The pursuit of happiness is never-ending but only a few masters the art of living a happy life, most others follow a path that hardly leads to happiness. If you know what gives the real happiness and how to attain that, you can make better choices to live a happy life instead of going in a wrong direction. Here are a few lesser-known facts about happiness to enlighten you.
Money’s connect with happiness
The most common belief is that people who have a big pile of money and can afford to buy luxurious stuff are happier of all but this is certainly not true. Had it been true, millionaires would not be filing divorces and choosing to live alone, which again is a useless effort to find happiness. The happiness that you get with money is only momentary and fades away sooner than you imagine. Research shows that spending money over a treat with you friends gives you more happiness than buying something for yourself, which is a strange truth since most of us chose an altogether different option.
Give more to get more happiness
You can bring a smile on someone’s face by giving him/her something but the lesser-known fact is that the act of giving is more beneficial to the person who gives rather than the receiver. A study conducted by Dr. Stephan Post in 2006 shows that giving has a direct link with self-realization, life satisfaction and physical heath. Those who give feel relaxed less depressed and tend to live longer.
Empathize to attain happiness
No doubt when you empathize with someone, you strengthen your bond with him/her but along with it, you get less depressed, less worried, less judgmental and less frustrated about your problems of everyday life. A Professor of psychology at Wisconsin University, Richard Davidson was among the first one to make people aware of the benefits of empathizing with others. He believes that compassion is actually a skill that you can learn and it can even take the form of compassion for self.
Thoughts, actions and behavior determine happiness
The interaction of thoughts, behaviors and current circumstances of our lives determine our happiness. You can learn to be happy if you learn to control your thoughts, behavior and actions, which actually justifies the ongoing debate of developing a positive frame of mind. It sounds like a complex task but with practice, you can learn to be happy.
Reframe your thoughts and situation
It is quite an easy task, every time you find yourself thinking negative, say stop and reframe that thought into a positive one. For example instead of saying “I cannot do a certain task” try saying, “I sure can do it if I work hard.” Similar is the case with a situation, if your train is late, utilize that time to talk to your parents over the phone instead of cursing your fate and wasting your time taking a walk here and there. It helps you divert you attention and distract yourself.
Constant efforts to get happiness
Contrary to common belief, you have to put in constant efforts to find happiness or sustain it for a long time. Happiness is not something you get unexpectedly and it stays with you forever after that. Most events of your lives always give you a happiness that is only momentary, be it buying a new house, a luxury car or getting married.
Happiness is a unique combination of your happiness with life as a whole and happiness you get on a daily basis. You can learn to be happy since with constant practice you can control how you feel. Instead of running after worldly possessions, one must seek true happiness that stays forever.
