RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND that different people need different do things to be happy. But there are some basic things that you can do to become happier. According to researcher Dan Buettner, the way to have long-term happiness is to make changes in six areas of our lives: Self, Home Financial Life, Social Life, Workplace, and Community.
Self
Your self includes your education, your health, and your sense of purpose---the feeling that you are doing something important. It's important to take care of yourself and to connect with the people around you. First, find a hobby. This gives you a chance to spend time focusing on your interests and talents and to meet people with similar interests. Denmark is one of the happiest countries on Earth, and 95 percent of Danes belong to clubs. You can also volunteer. Volunteering takes the focus off your own problems and makes you feel grateful for what you have.
Home
How you arrange your home can make you happier. Create a quiet, dark area where you can sit and relax. Paint your living room yellow it can increase energy and improve mood. It also helps to own a pet. Pets can increase their owners' self-esteem, make them feel calm, and provide love and friendship.
Financial Life
This is the way you think about and spend money. According to Ed Diener, author of Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological Wealth, the key to greater well-being is to have money, but not to want it too much. Try to spend money on things that give you long-lasting pleasure. Try not to waste money. Buy things that will really enrich your life, such as music lessons and dinners with friends and family.
Social Life
It's important to have a good group of friends and people you see or communicate with regularly. Have friends that encourage you to eat right, to be active, to laugh, and to do your best. Researchers have found that having a close, happy friend can raise a person's mood by nine percent, while each unhappy friend lowers it by seven percent. Create a special group of friends hat Okinawans call a moai. Meet with them regularly and share with them when you have more of something than you need. Support each other in difficult times.
Workplace
Your office, or wherever you spend your working hours, is a big part of your life. So it should be a place that you like. Find a job with people that you enjoy being around. That includes your boss. You don't want to spend 40 hours a week with people that you dislike. And do something that you feel strongly about. That's more important than a big salary.
Community
The place where you live is probably more important than any other factor, including income education, and religion. If possible, live near people who have about the same amount of money as you. Financial equality with your neighbors makes less aware of what you don't have. Live in a neighborhood where you feel safe and where you can walk a lot. Walking makes you healthier, and healthier people are happier people.