This is a
great article – and I felt compelled to share it with you. It’s a bit long so I’ve spread it out to three
blogs (22nd, 27th and the 29th). I couldn’t stop reading . . . it’s all about
‘how to become happier.’ J
Rita
Posted on Tuesday, August 6th,
2013
Happiness is so interesting, because we all
have different ideas about what it is and how to get it. It’s also no surprise
that it’s the Nr.1 value for Buffer’s culture, if you see our slidedeck about it. So naturally we are obsessed with it.
I would love to be happier, as I’m sure
most people would, so I thought it would be interesting to find some ways to
become a happier person that are actually backed up by science. Here are ten of
the best ones I found.
1. Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough
You might have seen some talk recently
about the scientific 7 minute workout mentioned in The
New York Times. So if you thought exercise was
something you didn’t have time for, maybe you can fit it in after all.
Exercise has such a profound effect on our
happiness and well-being that it’s actually been proven to be an effective
strategy for overcoming depression. In a study cited in Shawn Achor’s book, The
Happiness Advantage, three groups of patients
treated their depression with either medication, exercise, or a combination of
the two. The results of this study really surprised me. Although all three
groups experienced similar improvements in their happiness levels to begin
with, the follow up assessments proved to be radically different:
The groups were then tested six months later to assess their relapse rate.
Of those who had taken the medication alone, 38 percent had slipped back into
depression. Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better,
with a 31 percent relapse rate. The biggest shock, though, came from the
exercise group: Their relapse rate was only 9 percent!
You don’t have to be depressed to gain
benefit from exercise, though. It can help you to relax, increase your brain
power and even improve your body image, even if you don’t lose any weight.
A study
in the Journal of Health Psychology found that
people who exercised felt better about their bodies, even when they saw no
physical changes:
Body weight, shape and body image were assessed in 16 males and 18 females
before and after both 6 × 40 mins exercise and 6 × 40 mins reading. Over both
conditions, body weight and shape did not change. Various aspects of body
image, however, improved after exercise compared to before.
We’ve explored exercise in depth before, and looked at what it does to our brains,
such as releasing proteins and endorphins that make us feel happier, as you can see in the image below.
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