10 Keys to Happier Living

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Jung, H., Seo, E., Han, E., Henderson, M. D., and Patall, E. A. (2020). Prosocial modeling: A meta-analytic review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin,146(8), 635

Baumeister, R.F. & Leary, M.R. (1995). The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529

I thought it would be interesting to explore the 10 Keys for Happier Living and see how we can apply them in our current climate after previously writing about the positive impact that the Five Ways to Wellbeing had upon my mental health recovery. Aknin, L. B., & Whillans, A. V. (2021). Helping and happiness: A review and guide for public policy.Social Issues and Policy Review,15(1), 3-34.; King, V. (2016) 10 Keys to Happier Living – A Practical Guide for Happiness. Hachette. Share your dreams. Tell three people about an aspiration that is really important to you this year and listen to theirs too. Scrunch and release your body – It’s called progressive muscle relaxation. Start with one body part – like your left foot or hand – tense it up as hard as you can, then slowly relax it, breathing out if you can, noticing how that feels. Then do the same with the right hand or foot, then your left leg or arm and so on moving through your body parts in turn. Mindfulness-based Programs: Every established intervention, from medicine to education (pp. 357-367).

Go for a nature walk – even if you are in a city. Take time to notice different shades of green, the beauty of a bare branch or spot birds and other wildlife. Niemiec, R. M., & Pearce, R. (2021). The practice of character strengths: Unifying definitions, Williams, J. C., & Lynn, S. J. (2010). Acceptance: An historical and conceptual review.Imagination, cognition and personality,30(1), 5-56. What did you love to do as a child? To what extent did these activities reflect your signature strengths now?What Works Centre for Wellbeing Briefing Paper (2020) Volunteer wellbeing: what works and who benefits? https://whatworkswellbeing.org/resources/volunteer-wellbeing-what-works-and-who-benefits/ People who have meaning and purpose in their lives feel more content, in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression. Where we find meaning and purpose will vary for each of us but they all involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves. Keep Calm. Stay Wise. Be Kind. Join the movement. Be the change. Zhang, J. W., Chen, S., & Tomova Shakur, T. K. (2020). From me to you: Self-compassion predicts acceptance of own and others’ imperfections.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,46(2), 228-242. Brown, K.W., Kasser,T., Ryan, R.M., Linley,P.A. & Orzech, K. (2009). When what one has is enough: Mindfulness, financial desire discrepancy and subjective well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 43, 727-736. Neff, K. D., & Costigan, A. P. (2014). Self-compassion, wellbeing, and happiness. Psychologie in

We might think of mindfulness practice as brain conditioning. Research suggests that regular practice literally changes our brains for the better. Mindfulness seems to have positive changes in the brain in those areas associated with regulating stress and the fight or flight response. Changes, such as the density of grey matter in the neuronal networks of the brain associated with attention, learning, memory, emotion regulation, self-awareness and compassion have been seen at the end of 8 weeks of an MBSR programme [22]. Both forms of practice have been found to boost our wellbeing and reduce anxiety, depression and stress or distress, albeit it is theorised, working through different pathways [25]. Both have also been shown to benefit our relationships, increase empathy and levels of compassion [26]. For example, a study found that people who attended a programme of weekly two-hour sessions of mindfulness over eight weeks were five times more likely to offer their seat to someone on crutches, whether a specific compassion focus was included or not [27]. However, a recent study indicated compassion cultivation training did have a larger impact on empathetic concern and a sense of common humanity with others [28].Huppert,F.A. (2018) Living Life Well: the role of mindfulness and compassion. In Eds Forgas, J. & Baumeister, R. (2018) The Social Psychology of Living Well. Routledge

Having close relationships with family or friends provides love, meaning, support and can increase our feelings of self-worth. Our broader social networks, like those in our local community or at school or work, can contribute to a sense of belonging. Indeed studies show people with strong relationships are happier, healthier and may even live longer [1,2,3,4,5]. Having a network of social connections or high levels of social support even appears to increase our immunity to infection, lower our risk of heart disease and reduce mental decline as we get older [7]. Aknin, L. B., Whillans, A. V., Norton, M. I., & Dunn, E. W. (2019). Happiness and prosocial behavior: An evaluation of the evidence.World Happiness Report 2019, 67-86. Okabe-Miyamoto, K., &; Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Social connection and well-being during COVID-19.World Happiness Report, 131-152. Self-compassion also benefits our connections with others, making us more able to see others’ perspective, more likely to forgive and be kind [17]. It also seems to help us accept others’ limitations and mistakes too [18]. In this book, Vanessa King of Action for Happiness has drawn on the latest scientific studies to create a set of evidence-based practical actions. They will help you connect with people, nurture your relationships and find purpose. You’ll get ideas for taking care of your body, making the most of what’s good and finding new ways to stimulate your mind.

Look for what's good

Killingsworth M. A., Gilbert D. T. (2010).A wandering mind is an unhappy mind.Science330932–932 10.1126/science.1192439[PubMed] in Psychology, 3863; Rashid, T., & McGrath, R. (2020). Strengths-based actions to enhance wellbeing in Do something for the first time today. Sample sushi, try a new route, read a different newspaper or visit a local place of interest. Common humanity – when we feel inadequate or ashamed, it can be very isolating. It can feel like we’re the only one that messes up. This can cause us to want to hide all or part of ourselves or disconnect from others. An important part of self-compassion is recognising that ALL human beings make mistakes, fail sometimes and are imperfect. It’s normal! Reminding ourselves of this can help to reduce difficult emotions and enables us to feel part of a shared human experience rather than alone [14].