Science Says Your Overall Happiness Comes Down to 3 Timeless Strategies

Ensuring your happiness is paramount for various reasons, with many benefits you need to consider. First, it enhances both physical and mental health. Second, you are more likely to be engaged, focused, and resilient, even when faced with challenging situations. More important, your happiness can also positively impact your overall success on the job.

While there are myriad ways of boosting your happiness, I'll narrow it down to three proven strategies backed by science.?

1. Schedule downtime

Technology has brought about immense convenience and made our lives easier. Still, it has also presented new challenges that we have yet to overcome. Studies have shown that our constant need to remain connected and productive, even at odd hours, harms our brain. In fact, our brains are being overstimulated due to this addiction, which is making us lose focus and mental clarity.?

We must understand the importance of rest and renewal for our brain to stay sharp, focused, and productive during the day. Just like our sleeping brains have 90-minute cycles, where we move from light sleep to deep sleep and back out again, research has found that the same cycle also repeats itself during our waking hours. It has been suggested that we should take a 10-minute break after every 80 to 120 minutes to calm our brain activity.

Consider leaving gaps or "buffers" on your daily calendar to stop being busy and just take time to think (or meditate), take a nature walk, or have a casual conversation over coffee without discussing work. More busy?execs are penciling in downtime gaps where meetings are outlawed and an hour is taken for uninterrupted?and focused thinking. In other words, this is precious time that should be guarded. And that time will only be available if you carve it out for yourself.

2. Reward yourself by giving

We have all grown up hearing the saying, "It's better to give than to receive." But did you know that science has proven this to be true? Whether employed, unemployed, retired, or living off an inheritance, donating your money to others can lead to more happiness.

However, there is a catch. According to research published in the?International Journal of Happiness and Development (IJHD), the emotional rewards of giving are more significant when giving is connected to others. This means donating to an unfamiliar and anonymous charity will not raise your happiness levels as much as contributing to a cancer-stricken friend's GoFundMe Campaign would.

The findings suggest that "social giving" makes people happier. This is the first study to examine how social connection helps turn generous "prosocial" behavior, which benefits another person, into positive feelings for the donor. In summary, the social connection tied to the giving, whether to a person in need in your community or a grassroots charity close to your heart, gives the giver the greatest psychological benefit and boost of happiness.

3. Shift your mind toward optimism

Why is change so hard? Because change can be scary. We fear the unknown.?If you know something has?to change, your first priority is to embrace it with a positive attitude and see it as an opportunity to experience a life you've always imagined--one filled with more joy, excitement, and possibilities. That's optimism.

Optimistic people?infuse hope?into their work efforts while remaining realistic. Undoubtedly, we live in?stressful times; we're not all going to get along. But those who pursue work with optimism avoid the drama, focus on the future, set ambitious goals, acknowledge obstacles, and rejoice with outstretched arms when they reach the top of the mountain.

Shawn Achor, Harvard-trained happiness researcher and best-selling author of The Happiness Advantage, shares an important daily activity you can do in 2 minutes to shift toward optimism: Every morning, write a positive email or send a text thanking or praising a colleague, or compliment a boss/coworker, vendor, or client.?Do this for 21 days, for a different person each day. According to Achor, you'll experience a lasting shift in your mindset towards more positivity and optimism. He says people who do this become known as positive leaders with strong social connections--the greatest predictor of long-term happiness.

In summary, achieving happiness?is not just a fleeting, feel-good sentiment; it's a strategic imperative for personal success.

Article republished by Greg Herrera: Silicon Valley CEO Group; Helping leaders benefit their companies, families and society...