The ultimate currency for the human being is happiness. And like kindness, smiles and well-being, it’s universal and free.
How can we trigger the happiness hormones: endorphins, serotonine and dopamine?
Laughter is the best medicine – and it’s free. Laughter can help activate the happiness hormones, boost your mood, and decrease stress and anxiety. Engage in activities that naturally stimulate these hormones. Simple activities like exercising, spending time outdoors in the sunlight, listening to music, watching a funny video or comedy, spending time with the people you love or pets, get a massage or if you’re a woman a facial, have your hair styled, and even some shopping therapy, if it makes you feel good.
What’s important is to never underestimate the power of self-care and schedule regular acts of self love to practice these activities that release the happiness hormones. They can prevent stress from building up, so view them as your first line of defense against chronic stress, anxiety and poor sleep.
Can ice cream buy happiness? If you’re like me, ice-cream can make you happy and it’s on a budget too. “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy ice cream, and that’s kind of the same thing.” I agree with this statement partially – there are many things that make us happy, and ice-cream is only a part of the equation.
The power of your mind
“Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Your thoughts feed your happiness or unhappiness. Our thoughts influence the way we think. So make sure you pay attention to your thoughts, make sure you don’t let negative words from slipping in, practice gratitude and celebrate your successes, even the small ones.
Aromatherapy and happiness
Orange, grapefruit, bergamot and lemon are energizing and uplifting scents, scents that make us feel better and more confident. The smell of vanilla, rose, bergamot and lavender has been linked with the production of endorphins. When a fragrance reaches your brain, it releases feel-good endorphins and serotonin.
Aphrodisiac scents include lavender, vanilla, cinnamon, peppermint, and ginger.
Discover AromaTech scents – Fragrances for Living
The power of community
A Harvard study has proven that embracing community helps us live longer and be happier. Close relationships, more than money and fame, are what keep people most happy in their lives.
“The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health. said Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too.” The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at 80.
Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED
There are 2 industries that impact happiness: health and money.
Health and happiness are inextricably linked. A meta-analysis based on 24 studies estimated that happy people live 14% longer than persons who report that they are unhappy. In a survey of people living in industrial countries, happier people enjoy an increased longevity of between 7.5 and 10 years.
Book: The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People
Dan Buettner is a National Geographic explorer and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered 5 places in the world where people lived the healthiest and happiest lives, and shows you how to apply these lessons to your own life.
Meet the world’s happiest people: inspiring individuals from Denmark to the United States who reveal dynamic, practical ways to improve day-to-day living. This book offers a blueprint for what makes life more fulfilling, less stressful and just plain better.
“If you want to be happy, you have to have what I call a diversified portfolio of life satisfaction and good daily emotions and purpose,” Buettner said. “The Singapore experience teaches us that, yes, there is a brand of happiness where if you get rich and you think you’re happy, you are.”
Happiness is a choice. Commit 100 percent to the things that make you happy.