Smile More! 3 Ways to Make Happiness a Reality

Do you find yourself struggling to find happiness? Does it often seem to be just out of reach?

Happiness isn’t an internal switch we can flip on and off. Feeling emotions like joy, pleasure or contentment can sometimes seem elusive, and harder on some days than others.

The truth is: we have more control over attaining happiness than we might believe. Research has revealed that about 40% of our happiness is determined by what we do, and that small changes to our behaviour can make us happier.

Being open to the possibilities that we can improve our own happiness helps. Thinking that our happiness levels are predetermined can derail your efforts to boost your sense of life satisfaction right from the start. One study found that people who believe happiness levels can change are more likely to report greater levels of wellbeing, as well as higher relationship and job satisfaction, than those who believe happiness is out of their control.

Finding a level of happiness is key to success on your WW journey. Why? Happier people make healthier choices—they eat healthier, engage in more physical activity and sleep better. It’s also a virtuous cycle, as those types of decisions in turn contribute to happiness!

Boosting your happiness reverberates into all areas of your life, science has shown, as happier people tend to have stronger communities and support, better work lives and more energy. Clearly, making the efforts to improve your happiness can pay off in all sorts of surprising ways.

Often, we get busy and prioritize other responsibilities over simply doing more of what we enjoy. We might not even realize that we’ve neglected to intentionally plan to do things that bring us happiness.

So, this week, try setting a goal to prioritize an enjoyable activity, as suggested in your [_Weekly_][jpeg dotcom 1]. Maybe it’s something that pops instantly to mind, but if not, you can use these three categories to spur an idea:

1. An activity you enjoy doing alone, such as painting landscapes, baking cookies, taking a steamy bubble bath, or reading a new book.

2. An activity you enjoy doing with others, like going out to dinner, strapping on some sturdy shoes for a hike, or checking out a local museum you’ve had on your must-see list.

3. An activity you find meaningful, which could be volunteering at the community center, sorting through the garage and attic for nice things to donate, or even tutoring a child.

After you complete the activity, reflect on it and consider how it made you feel. Did it make you happier? What thoughts and feelings stuck with you afterward?

A hint when choosing an activity: Consider one that you find satisfying and that requires your full attention, like cooking an unfamiliar recipe, drawing a complex or multifaceted subject, or going on a bike ride, as these types of activities have been associated with longer-term happiness.

Also, don’t set limits. If you feel like doing something more passive and relaxing, like watching a movie or listening to music, that’s OK too — it can still contribute to short-term enjoyment.

After trying an activity from one category, you may not want to stop there. Consider trying something different on another day. A touch of variety has been shown in research to have the greatest impact on overall happiness and life satisfaction.