5 Research-Proven Ways to Increase Happiness
Glen / 
44 Comments / 
September 10th, 2009 / 
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I know scientifically proven would have made for a much better title, but I don’t think it’s ethical to call the research I have found scientific. However, in my travels, I have come across a number of ways to improve happiness based on tests performed in a controlled and professional environment.
Happiness is something that everyone is searching for. When we’re happy, life just feels great. Everything feels…right. Now, as happiness is a goal for many of us, there is a lot of advice out there. I’ve even wrote a post myself about attaining instant happiness, but today I wanted to share some proven examples.
One of the most common recommendations for increasing your levels of happiness is positive thinking. That could involve seeing the positive in certain situations or focusing on what we like about ourselves through affirmations. However, as research and my own personal experiences suggest, positive thinking can actually lead to unhappiness as you constantly remember what you don’t like and what you’re trying to resist.
Instead, let’s look at some exercises that research and my personal experience both agree with. I have included five of them because, after all, you can’t be too happy, right?
1. Write Things Down
In a survey, 90% of people stated that talking to other people about their problems is beneficial, but is that really the case? Emmanuelle Zach and Bernard Rime, two Belgian researchers, decided to test the idea. A large number of participants were divided into two groups. One group was asked to speak to a stranger about a serious and traumatic event in their lives, while the other group was asked to speak to a stranger about their typical day.
Although the first group thought that talking about the issue helped them, survey results taken after the test told a different story. In fact, their results were no different to that of the second group. Following this, the participants were then asked to write down their traumatic experiences on paper.
The result? They were clearly happier, more enthusiastic, and more energetic. The researchers concluded that when writing things down we can see the bigger picture and keep things in order, whereas talking can be muddled, confusing, and leave us focusing on the issue.
So, the next time something is bothering you, just write about it.
2. Purchase Experiences Over Goods
I used to be very materialistic in that I wanted to have the latest trainers, the latest phone, and a better computer than my friends. These days, I would much rather save my money for travelling the world than spending it on designer goods. Not only is this what I want to do, but according to psychologists Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich, it’s more likely to make me happier.
They pair conducted two experiments. The first was to ask people about an object or experience they had bought in order to improve their happiness, and how effective it had been. The second was to ask one group to think about an object and another group to think about a holiday. They were both then asked to mark their current mood on a scale of -4 (sad) to 4 (happy).
There was clear proof that those who had thought of experiences instead of possessions were much happier. They believe the reason behind this is that objects get old quickly, and the self esteem from them soon disappears. On the other hand, when we think about holidays, we only focus on the good parts, and forget about the plane delays or even the costs involved.
3. Give to Receive
Elizabeth Dunn and her colleagues from the University of British Columbia have performed numerous tests on the relationship between income, spending and happiness. They first sent out a national survey asking participants about their happiness, income level, and the amount of money they tend to spend on gifts for others or charity donations.
Another test involved them measuring the happiness and spending habits of employees, before and after they received a bonus of over $3,000 through their companies profit-sharing. The results that emerged clearly showed that those who spend money on others are far happier than those that spend it on themselves.
My brother became a father last week (picture below) and I surprised him with a large cheque to help him financially as I know he is struggling and I’m doing well. I still feel great about what I did so I can definitely relate to this study. Further research shows that it doesn’t have to be monetary giving though, even donating blood or helping out at a charity can allow you to feel fantastic.
4. Write About Someone You Care For
Just as writing down your problems can greatly improve your happiness, so can writing about a loved one according to researchers from Arizona State University. Kory Floyd and colleagues asked volunteers to write about someone they cared about, and why they did, for 20 minutes.
Another group were just asked to write about something that happened during the week as a control measure. This was repeated three times per week for five weeks. The results showed that those engaged in affectionate writing were significantly happier, had a reduction in stress, and even had much lower cholesterol levels.
5. Sit Up (Men Only)
Finally, I thought I would end with a very interesting and fun test conducted by Tomi-Ann Roberts at Colorado University. Of the two groups involved, one was asked to sit up straight in their chair while the others were asked to slouch. Both groups were then given a maths test and afterwards asked to rate their mood.
Those who sat upright were much happier and even scored a much greater score on the test. Results show that this didn’t apply to women, however, and it is thought they may be self conscious from sticking out their chest when sitting up straight.
So, if you have an exam coming up, or your sitting in front of a computer right now, you know what to do!
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Wow Glen!
Awesome article!
There are so many things to say about happiness!
I especially like the quote
“Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it the more it flies away, but turn your attention to other things, and it comes and sits softly on your shoulder”
Selfless giving to others is really rewarding, sharing your experiences, and watching someone else grow or succeed because of that, it’s fantastic!
I also think that to be truly happy, you have to be acceptant of yourself and your current situation. This doesn’t mean you cant work to improve it, but you have to accept that right now, you are who you are.
Great stuff!
Keep it up!
Stumbled!
Diggy
I definitely agree with that buddy!
Thanks for your comment
True story: when i was 18, I bought my very first car: a geo prism. (I know total pimp.) i hated making payments. then one day, i woke up and my car was stolen! who steals a geo prism! but what a relief! the car never turned up, and i got a huge insurance payment which i took and moved to NYC where I saw a lot more action than I ever did in my geo prism!
(p.s. but i did lose my bon jovi slippery when wet CD.)
Haha, typical Brian comment
Very funny, thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed this article too!
I disagree with Diggy above, though. I question the perspective on #3.
I don’t think giving to others is what contributes to overall happiness (though we do feel happy and content when we are able to help others).
I think you have to be happy before you freely give to others, like your check to your brother. You were in a good place so it was easy to give. People who are unhappy are less likely to be giving because unhappiness usually means you have a need that is not being met.
The way #3 is written does not contradict this argument. It says the study asked about happiness before the bonus and again after. Did it find that the ones who said they were happy before donated more as a group than the ones who said they weren’t? And maybe the ones who said they were unhappy before the bonus were able to meet a need (pay off a debt for, example) and so felt good enough to donate to their child’s booster club.
(None of this is to discourage anyone from being generous with their time or money of course! I just personally find that I am more giving when I’m happy, and the giving only adds to that happiness. It’s not the basis for it.)
None of the points are supposed to claim that they are a basis for the happiness in your life. Just like the title suggests, they are research proven ways to increase happiness so I don’t think you disagree at all.
Fabulous post! I think all of these are great ideas and I plan to make sure I’m putting them into act to increase my happiness.
Thanks Dani!
I’m curious, what are your thoughts on number 5?
Awesome post!
I have to say, simply practicing #3 in your list, “Give to Receive” alone can bring about a LOT of happiness and contentment in life. The world would be a much better place if more people would simply practice that step alone.
Thanks for the great post!
Dayne
TheHappySelf.com
Thank you Dayne,
I knew this would be a topic you’re interested in
I have thoughts on #5…
It struck me as soon as I read it, and since you asked Positively Present I figured I would give it a shot.
I think it has something to do with energy circulation. The main “energy road” according to esoteric sources on QiGong and Taoism is up the spine, then back down the front of the body. I can clearly imagine how slouching might hinder that circulation.
PS: I read your ebook and have started applying it, will comment on the appropriate post soon.
Thanks Charles,
I was more curious as to why it applies to men and not so much to women (i.e. being self conscious).
I’m printing this out and putting it on my refrigerator now!! Glen, you always have the best posts.
Awesome, thanks Carl!
Glen,
What a brilliant article. I love the tips on how to improve happiness. In a world where complaints and bitterness is found often, its refreshing to hear about how to improve happiness rather than complaining about happiness. I love all the suggestions in your post and the one thing that I lack in is sitting up. I always been a Laid Back kind of guy and I know I slouch, so I will try to make a more concience effort to sit up!
Hey Justin,
Glad you could take something from the post, and thanks for the kind words
Thanks for this enlightened material. It was yesterday I really got mad with my wife about talking and sharing her problems with her friends all the time over the phone and in real life. My advice to her was Talk it only to the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, I got more additional advice – write your problem down.
I agree with the idea. Jesus Christ says in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it shall be given unto you… runing over”. Giving means giving your life – time, strenght, money, smile, listen, handshake and etc.
Sometime, it is very hard to give. What shall one do during that time?
Hey Daniel, great to see you here.
Find out why you think it’s hard to give, and get over the obstacle. Or, maybe you’re just thinking you have to give too much.
- Glen
Interesting list.
For favorites, I’ll have to go with numbers 2 and 3. Being the eldest of four boys, I kinda had that “selfish” “give-me” thing going for me.
Luckily as I got older I found the bliss in learning to give and share a lot more. And having money for travel freedom and fun beats having a new toy to show off for a few weeks any day.
Definitely Ron, great example!
Thanks for your comment
I really enjoyed reading your post and nodded my head in agreement with your five tips. As I also published a post on happiness today too I linked to yours. Have a happy day!
I’m only going to try number 5
5 minutes later:
Yeah, it definitely feels good
Thanks for sharing Glen.
Haha hey Oscar,
Nice test
I love your tips, especially because they are proven by research. I have found that if I resolve the reasons I am unhappy, then happiness is right here. Our true nature is happiness, covered over by fear, worry, holding grudges, thinking critical thoughts about ourselves, being in conflict. This makes me so motivated to understand these entanglements, so I can be free of them – and happy!
Anything that changes your physiology in the moment is good as well. Dancing, smiling, singing, moving about changes your mood as well.
I love your list, Glen! Another tip to increase happiness is to love yourself. If you love yourself, people would automatically gravitate around you. Loving yourself doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. You can be imperfect but still feel good about yourself.
I think it’s great that things like happiness, motivation, goals etc can be quantified and turned into science. This means that it really is possible for every single person on earth to be happy and achieve everything they ever wanted by just following the science of personal achievement
There’s some good advice here, though I think it’s important to focus on non-monetary aspects of giving to recieve as well. If you have a particular talent (writing, juggling) then you can give your time and experience as well, especially if you’re low on cash. Sometimes it’s even more beneficial to the other party!
I regularly try to remember to sit up straight, but I’m not sure I’ve ever felt particularly self conscious about having my chest sticking out! Was this a question asked of the participants, or an assumption made about women’s self-esteem?
Amelia
It was an assumption to my knowledge.
Thanks for your comment, Amelia
I read somewhere that happiness is gratitude.
Being grateful for what you’ve got is the first step towards happiness. If you only focus on your shortcomings then it’s never going to get you anywhere. It only makes you feel frustrated.
A lot of people focus on what they don’t have, so they never acknowledge the beautiful things they already have in life. It could be simple things, like great friends, family, your wife/man, girlfriend/boyfriend.
Or singing, dancing… These two sure do work for me and I think for a lot of other people too. Lock yourself up in your room, close the curtains and sing and dance like nobody is watching and listening. Trust me, you will feel much better!
oh sorry forgot, I also think that happiness is a CHOICE!
What i’m trying to say is..
lets say you’re in ‘some situation’ right now..
It’s just a situation…it’s not a great or bad situation
It’s only BECOMES a bad/great situation if you give it a name/label..
So it’s HOW YOU PERCEIVE this situation that decides whether you end up happy or sad
It’s your choice whether you CHOICE to perceive the situation you’re in as BAD or GOOD, POSITIVE or NEGATIVE
If you see things negatively, then these thoughts trigger negative feelings inside of you…
And you start feeling bad.
there is no good/bad situation, it’s the way you perceive it
Now lets say you’re in debt, please don’t obsess over bills…
just let them go for now…they are there, but just don’t focus on it. Don’t focus on debts..
Focus on THE SOLUTION…
Katya
Of course Katya, and this is something that has been covered a number of times on the site.
This post isn’t really about why is happiness and where it comes from though, just some nice little examples to increase what is already within you.
Thanks for the great comments!
Nice post. I wonder how much research is out there that proves adopting a positive attitude increases happiness. It certainly works for me!
Incidentally, I just did a post on Giving. Giving is something we all could be doing more of but, sadly, too many of us think we are not in a position to give. When you consider how much emotional bang for your buck you’d get from donating $25 to help survivors of genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it’s worth it, I think.
So based on the writing things down (both 1 and 4) it sounds like keeping a diary might be a good idea.
Very interesting article!! Thank you very much for writing it
I was wondering if you could also tell me the names of the studies/link to them, as I’m interested in reading the original research! That would be absolutely amazing!!
Thanks and keep writing such great articles!!
K
Who knew siting up actually improved happiness…ME!lol.
Great post buddy!
Hey! your url is incorrect. Though you blog is really informative. Keep going
Know what Glen, whenever I feel depressed or out of form, I just go to flickr, find beautiful photos, watch slideshow, comment upon them and in just one or two hours, I am happier than anything
Great post. I really think #3 about understanding how giving works to exponentially increase happiness is some of the best advice out there. If we are able to align ourselves and actions with the golden rule and focus on what we are giving to others, you are so right that what we receive in return is a million times better and ultimately increases our own happiness.