Factors of happiness

Spend more time with friends: Robert Waldinger is the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the largest studies on lifetime happiness every done. For over 75 years, he and his predecessors followed young kids throughout their whole lives, leading to one big takeaway: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.

Laugh: There is a feedback loop between your brain and your body, meaning that whatever you do physically has effects on your mental state. Simply flashing a little smile and standing up straight makes you happier immediately. Just try it out!

Money actually can buy happiness, if spent the right way: If you have $10, what should you do with it? If you want to be happy, research suggests you spend it on someone else. Buy some flowers for your wife, a toy for your kids, or dessert for your friend. You will thank yourself later.

Now, I hope this article got you thinking about what you actually want from life. We often look for happiness in the wrong places or blame bad luck in the genetic lottery for our misery, but through changing our thoughts and actions, we can all become happier.