happiness by the numbers

Happify found me through this blog and asked me to be one of their beta users, and after trying it for a few months, I would definitely say it's worth trying.

They look at the science of happiness and offer exercises to check and improve your own levels of happiness.  You can choose a track to follow-- so you can work on whatever is important to you, whether it's fitness, family or career success, for example-- and change any time you want.

As a relatively happy person, I took a break from it after I finished one of their exercise series, thinking I didn't need it to be happy-- but when October became really stressful, I went back to happify and got myself back on track again.  It's a great tool to have in your arsenal that you might not need every day-- like meditation for some people-- and is a good reminder that we are in charge of our own happiness.

Here's an example of one of the articles you can read on their site (below).

Happiness by the Numbers: 8 Stats That Could Change Your Life

BY 

JESSICA CASSITY

What do the happiest people have in common? They have a handle on at least of few of these eight instant happiness boosters, some of which may already be elevating your mood.

6 or 7: The hours per day of socializing that leads to the highest levels of happiness

People who regularly spend about a quarter of their hours each day with family and friends are 12 times as likely to report feeling joyful rather than feeling stressed or anxious. The same Gallup poll found that people are happiest on weekends (no surprise there!), likely due in part to the amount of time spent with loved ones on these days.

46 ways to increase your happiness

I have been feeling pretty stressed lately (anyone else find October to be a stressful month?), and I found this article to be a great reminder.  I hope you're enjoying your October so far and that this can help increase your happiness, too.  (And maybe give you incentive to have more sex.)

Be Happy: 46 Proven Techniques to Increase Your Happiness and One Way to Get More Sex

By Brad Aronson   |   Posted in: Life Advice

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to be happier. Almost everyone loves being happy (and sometimes we desperately need to be happier), so why not see if we can find more of a good thing.

After a lot of research and testing, here are 46 ways I found to be happier.

By the way, most of these ideas are supported by science.

If you still need a reason to read this article, point #29 will help you get more sex.

Personal Development

1. See setbacks and obstacles as growth opportunities

   Jack Andraka was rejected by 199 research institutions before he found a home for his research and developed a breakthrough diagnostic cancer test (at age 15). Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school. It’s ok to fail and have challenges. Your failures are your best opportunities to learn. Hopefully, you can see them that way.

2. Let yourself be a novice

   No one begins as an expert. And, if you think about it, experts built the Titanic. A couple of students who didn’t know what they were doing built Google. Who would you rather be?

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff

   Before you get upset, ask yourself, “Will this matter tomorrow, next week or in a year?” If you get upset at someone who cut the line or a customer service representative or anyone else, you’re not hurting him. You’re only affecting your own happiness.

4. Don’t be a maximizer

   You can spend all day surfing the Internet to find the absolute best price on a new TV. Unless that is significant money for you don’t worry. Your gift doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be thoughtful. Your house can be clean, but it doesn’t have to be immaculate.
   Very good is good enough.
   This saves time, which none of us have enough of, and it reduces stress.