While happiness is fleeting by nature, there are ways to increase the frequency and duration of it, including intentionally building happiness habits into your day. Happiness habits can be simple, effective, and enjoyable mood boosters—obviously, that's the whole point! You do need to rewire your brain a bit though. Fortunately, that's not as hard as it sounds. You in?
In case happiness itself isn't enough of a draw, there's also a legit business case for it. In the book, The Happiness Advantage, author and researcher, Shawn Achor, refers to a meta-analysis of more than 200 scientific studies on happiness. The results, as well as Achor’s own findings from his research at Harvard, show that happiness leads to positive outcomes across our work, health, friendships, sociability, creativity, and energy.
That might not come as a shocker, but here's what surprised me—the research also shows that thriving actually starts with happiness, not the other way around. Wait, what?
Business Case for Happiness
It turns out that happiness is not only essential to our ability to thrive in work and life, but it’s actually the precursor to (not the result of) success. We're not more happy when we're successful, we're more successful when we're happy. According to Achor, “When we are happy—when our mindset and mood are positive—we are smarter, more motivated, and thus more successful. Happiness is the center, and success revolves around it.”
Of course, at work, we like to frame happiness in a way that reeks of corporate buzzword bingo. You got it, I'm talking about “employee engagement.” Employee engagement surveys and studies show that people who consider themselves to be happy are more engaged at work and find more meaning in what they do. When our work is meaningful and we feel connected, we do better work and we're more satisfied and successful doing it, which contributes right back to our happiness and engagement. It's a totally non-vicious cycle.
There's certainly no shortage of articles, experts, tips, and studies on increasing employee engagement—and there's all that (and more) on joy and happiness. Here's the thing: Going down that rabbit hole won't make you happier. I chased these rabbits for longer than I care to admit. In the end, I was more informed about joy, happiness, and even employee engagement, but I wasn’t happier at work. What made me happier was taking my happiness into my own hands and choosing it, every day. I did learn a few useful things chasing rabbits though. For instance, there’s a difference between joy and happiness.
Joy & Happiness: What's the Difference?
Happiness is a feeling. It’s temporary and it has a clear opposite, sadness. We all have our own ideas about happiness—and we naturally try to surround ourselves with the people, things, work, and experiences that we like because (no shocker) what we like “makes us happy.” However, if/when any of those things go away, so does the feeling of happiness because happiness is external, conditional. That doesn't mean we're sad forever though. Thankfully, that's temporary too.
Joy has a spiritual component—Not religious, although some experience it that way, but definitely spiritual. Joy doesn’t have an opposite. Nothing can “give you joy” because it comes from the very essence of your being. When joy bubbles up, it's effortless. There's a sense of spontaneous excitement or wonder. We can’t feel true joy unless we’re at ease, and that “peaceful, easy feeling” starts with presence. Living in the present moment, intentionally cultivating awareness though mindfulness practices, such as meditation, or having some other kind of spiritual practice can all be paths to awakening joy.
It boils down to this: Joy is a state of being that arises from within. Happiness is an ongoing choice we make. Good news! It’s not an either/or situation. And, if happiness is a choice, turning happiness into a habit makes the decision even easier, because now we're inviting our subconscious to the party to reinforce it.
Make Happiness a Habit
Fair warning: making happiness a habit does require some brain reprogramming. Fortunately, there's a lot of wisdom available on how to create and sustain habits.
In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg shares how MIT researchers discovered a three-part, neurological loop at the core of every habit. The cycle includes a Cue that’s associated with a specific Routine and Reward. When your brain receives and enjoys the reward, the next time you register the cue, you’re triggered to execute the routine and you expect to get the reward. Using this cycle as a framework, you can intentionally create new habits or change up existing habits by modifying part of the loop. It's also worth noting that repetition solidifies the habit and that both getting and anticipating rewards makes us happy. Yep, you read that right—we get a neurological happiness booster from both receiving and looking forward to the reward!
In addition, many organizational behavior researchers, religious institutions, Ivy League scholars, neuroscientists, and shamans agree on the power of ritual. Rituals can be elaborate ceremonies or as simple as a series of actions carried out in a standard way. In either case, studies have found that planned, repetitive behaviors can have a calming effect, helping us reduce anxiety and improve focus, concentration, attention, resilience, and performance. Taking the insights around habits and rituals a step farther, what happens when you make a ritual a habit? Well, now you're talking next-level happiness potential.
Next-Level Happiness Habits
To create your own happiness habit, consider the three components of the framework— Cue, Routine, and Reward. Now, if you make the routine part of the loop into a ritual, you can reap the benefits of ritual with the consistency of a habit—a next-level happiness habit (IMO). Here are a few guidelines to get started:
Find Your Cue: The cue is a trigger (in a good way). It's something specific that prompts you to take action in the moment. It could be a time of day (when you wake up, lunchtime, or more exact, like 11:11), a location (your office or the gym), an event or activity (waking the dog, making coffee, or doing laundry), an emotion (when you feel sad or bored), or something particular that you hear, smell, taste, touch, or see. It can even be a person.
Design Your Routine: Obviously, you want to pick something that you enjoy. Check out the "Happiness Hacks" in the section below for inspiration and keep it simple. If it’s uncomplicated, easy to fit into your day, and paired with something you do anyway (or experience often), you’ll be more likely to make it a habit. Consider how to make it a ritual: Is there a series of actions you can carry out in the same way every time?
Pinpoint Your Reward: The reward is tricky! It's gotta be something that you really want, something that satisfies a craving or motivates you. It's important to make sure you know what you’re really seeking (that’s what makes the habit stick). Example: walking outside, you might think sunshine or time with your dog is the reward. That could be the case; both can contribute to happiness. But, if you dig deep, you might find the reward you're actually seeking is peaceful solitude. Make sure you design another routine that gives you some alone time, so you get the reward you're craving even when the weather is nasty or someone else has dog duty covered.
Create Healthy Habits: The goal is to create positive habits that contribute to our overall happiness and wellness. Personally, I love dark chocolate and associate it with happiness, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for me to create a daily habit that includes an excessive chocolate binge. Just sayin.
Keep it Real: We can't be happy all the time. That would be weird. Creating happiness habits is not about encouraging fake happiness or toxic positivity. Depending on the circumstances, being happy could be awkward or creepy. So, keep it real. When it's impossible to be happy, having a meditation or mindfulness practice can help you tap into a deep sense of calm or inner peace.
Happiness Hacks
We all have naturally occurring happiness chemicals at work in our brains, and we can use our body's ability to produce these chemicals to reinforce our happiness habits. Looking for a few good happiness hacks? Try these no-brainer brain boosters:
Dopamine Hacks: Complete a task, express gratitude, celebrate wins (big & small), make time for self-care, listen to tunes you love, or eat a healthy snack you enjoy.
Oxytocin Hacks: Physical intimacy and human connection (massages, hugs, holding hands), play with a pet, give a compliment, or show someone kindness.
Serotonin Hacks: Feel and express gratitude, meditate, take a walk in nature, pause and breathe mindfully (even for a minute), exercise, or get some sunshine.
Endorphin Hacks: Do something that cracks you up (like watching funny videos) or gives you a good cry, eat dark chocolate or spicy foods if those are healthy for you, try essential oils (vanilla or lavender), or take a brisk/cold shower (3 minutes max).
There’s no correct way to create a happiness habit, so use your creativity! Also, you don't have to stop at one happiness habit. The more you choose to make happiness part of your day, the better. You really can't overdo things like being kind or expressing genuine gratitude.
It helps to have a sense of humor too. You’re the only one who has to know you're doing this happiness habit thing, so give yourself permission to laugh as you’re figuring it out. It’s hard to learn new habits (or be happy) when you’re too serious. Bring some levity into it. That's the whole point! The experience will be more enjoyable and more likely to work for you. Most importantly, keep at it. Repetition and consistency are essential to making habits stick.
Choose Happiness
However you go about it, this much is clear: Happiness is a choice we make. We can all choose to be happy. Not all the time (again, that would be weird), but more than we do when we leave happiness to chance. With this commitment, happiness is something we can train ourselves to embody. Yes, even at work.
The mindset shift to happiness starts with choosing to make happiness central to our lives. To choose happiness and keep choosing it. The happier we become, the more we influence the positive mindset of those around us. As Thich Nhat Hanh—Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, and teacher—writes in The Art of Living, “There’s no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.”
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