’t just about removing distractions and physical objects from your life – it’s about having a daily routine, and prioritizing your work and life. There is a significant difference between what you want and what you need.
Sleep more
NutureShock, explains how sleep affects positivity:“Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine."
It sounds simple, buttry going to sleep a bit earlierto get fully rested.
Meditate
Yes – you knew this would be on the list. But there’s a reason why everyone suggests meditating, it works! Even if you can allocate just five minutes a day to uninterrupted meditation, you’ll find yourself much happier than before.
A research team from Massachusetts General Hospitallooked at the brain scansof 16 people before and after they participated in an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation. The study, concluded that after completing the course, parts of the participants' brains associated with compassion and self-awareness grew, and parts associated with stress shrank.
Smile more
Smiling will always make you happier. But accordingto a studyled by a Michigan State University scholar, practicing your smile while also thinking positively can drastically improve your mood.
According toPsyBlog,smilingcan improve our attention and help us perform better on cognitive tasks too!
Work for yourself
If your day job is making you miserable, consider a journey into entrepreneurship. TheGlobal Entrepreneurship Monitor 2013 Global Reportfound that entrepreneurs are the happiest people in the world. In innovation-driven economies like the U.S., women entrepreneurs are even happier than their male counterparts.