Everyone wants to be happy
The vast majority would probably answer that they want to be happy if asked, but the answers to what makes you happy would certainly vary. Now researchers have identified 4 areas that are important for feeling happy and the clever thing is that the vast majority of people can help themselves to raise their level of happiness.
Feel meaning
The first point is that you need to feel meaning, have a purpose in what you do and have goals to reach. You can ask yourself if you think what you do during the day feels meaningful and if the answer is no, the tip is to create a change. It could be changing jobs but could also be something as simple as setting a goal and working toward it. If you’re not used to setting and working towards goals, it is good to start small, like taking a morning walk one day a week for a month. When you have completed your small goal, you can set a bigger one and feel that you are actually able to reach the goals.
Belonging
Feeling and having a sense of belonging is one of the most important ingredients and the nice thing is that you can find a sense of belonging in many ways. It can be among family and friends or at work. It can be by contributing something and reaching a goal together with other people. You can even feel a sense of belonging by feeling seen by someone else. You can therefore create belonging by saying hello in the morning to your colleagues, it is likely that they will say hello back and together you have made sure that everyone feels seen that day.
Psychological wealth
The third point to feeling happiness is to create variety for yourself, something that creates psychological wealth. Again, the variety doesn’t have to be that big, it can be enough to talk to someone in the lunchroom that you don’t normally talk to, or go to a lecture about something interesting and hang out with others who have the same interests for a while. Or why not take a walk somewhere you don’t usually go?
Hedonic happiness – a moment of joy
The last point on the list is to create moments where you just focus on having fun, without thinking about other things. Again, what’s considered fun is very different from person to person, but a tip is to think like a small child who lets loose. Do something that just brings joy without caring what others think.
Find happiness in everyday life
The point of having an understanding of the 4 points is that you can help yourself create happiness and you can find it in everyday life. Sure, you can get a rush of happiness from winning something or buying something, but it disappears as quickly as it came. By working a little every day to find meaning, belonging, psychological richness and moments of joy, you build a solid foundation for feeling happiness.
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