(lively music)
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- [Narrator] Hey, Psych2Goers. Welcome back to our channel.
Thank you so much for all the support that you've given us.
Let's get into the video.
Have you ever wondered what it is
that makes others so happy?
What habits have they cultivated over the years
that continuously make them happy all around?
Theories from the Father of Positive Psychology,
Martin Seligman, suggest that 60% of happiness is determined
by our environment and genetics.
While that 40% is all on us.
It's important to know we can't be happy all the time.
Otherwise, there'd be no such thing as happiness.
It'd just be normal and constant,
and we wouldn't be able to tell what happiness was.
According to a study published in PLOS One,
the most frequent human emotion is joy,
followed by love and anxiety.
People experience positive emotions 2.5 times
more often than negative emotions
but also experience positive
and negative emotions simultaneously relatively frequently.
If joy can be frequent in others,
maybe we can develop some habits
that make happiness a frequent emotion in us as well.
You should never give up on happiness.
So to help you on your journey to joy,
here are 10 helpful habits of happy people.
Number one, accept the positives in life.
We often look past what is good
in our lives and focus on the negative.
We ruminate on the worst scenarios,
when instead, we should always imagine
what good can come from a situation.
A good habit is to accept and acknowledge
what you value and what makes you lucky.
There are more things you're grateful for than you think.
Number two, don't fake a smile.
Have you ever forced a smile
and then felt emotionally drained
from acting out an emotion you don't really feel?
Some of us have jobs that require us
to act in a certain way or smile all day.
But when you can, it's better to smile
only when you feel something positive.
A study published in the Academy of Management Journal
revealed faking a smile
when you feel a negative emotion
can likely worsen your mood.
Number three, hold onto your passions.
If you have free time, do what makes you happy.
What do you enjoy?
If you've had a long day and you just wanna sit back
and enjoy watching your favorite film
or playing your favorite video game,
this can relieve some of the pressure and leave you happy.
If you want happiness to last the next day or week,
leave some room for your passions as well.
If you have a skill you can improve and love doing,
you'll only see growth and better results
through time and practice,
and you'll enjoy it now and in the long run.
Number four, be around people you genuinely enjoy and love.
Spend time with people who make you happy
and remind you of what's worth living for.
Go ahead and consider if there's someone in your life
who makes you feel unhappy all the time.
It's best to keep
the healthy relationships you genuinely enjoy.
Studies have shown that people are indeed happiest
when around other happy people.
So gravitate towards that joyful person in your life.
Ask them to hang out, invite them over,
chat with them online.
It may just improve your joy as well.
Number five, give back.
Volunteer work has been found to improve mental health
as well as physical health.
So it's always a good idea to give back to others,
not only for their happiness, but for yours as well.
People who give experience the helper's high,
according to researchers.
This is a euphoric state that can be activated
when one acts in a charitable way.
This euphoria is due to the reward center
in our brains being triggered by the charitable act.
It's very similar to a drug-induced high.
Number six, enjoy simplicity.
Think about the little moments
in your life that make you smile.
Simple pleasures, nothing too big.
Can you think of them?
Go ahead. I'm waiting.
Yeah, you got one?
Why do you think you have this tiny experience stored
in your memory vault?
Because it's the simple moments we
often enjoy without realizing.
We're often happiest
when we don't realize we're feeling happy.
So take pleasure in the simple moments in life,
pouring a fresh cup of coffee,
sitting out on your porch, reading a good book.
No, this isn't a coffee commercial,
but it's in these little pleasures that we take for granted.
Number seven, consciously try to be happy,
and it will improve your emotional wellbeing.
You don't say?
Yeah, I know this sounds obvious and many of us have tried,
but according to research, this may just work for you.
Two studies published in the Journal of Positive Psychology
found those who actively tried to feel happier
during their study reported positive moods
at the highest level out of the subjects.
Number eight, find purpose in your life.
What is the meaning of life? What does it all mean?
The purpose of life isn't
what you should be entirely focused on.
Instead, you should explore what your purpose in life is.
Happy people are driven by their purpose.
This is something they decide
and it's something that makes them happy.
The possibilities are endless. What do you enjoy?
How can you incorporate that into your purpose of life?
Number nine, practice resilience.
You may be thinking the opposite of depression is happiness
but not according to Psychologist Peter Kramer.
Kramer suggests resilience is the opposite
of depression, not happiness.
The truth is even the happiest
of people have faced hardships
and worries and struggles still exist for them.
Everyone is bound to fall into the hole
of sadness every now and then,
but the happiest people foster resilience
and climb out of that hole despite how deep it may seem.
Be prepared for struggles
but be prepared to fight back no matter what.
And number 10, they value real conversations.
Cut the chitchat. Let us talk about something real.
What feelings do we want to express?
What are we holding back?
What makes us excited, passionate, happy?
Talk about these things.
One of the top five regrets of those dying is
that they wished they'd had the courage
to express their feelings throughout their life.
A study published in "Psychological Science"
further shows this habit is a must.
Researchers found that individuals
who take part in substantive conversation,
as opposed to small talk and unimportant topics,
had more feelings of satisfaction.
So when you're feeling gloomy about the weather,
it's not because it's raining.
It's because you're talking about the weather.
When in doubt, the meaning
of life is always a great conversation starter.
So which habits will you practice?
How will you implement them into your daily life?
Share with us and the many Psych2Goers
in the comments down below.
It may seem difficult now, but as quoted
by one of the greatest films of all time,
"Happiness is just a tear drop away."
Oh, good ole "Shrek 2." Now that makes me happy.
If you found this video helpful,
don't forget to click the like button and share this video
with someone who might need a little happiness.
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And as always, thanks so much for watching.