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The Science Behind the Smile
The Paradoxical Game Of Happiness
- People are always pushing towards finding happiness in whatever circumstances that are thrust upon them.
- Happiness and unhappiness both promote creativity, though of a different quality.
- Employees who have challenging but not impossible goals appear to be happy and productive, with high engagement levels and a sense of purpose.
- Contented employees which are too much into their comfort zones aren’t as creative as those who are a bit uncomfortable and have healthy levels of stress.
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11 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. What's the secret to happiness? That can differ according to the person involved. But we do know that happy people have different habits and think differently than those who are miserable.
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Key Ideas
Happy people are responsible
- They don't hold on to grudges. Forgiving and forgetting is absolutely necessary.
- They don't make excuses. They use failure as an opportunity to change for the better.
Happy people are well rounded people
- They savor the moment. They "stop to smell the roses".
- They're busy, but not rushed. A healthy work-life balance is key.
- They don't sweat the small stuff. They focus only of what is important and within their control.
Happy people invest in their relationships
- They spend money on others. One reason is that it creates social connections.
- They celebrate other people's success through "active and constructive" responding.
- They treat everyone with respect and kindness. Kindness, like happiness, is contagious.
- They're proactive about relationships. They work on maintaining their relationships.
- They express gratitude. It improves mood and energy and decreases anxiety.
- They engage in deep, meaningful conversations.
Happiness is the purpose of life. Despite this, only one in three Americans say they're very happy. Several years ago in an interview with Conan O'Brien, Louis C. K. tells of flying on a newly equipped Wi-Fi airplane. He was amazed by the new technology. Until, during the flight, the Wi-Fi went down.
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Key Idea
10 Behaviors for Happiness
- Let go of the need for specific outcomes
- Define your own success and happiness
- Fully commit to the things that make you happ...
Today, the average American family spends about 50 percent of their income on necessities like food and shelter, compared to almost 80 percent in 1901. But though the things we buy might make us happy in the moment, that feeling atrophies over time. Here's how to actually be happy with your purchases.
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Money And Happiness
The debate about how material belongings can get in the way of our happiness dates back hundreds of years:
- The Buddha talked about a balance between asceticism and pleasure.
The Hedonic Treadmill
The things we buy might make us happy in the moment, but that feeling fades away over time. This phenomenon is called the “hedonic treadmill."
We get used to things that we have, and when new, more attractive things catch our eye, we feel like we need to keep getting more stuff to maintain those feelings.
Money: Happiness Vs Misery
- Happiness is a really difficult topic to study, because it’s subjective, unstable, and intangible.
- Affluence has a certain impact on our well-being when it comes to satisfying our basic needs and standard of living, but in general, research shows that it is a weak predictor of happiness.
- Researchers agree on is this: there are ways to spend our money that are more likely to elicit joy.