Happiness; what everyone wants in life, right? I would think so. Most people want to live “happily ever after”. Well, most of the time that doesn’t happen. Everyone has things in their life that aren’t so happy. That’s just how it goes in life. Happiness affects everyone, whether you like it or not. I’m pretty happy most of the time, but we all have bad days, right? Sometimes people have bad days, weeks, months, or even years. You can always try to make life as enjoyable as possible. These people improve the lives of others by being positive most of the time. I strive to be a positive role model, like those people.

Does happiness affect your health?

Studies show that yes, happiness affects your health physically and mentally. According to the article, “The sustained activation of the body’s stress response system resulting from such early life experiences as chronic neglect, exposure to violence, or living alone with a parent suffering severe mental illness—has harmful effects on the brain and other organ systems” (Sara Rimer, Harvard T.H Chan). This means, if you were to have or had something bad, or upsetting while you were younger, it might be harder to be happy when you get older. Obviously, stress and trauma aren’t good, they’re awful. In that citation, it says, “living alone with a parent suffering severe mental illness—has harmful effects on the brain and other organ systems.” this proves that your attitude towards others, affects their attitude as well.

Studies show that being positive helps you be more productive and organized. If you were to go into a job interview with a mad look on your face, people are going to notice that and think that you’re generally a mad person. You have 30 seconds to make a good first impression on someone. If I were interviewing someone and I could tell that they were upset, I wouldn’t want to be around them, and I don’t think other people would either.  People enjoy being around positive people because they have “good vibes”.

How to be happier

Even if you’re already cheerful and energetic most of the time, there’s always something you can do to help others be cheerful. There are several other exercises, or things you can do to be more jubilant than you are now. One of those things is to sleep more. Studies show, “Exercise has such a profound effect on our happiness and well-being that it is an effective strategy for overcoming depression” (Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage). Even if you aren’t depressed, exercising can still help you be more upbeat. Just don’t stress about not going to the gym enough! Sleeping more also helps you ignore negativity. After an exhausting day at work, school, or practice all you want to do, is go home. This is really good for you. It relieves stress and helps you relax.

Studies show that if you meditate once or twice a day, you will be more relieved of stress and gratified. After 8 weeks of meditation, your brain shape can start to actually change. Meditating helps you be less tense. (I used to meditate, but I don’t seem to find time for it anymore. I usually did it before I went to bed and it would help me sleep better.) Scientists did a study on people who have more recently started meditating vs. buddhist monks and they observed that buddhist monks are more empathetic. Some people think that meditation is for hippies or weird people, but I think it’s pretty normal. And there is more to meditating than just crossing your legs and saying “omm”. That’s just the common way of meditation. But there are different forms/exercises you can do to meditate. Such as breathing, or doing different brain warm ups. Since your brain controls all of you, why not give it a break sometimes? I use the apps, Smiling Mind, and an app called Calm. I found these to work the best for me.

Gratitude

Being positive will help you with so much. I love people who are always in a good mood; they make me laugh, and inspire me to be better. Just a couple words can change someone’s perspective on everything, whether it’s nice things or bad. No matter what you say, it will take an effect on someone or something. I remember one time, I was having a really bad day, then someone walked up to me and complimented my outfit. It made my day and I was in a great mood for the rest of the day. Kindness spreads quickly. All you have to do is talk to someone, it isn’t hard at all. It is super simple to improve the lives of others using happiness.