How to Live a Happy Life
How to Live a Happy Life
by David Granirer
We all know we’re supposed to count our blessings. Well now scientists are proving that this practice not only makes us happier, but also healthier.
According to research from at the University of California, keeping a gratitude journal, a diary in which people take the time to count their blessings once a week, boosts levels of happiness. A group of subjects who kept a gratitude journal significantly improved their satisfaction in life, whereas a control group who didn’t keep a gratitude journal experienced no increase in life satisfaction.
Another study found that people who took time each day to write down three things that went well and why were less depressed and happier for up to six months later.
And there’s more. Psychologist Robert Emmons found that gratitude exercises also improve physical health, raise energy levels, and for patients with neuromuscular disease, relieve pain and fatigue. And it seems that the more people elaborate on what they’re grateful for, the more they benefit.
To be fair, part of happiness is also genetic. Some people are born with naturally sunny dispositions, while others tend more towards worry and anxiety. But if you’re one of the latter, it still doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. Research indicates that emotional states aren’t mutually exclusive. For example, you can have high levels of anxiety and high levels of happiness at the same time.
Thus doing your gratitude journal may not stop you from being a worrywart, but it may make you a happier worrywart. As a matter of fact, there are benefits to being a worrywart as long as you use your worry to motivate you to take action. And there’s a bonus: worry translated into positive action can often equal happiness. So instead of seeing your tendency to worry as a bad thing, maybe you should include it in your gratitude journal.
David Granirer gives Laughter in the Workplace presentations, helping hundreds of organizations throughout North America reduce stress, increase wellness and cope with change. For more information call (604) 205-9242 or go to www.psychocomic.com.
