The Science of Happiness: How To Get The Most Out Of Life

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• Tags: activities, Happiness, how of happiness, Intentional, Sonja Lyubomirsky, well-being

Are you using the right approach to get the most out of life?

Many of us are just spinning our wheels in the way we pursue life.  We want to be happy and we continually try to get what we want, but life just seems to always leave us feeling a little empty.

The good news is that there is a scientific approach to solving this dilemma!  If we apply these proven principles, we can actually experience more of what we want out of life.

What would make you happier?

Take a look at the list below and think about what you want out of life.  Would you rather:

• Win the lottery and become wealthy?
• Land the job of your dreams?
• Find and marry the perfect person?
• Have two adorable children?
• Own a bigger, more luxurious home?
• Have a more flexible work schedule?
• Live a healthier lifestyle?
• Get an extreme makeover?
• Be cured of a chronic illness or disability?

I imagine that most of us have desired one or more of the things on this list.  I sure have and it certainly isn’t wrong to want these things, but science tells us that none of them will make us substantially happier.  Surprised?

Research has shown that what we often believe we want from life really has very little to do with making us happier.  These things might give us a little boost, but they don’t lead to a true lasting sense that we are getting what we want out of life.

Do you ever feel like there just has to be more to life?

If you’ve ever felt that there just has to be more to life, then keep reading because I believe this information will help you.  It has certainly helped me get my head straight.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California has spent her career studying well-being and what truly makes us happy.  I recently read her book titled The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

It was fantastic!  I generally shy away from books written by a psychologists or anyone with the letters Ph.D. after their name, but I’m glad I made an exception this time.

Lyubomirsky and other researchers have discovered the factors that determine our happiness.  They concluded that about 50% of our well-being is determined by an inherited happiness set-point and that about 10% is a result of our circumstances as shown in the chart below.  The remaining 40% is within our power to control through intentional happiness activities.

Perhaps the most counterintuitive finding is that as the chart shows, only about 10% of the variance in our happiness levels is explained by differences in life circumstances or situations – that is, whether we are rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, beautiful or plain, married or divorced, etc.  ~ Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness

As you can see, we generally concentrate most of our effort in life on only 10% of the happiness pie!  Most of us, dwell on our circumstances.  We try to find happiness and significance in where we live, the quality of our relationships, our looks, our job and our financial condition

This is why there is a gap between what we want in life versus what we experience!  We are often ignoring 40% of what we could do to get the most out of life.  This leaves an incredible hole that we are trying to fill in all the wrong ways!

I don’t know how you feel about this information, but as someone that is interested in living life to it fullest, I found this to be a huge breakthrough!

Do you have a 40% hole in your life?

Please realize what I’m saying, we are like hamsters running on a spinning wheel!  We work harder, spend more and change everything (including spouses) in an attempt to fill that hole in our lives that never seems to be satisfied.  The only problem is we are doing all the wrong things!

All our effort goes toward changing our circumstances which only accounts for about 10% of our happiness!

What if we redirected our energy to doing the things scientists put in the 40% slice of the pie?  What if we engaged in the intentional happiness activities that real science shows leads to a lasting sense of well-being? 

I suggest that the hole or gap would be filled!  We could find true contentment and get more out of life in every way!  This is the breakthrough!

Why should we want to be happier?

Happiness is about more than just feeling good.  Science has discovered and Lyuromirsky points out in her book that happier people when compared to their less happy peers:

• Are more sociable, more charitable and more cooperative and better liked
• Are more likely to get and stay married and have more friends
• Show more flexibility and ingenuity and are generally more productive in their jobs
• Are better leaders and negotiators and earn more money
• Prove to be more resilient in the face of hardship
• Have stronger immune systems, are physically healthier and live longer

This is a very impressive list of benefits and it fits exactly with what I call super-charged living or living life to the absolute fullest!  Even if you feel completely satisfied with your life, this list should prompt you to wonder if you could be even happier!

What are the intentional happiness activities?

What kinds of intentional activities can we engage in to make ourselves happier?  Well, stay tuned because I’m going to write more about that over the coming days, but I promise that they are not difficult, weird or revolutionary in anyway.  The intentional happiness activities are simple, practical and common enough that anyone can do them.

It does take a little work to become happier, but the pay off is well worth it!  If you haven’t already, please be sure to subscribe via email or RSS so you won’t miss a single article in this series!

Do you want to be happier?  Are you looking forward to learning more?

Photo by Joseph Gray