Factors of happiness

5. Friends: having a laugh with friends

Even though I'm quite an introvert, I do love spending time with a small group of friends. Even though I only meet up a couple of times per month, spending time with my friends has an amazing influence on my happiness. In fact, it has influenced my happiness on 466 days during the last 10 years. That comes down to about 14% of the days that are included in this analysis.
I agree with the famous saying: happiness is only real when shared. Luckily, I have some great friends with whom I can share my happiness. It's why this is the 5th biggest happiness factor for me personally.

6. Family: getting together with your family

It's no coincidence that the 6th biggest happiness factor is my family. Spending time with my family has influenced my happiness on 351 days during the analyzed period of time.
The truth is, I love spending time with my family, mainly my parents, brother, and sister. Like that time my brother, sister and I ran a marathon together. Or the many dinners at my parents' with the entire family. Or when my father takes me and my brother to Austria for a couple of days of hiking in the mountains.
I am extremely thankful for having a loving family, and it's no surprise to me that this is such a big factor in my happiness.

7. Sleep: feeling well-rested and sharp

This happiness factor is quite different than the rest. How can you quantify the amount of influence sleep has on your happiness?
It's actually quite easy. I've been tracking my sleep habits for a couple of years now, which has enabled me to determine how much sleep influences my happiness. The results were quite surprising to me. When I'm sleep-deprived, there is a much bigger chance of experiencing sadness - or unhappiness - when compared to days where I feel sharp and well-rested.
For example, a feeling of tiredness had a negative influence on my happiness during 363 days of the last 10 years. That's why I've determined sleep to be my 7th most important happiness factor