SMILING FIRST AND HAPPINESS WILL FOLLOW.
NICOLE HAS MORE.
NICOLE: CHILDREN CAN TEACH US A LOT ABOUT BEING HAPPY.
>> CHILDREN SMILE 400 TIMES PER DAY.
CHILDREN ARE ABUNDANTLY HAPPY.
AN ADULT MAY SMILE 20 TIMES PER DAY.
IF YOU SMILE, YOU CAN BOOST YOUR HAPPINESS QUOTIENT BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY CHANGES THE CHEMISTRY AND YOUR ENDORPHINS WILL CREATE MORE JOY AND HAPPINESS.
NICOLE: A SMILE CAN GO A LONG WAY, SAYS THE CO-AUTHOR OF THE BOOK "THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT DAYS." SHE ENTERED DR. SANJAY CHOPRA IDENTIFY KEYS TO LEADING A HAPPY
LIFE.
NUMBER ONE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FRIENDS.
>> CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS CAREFULLY AND WISELY AND CELEBRATE.
NICOLE: HARVARD IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LONGEST-RUNNING STUDIES ON HAPPINESS.
IN 1938, RESEARCHERS STARTED FOLLOWING MORE THAN 700 MEN NOW IN THEIR 90’S.
THEIR FAMILIES ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE STUDY.
ITS FINDINGS ON FRIENDSHIP HAS HELD TRUE THROUGHOUT THE GENERATIONS.
>> THE MAJOR CONCLUSION IS THAT LONELINESS IS TOXIC.
OUR SATISFIED -- SATISFACTION IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS AT 50 IS A BETTER PREDICTOR OF LONGEVITY.
NICOLE: NUMBER TWO, FORGIVENESS.
LET IT GO, WHATEVER IT IS.
>> IF YOU’RE HOLDING A GRUDGE, GET RID OF IT.
IT IS HURTING YOU.
THE MOMENT YOU MAKE THAT DECISION YOU WILL FEEL THIS ENORMOUS WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS.
NICOLE: NUMBER THREE, GIVE.
>> SERVING OTHERS.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR DESTINY WILL BE, BUT ONE THING I AM CERTAIN OF, THE ONES AMONGST YOU WHO WILL BE TRULY HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO SOUGHT AND FOUND HOW TO SERVE.
NICOLE: A TRUISM THAT BRINGS US FULL CIRCLE TO THE BOOK TITLE.
THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT DAYS.
>> THE DAY YOU ARE BORN AND THE DAY YOU FIND OUT WHY.
THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE FOUND AND LIVE THEIR PURPOSE IN LIFE.
NICOLE: THE FINAL KEY.
>> GRATITUDE.
IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF GRATITUDE YOU WILL NEVER BE ON SPEAKING TERMS WITH HAPPINESS.
START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL.
EVERY SUNDAY EVENING AS YOU ARE REFLECTING ON YOUR LAST WEEK, REFLECT ON THE DAYS THAT JUST TRANSPIRED, WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR.
NICOLE: MISSING FROM OUR CONVERSATION SO FAR, MONEY.
IS IT THE FAST TRACK TO A HAPPY LIFE?
THE SHORT ANSWER, YES, BUT NOT FOR THOSE YOU THINK.
>> MONEY EQUALS HAPPINESS FOR A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
IT IS PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.
MONEY EQUALS HAPPINESS IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT, OR MY KIDS GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH FOOD TOMORROW?
DO WE HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO SLEEP?
NICOLE: HOW MUCH MONEY DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU HAPPY?
RESEARCHERS AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY SAY A SALARY OF $95,000 A YEAR CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR HAPPINESS.
THAT IS WHERE IT LEVELS OFF.
WHAT ABOUT THAT TWO DOLLAR TICKET TO A DREAM LIFE?
IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BEAT THE ODDS, IT MAY NOT LAST LONG.
HEDONIC ADAPTATION.
THE EXTRA HAPPY WEARS OFF.
>> IF SOMEBODY WINS $20 MILLION ON A SCRATCH TICKET, THEY WILL BE VERY HAPPY FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS.
AT THE END OF A YEAR, THEY ARE BACK TO BASELINE OR WORSE OFF.
>> THIS IS FOR $42 MILLION.
NICOLE: CHRONICLE SAW THIS WITH PAULINE AND BILLY MORE.
THE COUPLE HAD 42 MILLION REASONS TO BE HAPPY IN THE LATE 1990’S.
A BIG WINDFALL CAN BRING WITH IT BIG PROBLEMS.
>> I HAVE BEEN OSTRACIZED.
I HAVE BEEN THE BUT OF JOKES.
ALL OF A SUDDEN I DON’T HAVE ANY FEELINGS?
MOST OF THE TIME IT HAS SUCKED.
NICOLE: HOW DID PAULA FIND HER WAY BACK TO CONTENTMENT?
RETURNING TO HER PURPOSE.
>> I WORK FIVE DAYS A WEEK.
SOMETIMES I BRING MY WORK HOME.
I LOVE IT.
NICOLE: AT THE END OF THE DAY, NO MATTER HOW WE DEFINE IT.
EXPERTS SAY IT IS LESS ABOUT THE CHASE AND MORE ABOUT THE LIVING.
>> HAPPINESS CANNOT BE PURSUED.
IT MUST ENSUE AS THE UNINTENDED SIDE EFFECT OF DEDICATION TO A CAUSE GREATER THAN YOURSELF.
ANTHONY: ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, SMILING GIVES THE BRAIN AS MUCH PLEASURE AS 2000 BARS OF CHOCOLATE FOR $5,000.
DASHBOARD $25,000.
DR. CHOPRA RECOMMENDS WRITING DOWN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS EACH WEEKEND RAIDING IT -- AND RATING IT.