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Gratitude was always part of her happiness routine, but when Sienna Saint-Cyr started practising yoga for gratitude, she found a new lightness, peace and energy within. Gratitude – and gratitude yoga – is a catalyst for happiness. When we're grateful for what we have, we stop focusing on the things we lack. But why exactly? Gratitude expert Robert Emmons shares that when people help one another, they feel happier. The actions they take release the feel-good hormone oxytocin. It's this same chemical that positive touch activates. So, while gratitude itself doesn't release the happiness hormone, the actions we take when we are full of gratitude do. From my personal experience, I know that holding gratitude in my heart and mind always leads me to feel happier. For me, it’s not just the actions I take but the reminder that I have so much to be thankful and appreciative for. That alone can get my thinking from dark and depressed to being full of joy. Gratitude is a vital step in my happiness and the benefits of gratitude practice are many. Gratitude yoga: what is it? Since I’d already tried compassion yoga with Adriene, I wanted to try 'Grounding Into Gratitude – Root Chakra Yoga' with her as well. Gratitude – in my experience – is more practical as opposed to just a ‘feeling’, so incorporating it into my yoga practice sounded like an excellent method for increasing my gratitude and, therefore, happiness. “Gratitude and gratitude yoga is a catalyst for happiness. When we're grateful for what we have, we stop focusing on what we lack.” Right from the start, Adriene asked that we trust ourselves, her, and the gratitude yoga practice. She opens with a request that we are the ‘observer’. It made perfect sense, since, in order to feel full of gratitude, we have to be able to observe the good happening around us. It takes us from a place of internal focus and allows us to look outward. This video is also shorter than the last, only about 30 minutes. So it’s a good one for those that don’t have a full hour for daily practice. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Gratitude yoga from Adriene Connecting to chakras Next, Adriene has the practitioners focus their energy in their root chakra, which is the space right behind the pubic bone. Our root chakra is our base, foundation, our connection to the Earth and the physical. When it's out of balance, we can experience higher levels of negativity, trouble eating, greater insecurity, greediness, and more. With all the negative aspects of the root being out of balance, having a practice that focuses on balance seemed the right choice. While I mentioned the heart chakra in compassion yoga, I didn't get much into it. But in this case, understanding chakras is helpful as they're often used in yoga to focus on a particular area of the body, an energy flow. The chakras are associated with seven energy points in the body, colours, organs, and they have corresponding yoga poses to help balance them. Because yoga and balancing the mind, body, and spirit are very connected to the thoughts in our heads, Yoga Journal uses words like ‘imagine’, which took the idea of the chakras from a place of ‘this is real, and therefore we must prove it’ to a place of ‘this is real in my mind and therefore, helpful for visualisations during my practice’. I mention this because when I go to therapy, we often discuss the differences between things that are proven scientifically and things we simply believe. Belief is powerful; there’s no doubt about it. But science and belief aren't the same. So, if you're new to the idea of chakras and desire a science-based explanation, you might do better with the idea of chakras as visualisations as opposed to actual energy points in the body. For our purposes here, the root is our base and our balance. Gratitude yoga: the practice The first gratitude yoga pose in which I felt my energy and grounding – or connection to the earth – was the Malasana pose. It was hard to stay in it at first, as I felt unbalanced. But I kept trying. Slowly, my hips opened. I felt my energy shoot from my root down through the floor and into the earth, then fresh energy back up into me. I visualized this energy, and the more I did so, the sturdier I felt. Gratitude yoga: Malasana pose Finally, I was able to stay in the gratitude yoga pose and fully embrace that feeling of balance, which then led to me feeling so much giddy happiness. Because when I feel balanced, I feel like I can trust myself, and that is a vital step in maintaining my joy. During a variation of Malasana, Adriene has the practitioner work with their feet. She mentions that feet are an essential step in finding grounding. Since my feet often ache, I took what she said to heart and massaged my feet while rocking back and forth in a sort of frog-like squat. It’s close to Malasana, but not quite the same. “Slowly my hips opened. I felt my energy shoot from my root down through the floor and into the earth, then fresh energy back up into me!” I found this helped me relax into the more challenging poses later on. If I was struggling with balance, I rubbed the bottoms of my feet for 30 seconds, and I was instantly able to balance more efficiently. Another gratitude yoga pose I found helpful was called Humble Warrior. I’d done Warrior pose many times, even Peaceful Warrior, but not Humble. I was amazed how much this pose released in my body. All the tension I carry in my shoulders and neck began to loosen, and the longer I maintained the posture, the more I felt the release. Yoga for gratitude: Humble Warrior pose Gratitude yoga: 'I am,' and happiness I can’t deny that when I finished the video that I felt lighter, more grounded, connected to Earth, and at peace with myself. One of the mantras Adriene used — because as she stated in the video, it relates to the root chakra — was ‘I am’. During the entire session, I focused on gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life, for the healing in myself that I've allowed happening and worked so hard for, and also the thought 'I am'. I kept repeating ‘I am’ in my head. Sometimes I’d say it aloud. Each time, I felt more accepting of myself. Less judgement and self-shaming behaviour for all the things I am not. I've known about ‘I am’ for years now. In fact, my first introduction to it was when I was young and being raised in a religious household. I was told that this was God’s response when asked what he was. Later I was shown meditations and Native American and Buddhist practices that also incorporated it. “When I finished the gratitude yoga video I felt lighter, more grounded, connected to Earth, and at peace with myself.” But I didn't understand that really all ‘I am’ means is acceptance and embracing of the self. It’s not to embrace my bad habits, but to embrace that I have those bad habits and to choose to love myself anyway. It’s in accepting myself fully that I find the ability to break my bad habits. Not only is the mantra ‘I am’ helpful for self-acceptance, but it’s also useful for gratitude toward others, as well as affirmations: I am thankful… I am grateful… I am happy… Self-acceptance is an important step on our path to happiness. In fact, self-help books and too-large goal setting can lead to unhappiness. There's a ‘should be’ and ‘should do’ mentality and it directly leads to ‘I am not enough’. The right place to start with developing one self though is self-acceptance and being happy enough. While self-acceptance – 'I am' – can result in seeing our worth as we are. As I mentioned above, this isn't reason to perpetuate bad habits. What it is is an opportunity for embracing ourselves and loving who we are. I feel gratitude, the ‘I am’ mantra, and happiness are connected. I didn't possess any of these until I jumped onto the wheel (as I see it in my mind’s eye). Once I had gratitude, I felt happier. Once I felt happier, I was able to accept the parts of myself that I was judging. Then when I let go of self-judgement, I felt a deeper level of gratitude. If I stay on this wheel, these things feed one another, and I end up feeling each stronger. Give yoga for gratitude a try and also read on for yoga for moodswings, part three of this series. Namaste! ● Main image: colourbox.com. Other images: Yoga with Adriene Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more. happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? 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Wie entsteht Glück? Was passiert in unserem Gehirn, wenn wir glücklich sind? Tine vom happiness.com-Team hat sich mit diesen Fragen näher beschäftigt. Sie ist im April nach Nürnberg zum "Hirn im Glück" - Symposium Kortizes gereist und hat dort erfahren wie Freude, Liebe und Hoffnung aus Sicht der Neurowissenschaften zusammenhängen. Weil ein ganzes Wochenende geballtes Wissen nicht in einen Artikel passte, gibt es für euch zwei zu Lesen. Der erste unserer beiden Artikel zu Symposium Kortizes mit dem Titel "Von Glück, Sinn und einem gelingenden Leben" beschäftigte sich mit einer genaueren Definition von Glück, dem PERMA Modell von Martin Seligman sowie der Positiven Psychologie. Hier im zweiten Artikel wenden wir uns weiteren Faktoren zu, die unser subjektives Wohlbefinden beeinflussen. Flow Völlig vertieft in eine Aufgabe, die scheinbar von selbst von der Hand geht: Wann warst du das letzte Mal im Flow? Im Flow - erstmal 1975 von Mihály Csíkszentmihályi beschrieben - geht der Mensch völlig in seiner Tätigkeit auf und die Zeit vergeht wie im Flug. Der Flow Zustand stellt die perfekte Balance zwischen Anforderung und Fähigkeit dar, aus Anspanung und Entspannung. Durch Flow Erlebnisse wird die Leistungsfähigkeit sowie die Lernleistung gesteigert und sie wirken sich positiv auf das allgemeine Wohlbefinden aus erzeugen positiven Emotionen (Punkt 1 des PERMA Modell). Zudem weiss Prof. Dr. Corinna Peifer zu berichten, dass Flow Erlebnisse ansteckend sind und Flow Erlebnisse auch in Stress relevanten Situatinen stattfinden. Was fördert den Flow am Arbeitsplatz? Klare Ziele (SMART Ziele) Klares Feedback Aufgabenvielfalt (ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zwischen Anforderung und Fähigkeiten) Autonomie Identifikation mit der Aufgabe Relevanz und Bedeutsamkeit der Aufgabe Soziale Unterstützung (Coaching durch Führungskräfte Spaß mit Kollegen) Allerdings werden z.B. auch Computerspiele nach Flow unterstützenden Prinzipien erstellt, um den User besonders lange an sich zu binden. Funktioniert fast von allein: Das Flow Gefühl kann beim Arbeiten, Sport, Kochen oder anderswo eintreten. Beziehungen und zwischenmenschliche Interaktionen Diesem Bereich widmete sich besonders der Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Silke Anders. Sie erforscht unter anderem den Nucleus accumbens - eines Teils des unteren Vorderhirn, der eine entscheidende Rolle im Belohnungssystem und auch bei der Entwicklung von Sucht spielt. Von ihr erfahren wir, dass besseres Verständnis des anderen zu mehr Anziehung führt, vermutlich da in diesem Fall die beiden Personen über ein ähnlicheres neuronales Vokabular verfügen, welches die Kommunikation einfacher und befriedigender macht. Paare können sich demnach besonders gut in Emotionen wie Freude oder Ekel beim anderen hineinversetzen. Überraschend ist, dass Ärger vom Partner*innen gleich intensiv gespiegelt wird wie von Fremden. In guten wie in schlechten Zeiten: Das gilt auch für unser neuronales Vokabular Übung: "Verstehen fördern" Bei Nichtverstehen, Unklarheit, oder Unzufriedenheit mit der Aussage des Gegenübers wiederholen, was man verstanden hat. Dann nachfragen, ob es das war, was der andere zum Ausdruck bringen wollte. Wir können uns des Nichtverstehens anderen gegenüber bewusst werden. Dadurch arbeiten wir auch bewusst am Verstehen arbeiten, was die Sympathie, Freundschaft und damit auch das Wohlbefinden verstärkt. Glück und die Wirtschaftswissenschaften Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Ruckriegel zeigte auf, dass das Wohlbefinden und humanistische Werte zunehmend Einzug in Politik und Wirtschaft finden. Auch hier kommt das PERMA Modell zum Einsatz. Die 5 Säulen des gelingenden Lebens nach Martin Seligman werden hier im Bezug auf positive leadership betrachtet. U.a. hat die OECD den Better Life Index erstellt. Das globale Glück wird im World Happiness Report erfasst, ebenfalls von der OECD kommen die Richtlinien für das subjektive Wohlbefinden, womit die Entwicklung des Glücks messbar und damit vergleichbar gemacht werden soll. In diesen Richtlinien werden zur Bewertung des subjektive Wohlbefindens u.a. diese drei Bereiche betrachtet: Life Evaluation: Die reflektierende Bewertung des Lebens einer Person oder eines spezifischen Aspekts daraus Affekt: Die Gefühle oder emotionalen Zustände einer Person, üblicherweise im Bezug auf einen konkreten Zeitpunkt gemessen Eudaimonia: Das Gefühl von Sinn/ Bedeutung im Leben, gute psychologische Funktion. Diese Richtlinien alleine umfassen 270 Seiten. Sie und auch die Einführung des World Happiness Reports in 2012 zeigen, dass das Wohlbefinden der Bevölkerung zunehmen auch Einzug in Politik und Wirtschaft nimmt. Wie lässt sich Glück messen? Die OECD hat einen Vorschlag Die „richtige“ Beziehungsform Zur romantischen Liebe bzw. der „idealen“/„natürlichen“ Beziehungsform des Menschen äußerte sich im Anschluss Prof. Dr. Thomas Junker. Die Hodengröße des Mannes , sowie dem Größenunterschied zwischen Männern und Frauen im Vergleich zu unseren nächsten Verwandten, lässt darauf schliessen, dass aus evolutionsbiologischer Sicht die Menschen in Paarbeziehungen lebten oder ein Mann mit maximal 1-4 Frauen. Ungewöhnlich am Sexualverhalten des Menschen ist jedoch die Paarbindung in Verbindung mit wesentlich häufigerem Sex, als es zur Fortpflanzung notwendig wäre. Die Frau signalisiert ihre Fruchtbarkeit nicht. Dieses Verhalten ist dadurch zu erklären, dass es die Paarbindung stärkt und somit in einer gemischten Gruppe, in der Seitenprünge einfach möglich wären, Stabilität erzeugt. In der Liebe gibt es kein "richtig" oder "falsch": Liebe ist Liebe! Positive Sexualität Beim Thema Sexualität, die auf unser Wohlbefinden und eine gelungene Beziehung ebenfalls einen entscheidenden Einfluss hat, übernahm Frau Dr. Vera Ludwig. Laut einer von ihr durchgeführten Umfrage sind folgende Faktoren für großartigen Sex besonders wichtig: Ganz im Moment sein, fokusiert sein, im Körper sein Verbindung, miteinander „Schwingen“ Tiefe sexuelle und erotische Intimität aussergewöhnliche Kommunikation und Empathie Authentizität, sich selbst sein Transzendenz Risikofreudig sein, erkunden, Spass haben Verletzlich sein, sich hingeben, Vertrauen Intensive körperliche Empfindungen/ Orgasmus, sowie Lust/ Verlangen/ Chemie/ Anziehungskraft wurden durchaus auch genannt, standen bei den Befragten aber nicht im Vordergrund. Großartiger Sex: Bedeutet nicht unbedingt großartige Orgasmen Weisheit Am dritten Tag des Symposium spricht Prof. Dr. Judith Glück über Weisheit und stellt uns in diesem Zug weitere 5 Säulen eines gelingenden Lebens vor, die für das Erlangen von Weisheit relevant sind: Offenheit Emotionsregulierung – guter Umgang mit Gefühlen Einfühlungsvermögen (Selbst-) kritisches Reflektieren Überwindung der Kontrollillusion Basierend auf ihren Untersuchungen scheint es einen Zusammenhang zwischen Weisheit und Glück zu geben. Wer weise ist, scheint auch zufriedener, dankbarer und glücklicher zu sein. Umgekehrt scheint das persönliche Wohlbefinden jedoch von der Weisheit unabhängig zu sein. Man könnte also vermuten: zum Glücklichsein muss man nicht weise sein, aber Weisheit bringt Glück mit sich. Um Weisheit zu erlangen bedarf es mehr „Arbeit": aktive, intensive, kritische und auch schmerzhafte Selbstreflektion. Weise Menschen befassen sich intensiv mit ihren Fehlern und Schwächen statt zu Verdrängen oder zu Ignorieren. Sie schauen genau hin, auch wenn es weh tut. Die Ergebnisse hängen jedoch auch stark davon ab, wie Weisheit definiert bzw. gemessen wird. Weisheit erlangen bedeutet hinsehen: Auch dahin, wo es wehtut Musik und Glück Unter dem Titel „Good Vibrations“ befasst sich Prof. Dr. Stefan Kölsch mit der Frage ob und wie Musik uns glücklich machen kann. Das Hirnalter bei Musizierenden ist geringer als ihr biologisches Alter. Dieser Effekt ist bei Hobbymusikern besonders ausgeprägt und könnte durch den geringeren Leistungsdruck und damit dem Mehr an Spaß erklärt werden. Musik hat darüber hinaus auch eine schmerzstillende Wirkung. Diese wird verstärkt, wenn wir uns auf die Musik konzentrieren und an ihr teilhaben wie z.b. mitwippen. Vertrautheit mit dem Stil, Vorhersageprozesse, Erwartungen und das Kennen der Regeln der Musik sind entscheidende Faktoren Musik zu mögen und zu geniessen. Sie können damit aber auch zu einem gewissen Maß erlernt werden. Ebenso lässt sich Musik bei der Suchtbekämpfung unterstützend einsetzen. Bei der Konzentration auf das Suchtobjekt wird vom Hirn bereits ein kleiner Belohnungsteaser ausgeschüttet, der es erschwert, der Sucht zu wiederstehen. Wer sich in diesem Moment statt dessen auf Musik konzentriert, kann diesem Effekt entgehen. Beim Einsatz von Musik sind zwei Dinge zu beachten. Wenn Musik traumatische Erinnerungen triggert ist davon natürlich abzuraten. Bei depressiven Patienten kann eine entsprechend zur Stimmung passende Musik diese verstärken und das Überwinden erschweren. Daher sollten diese Patienten eine Playlist hören, die sie in der aktuellen Ist-Stimmung abholt, dann aber langsam zur gewollten Soll-Stimmung führt. Musik hält jung und lindert Schmerzen Philosopie und Ethik Mit dem Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Franz Josef Wetz endete das Symposium mit einem erdenden Vortag, der die Erwartungen an unser Glück - zumindest aus meiner Sicht - wieder auf den Boden des Realistischen holten. Auf den ersten Blick etwas ernüchternd, aber nach dem, was wir zuvor gelernet hatten durchaus unserem Glück zuträglich. Schließlich hatten wir ja gelernt, das überzogene Erwartungen zu Enttäuschung führen, wie man in unseren doch eigentlich bequemen Leben sehen kann. Die erhöhten Entlastungen gehen mit erhöhten Erwartungen einher. Die Sensibilität für das Wenige was fehlt, steigt. "Ein glückliches Leben weiss nicht, das es glücklich ist." Franz Josef Wetz Mit den Erwartungen ans Glücklichsein am Boden bleiben: Ein wichtiges Erfolgsrezept beim Streben nach Glück Fazit Das Symposium hat keine entscheident neuen Erkenntnsse gebracht, aber Bekanntes souverän und gut verständlich auf stabilere, fundiertere Beine gestellt. Dadurch wird ein tieferes Verständnis in die Psyche des Menschen und unsere Funktionsweise ermöglicht. Vielleicht werden dadurch Schritte auf dem Pfad des gelungen Leben einfacher und intuitiver. Wir Menschen sind Leidflüchter und Glückssucher. Da der Schmerz auch für Leidflüchter unvermeidlich ist, ist es wichtig zu lernen richtig, damit umzugehen, sodass möglichst wenig zusätzliches Leid für uns und andere entsteht. Vielleicht schaffen wir es sogar am Unvermeidlichen zu wachsen oder bei intensiver, ehrlicher Auseinandersetzung dabei weise zu werden. Dem Glückssucher in uns ist zu raten, doch das Glück vor der eigenen Nase zu entdecken und schätzen zu lernen, tiefe Freundschaften zu pflegen und die Menschen um uns zu sehen. Im Moment und authentisch zu sein, Erwartungen zu managen, Dankbarkeit zu entwickeln, Sinn im Tun, im eigenen Leben zu finden. Womit auch dieser Artikel um einen abschliessenden Verweis auf das PERMA Modell P - Positive Gefühle E - Engagement R - Relationships M - Meaning A - Accomplishment nicht herumkommt, mit dem der erste Teil bereits begonnen hatte. Mit dem zusätzlichen Hinweis, dass die wirkliche Arbeit - wie so oft - darin steckt, die für einen selbst relevante Anwendung bzw. Ausprägung zu leben. Viel Glück! ? Vortragsfolien Geschrieben von Tine Steiss Tine ist Teil des happiness.com Team. Sie ist Künstlerin, Medieningenieurin und MBSR Trainerin. Wenn sie nicht auf Reisen ist, verwandelt sie ihre Dachterrasse in einen paradiesischen Garten. Erfahre mehr über Tine auf: Instagram.

3 Tage und 12 spannende Vorträge im Germanischen Museum Nürnberg zu Zusammenhängen der Hirnfunktionen mit verschiedensten Aspekten des Glücks im Rahmen des alljährliches Symposiums, organisiert vom Kortizes-Institut für populärwissenschaftlichen Diskurs: Tine von happiness.com war beim Symposium Kortizes und fasst in zwei Artikeln die Vorträge und Erkenntnisse dieses spannenden und auf hohem Niveau trotzdem gut verständlichen (und dabei sogar erschwinglichen) Symposiums für unser happiness Magazin zusammen. Hier ist der erste unserer beiden Artikel zum Symposium Kortizes "Hirn im Glück - Freude, Liebe, Hoffnung im Spiegel der Neurowissenschaften". Glück entsteht unter Voraussetzungen, die wir oft nicht unter Kontrolle haben. Glücklich sein wollen wir aber alle. Wie also kommen wir dorthin? Und was ist das eigentlich, "Glück"? 13 Wissenschaftler*innen sind dieser Frage auf dem Symposium nachgegangen und haben ihre Forschungsergebnisse in Fachvorträgen vorgestellt. Was ist Glück? Glück bedeutet für jeden etwas anderes. Auch für manche Bereiche der Wissenschaft schien Glück ein ebenso schwer fassbarer Zustand wie für Laien zu sein. Bevor wir also aufklären, wie das Symposium diese Frage beantwortete, möchten wir dich zu einer kurzen Übung einladen. Übung: Nimm dir einen Moment Zeit und frage dich, was Glück für dich bedeutet, wie du es definieren würdest und wann du es spürst? Kick, Rausch, Ekstase, Zufriedenheit, Wohlbefinden, ein gelungenes Leben... ? Diese Zustände können wir anhand ihrer Intensität, Dauer und Stabilität unterscheiden. Auf Basis dieser Faktoren können wir verschiedene Arten von Glück unterscheiden: 1. Der glückliche Zufall “Glück haben”, im Englischen “luck” ist im Deutschen zwar das gleiche Wort, soll hier aber nicht weiter betrachtet werden. 2. Objektives und subjektives Glück - Objektives Glück bezieht sich auf die Lebenssituation, also Lebensereignisse, Gesundheit, Lebenssituation und z.b. Einkommen. - Subjektives Glück ist von der Persönlichkeit, dem Selbstwertgefühl, der Kontrollüberzeugung, Extraversion und der emotionalen Stabilität abhängig (mittelfristig stabile Persönlichkeitsmerkmale). 3. Glücksempfinden Unser Glücksempfinden kann man wiederum unterteilen in - den glücklichen Moment: hedonistische, kurzfristige Glücksmomente wie Lust, Genuss und Freude (Lust/ Unlust Prinzip) - das erfüllte Leben: Glücklichsein als längerfristigen Zustand, endämonisches Glück, Zufriedenheit, Wohlbefinden 4. Glück ist ein finales Ziel Sprich das Glück als Ziel genügt sich selbst, während alle andere Ziele Schritte hin zur Erreichung übergewordeter Ziele - wie eben des Glücks - sind. So beginnt Dr. Eva Asselmann das Symposium. Allgemein neigen wir dazu, den Einfluss des objektiven Glücks (also beispielsweise die Lebenssituation) zu überschätzen und ihm wesentlich höheren Einfluss zuzuschreiben, daher arbeiten auch viele von uns recht verbissen daran dieses objektive Glück zu verbessern. Tatsächlich sind aber subjektive Glücksfaktoren für die persönliche Lebenszufriedenheit wesentlich entscheidender! Plötzliche Einbußen des objektiven Glücks wirken sich zwar vorübergehend negativ auf das subjektive Glück und Wohlbefinden aus. Umgekehrt ist bei viel objektivem Glück subjektives Glück nicht zwingend gegeben bzw. objektives Glück ist keine Voraussetzung für das subjektive Wohlbefinden. Allerdings bedeutet Resilienz, dass nach negativen Lebensereignissen die Lebenszufriedenheit zwar abrupt stark sinkt, sich aber langfristig wieder (fast) auf das gleiche Level einpendelt. Dieses Level ist der individuelle Sollwert des Glücks. Ein gemeinsames Essen mit Freunden: Ein kurzer, aber wertvoller Glücksmoment Das PERMA Modell Das PERMA Model begegnete uns während des Symposiums immer wieder. Es ist das übergeordnete Modell und die einzelnen Vorträge widmen sich meist unter Bezugnahme auf das PERMA Modell einzelner Unterbereiche. Das PERMA Modell wurde von Martin Seligman, einem US-amerikanischen Psychologen und Präsidenten der American Psychological Association entwickelt, der auch als Vater der Positiven Psychologie gilt. Darin werden fünf Bereiche genannt, die für ein gelingendes Leben wichtig sind: P - Positive Emotions/ Positive Gefühle - Dankbarkeit, Genuss, Freude, Optimismus, ... sie können bewusst trainiert und gestärkt werden E - Engagement/ Einsatz, Engagement - Du gehst in deinen Verpflichtungen auf und empfindest dich dabei als kompetent und hast die Kontrolle R - Relationships/ Beziehungen - Gesunde, stärkende, liebevolle und ehrliche Beziehungen bewusst stärken M - Meaning/ Bedeutung, Sinn - Was gibt dir ganz persönlich Sinn? A - Accomplishment/ etwas Erreichen, Leistung - Hier geht es darum seine Ziele auch zu erreichen, daher sind realistische Ziele so wichtig. Der Glücksstifter Dominik Dallwitz-Wegner erklärt die fünf Säulen eines gelungenen Lebens in diesem Video noch einmal ausführlich: Die positive Psychologie beschäftigt sich insbesondere damit, wie man diese fünf Bereiche stärken und damit das persönliche Wohlbefunden erhöhen kann. Positive Psychologie Bereits am ersten Tag hatten wir bei Frau Dr. Eva Asselmann gehört, dass (seelische) psychische Gesundheit nicht mit Glück gleichzusetzen, aber durchaus eine Voraussetzung für Glück ist. Teil eines gelungenen Lebens sind auch Präventionsmaßnahmen, die das Wohlbefinden nachhaltig stärken. Gleichzeitig ist es notwendig, das Risiko für seelische und körperliche Probleme effektiv zu reduzieren, da diese dem Glück zuwiderlaufen und darüber hinaus gezielte Maßnahmen zur psychologischen Gesundheitsförderungen und dem Entwickeln von gesunden Bewältigungsmechanismen benötigen. Dr. Judith Mangelsdorf schlägt den Bogen zur positiven Psychologie über die Prävention und Behandlung hin zu Resilienz und posttraumatischem Wachstum. Das Ziel der Psychologie bisher war die Probleme/ Störungen zu beseitigen (fix what's wrong). Die positive Psychologie will darüber hinaus nicht nur Leid mindern, sondern Wohlbefinden steigern (build what's strong). “Wenn man die Depression nimmt, bekommt man keinen glücklichen, sondern einen leeren Menschen”, beschreibt Seligman in einem treffenden Zitat. Glück ist NICHT die Abwesenheit von Leid Seligman und Csikszentmihalyi definieren positive Psychologie als "... die wissenschaftliche Erforschung des positiven Funktionierens und Gedeihens des Menschen auf mehreren Ebenen, einschließlich der biologischen, persönlichen, relationalen, institutionellen, kulturellen und globalen Dimensionen des Lebens." Christopher Peterson definiert positive Psychologie als "... die wissenschaftliche Untersuchung dessen, was das Leben lebenswerter macht." Glück: Bedeutet mehr, als nur nicht zu leiden Sinnerfüllung Die Aspekte der (An)Hedonie: "Liking (mögen), Wanting (Begehren), Learning (Lernen), Effort (Bemühen)", ihre komplexen Zusammenhänge und Steuerung über Dopamin und körpereigene Opioide waren unter anderem das Thema von Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter. Anhedonie bezeichnet die verringerte oder fehlende Fähigkeit, Freude und Lust zu empfinden. Da bei Patienten mit Depression das Liking intakt ist, aber das Wanting beeinträchtig, gibt es z.b. bei Depression die Möglichkeit des Genusstrainings oder bei besonders therapie-resistenten Fällen kann eine direkte Gehirntiefenstimulation das Wanting ankurbeln. Hiermit ist auch die im gesamten Symposium immer wieder aufauchende Frage nach dem individuellen Sinn im Leben (nicht der kosmische Sinn des Lebens) verknüpft. Die individuelle Sinnerfüllung die von folgenden Faktoren mitbestimmt wird: Vertikale und horizontale Selbsttranszendenz (Soziales Engagement, Selbsterkenntnis, Naturverbundenheit, Spititualität, ...) Selbstverwirklichung (Herausforderung, Leistung, Kreativität, ...) Ordnung (Orientierung, Moral, Vernunft, Tradition, ...) Wir- und Wohlgefühl (Zugehörigkeit, Gemeinschaft, Fürsorge, Harmonie, ...) Allerdings ist der Zusammenhang von Sinn und Glück zu beachten. Während Sinn durchaus zum Glück beiträgt, braucht es ihn nicht zwingend. Hier spricht man dann von der existenziellen Indifferenz. Der Zustand geringer Sinnerfüllung, der jedoch nicht mit einer Sinnkrise einhergeht. Übung: Dem Positiven bewusst mehr Zeit widmen - ohne Leistungsdruck Selbstverwirklichung: Ein wichtiger Punkt, der die individuelle Sinnerfüllung mitbestimmt Stress Stress hat großen Einfluss sowohl auf unsere körperliche als auch geistige Gesundheit, aber umgekehrt ist es uns auch möglich diesen großen Faktor bewusst zu beeinflussen. Dass chronischer Stress und Depression via des vegetativen (autonomen) Nervensystems unser Glücksempfinden, aber auch viele körperliche Funktionen beeinträchtigt, brachte uns Frau Dr. Katharina Hösl näher. Starker langanhaltender Stress reduziert auch das Wohlbefinden langfristig und kann ebenso die Gesundheit in Mitleidenschaft ziehen. Bei Drepression verringert sich z.b. die Variabilität der Herzrate. Übung: Metronomisches Atmen: 5 Sekunden lang einatmen – 5 Sekunden lang ausatmen (mind. 3 Minuten lang) Als verschiedene Formen von Stress unterscheidet man: physikalischen, sozialen, ökologischen, ökonomischen und beruflichen Stress. Diesen kann man nach Intensität, zeitlicher Ausdehnung und Betroffenheit ordnen. Die Lebenserwartung bei Menschen mit psychischen Störungen ist im Durchschnitt 10 Jahre geringer - Frühe Hilfe sowie Stressbewältigungskompetenzen aufbauen. z.B. Angewandte Entspannung könnte psychischen Störungen vorbeugen. Stress reduzieren: Meditationen können nachweislich helfen Posttraumatisches Wachstum Glück kann nicht nur aus dem Guten entstehen, das uns im Leben wiederfährt, sondern auch aus Leid. Wie können wir selbst an unseren Herausforderungen wachsen? Wie unter objektivem und subjektivem Glück kurz erwähnt, kann sich die Lebenszufriedenheit dank der Resilienz bis zum vorherigen Stand erholen. Dr. Judith Mangelsdorf berichtet in ihrem Vortrag über posttraumatisches Wachstum. Bei einem traumatischen Ereignis zerbricht eine Welt (Core Belief Disruption). Die Person kann auf diesem Tiefpunkt bleiben und Depressionen oder andere Störungen entwickeln. Sie kann mittels der Resilienz zum Ausgangspunkt des persönliches Wohlbefindens zurückfinden oder eine völlige Neubewertung ihres Lebens, ihrer Werte, des Sinns vornehmen und über den vorherigen Wert an Lebenszufriedenheit hinaus wachsen. Dies gelingt, wenn die betroffenen Menschen es schaffen, ihr Trauma in einen sinnstiftenden Kontext zu bringen. Hilfreich sind dabei positive Emotionen/ punktuelle positive Erfahrungen und unterstützende Beziehungen (Thriver Modell). Menschen, die dies erreicht haben, berichten unter anderem von stärkeren Beziehungen, einem veränderten Sinn für Spiritualität, dem Ausbau persönlicher Stärken und veränderten Prioritäten. Die 3 großen Fragen, die diesen Weg unterstützen können: Aus heutiger Sicht: Wofür war es gut? Wie hat die Erfahrung dich in deiner Persönlichkeit bereichtert? Wie können sie die Erfahrungen, die sie gesammelt haben für andere (für sich) nutzbar machen? Posttraumatisches Wachstum ist eine langfristige Entwicklung. Zum akuten Zeitpunkt der traumatischen Erfahrung ist vorallem eine unmittelbare – vorzugsweise professionelle – Betreuung wichtig, um Störungen vorzubeugen und das Erlebnis verarbeiten zu können. Glück kennt keine Behinderung: Wenn ein geliebter Mensch mit Krankheiten/Behinderungen zu kämpfen hat, bedeutet das oft Kummer und Sorgen, aber auch eine Chance für Wachstum Zum Abschluss und bevor es zum zweiten Artikel geht, noch eine letzte Übung fürs bewusste Wahrnehmen: Übung "Ich sehe dich!": Zwischenmenschliche Kontakte: den Sitznachbar*innen die Hand reichen, sich vorstellen, dabei in die Augen schauen/ die Person gegenüber bewusst wahrnehmen Im zweiten Teil des Berichts über das Symposium Kortizes in Nürnberg geht es um Glücksfaktoren wie Flow, Beziehungen, Weisheit und Musik. Vortragsfolien Geschrieben von Tine Steiss Tine ist Teil des happiness.com Team. Sie ist Künstlerin, Medieningenieurin und MBSR Trainerin. Wenn sie nicht auf Reisen ist, verwandelt sie ihre Dachterrasse in einen paradiesischen Garten. Erfahre mehr über Tine auf: Instagram.

In the first of a three-part series into yoga types, Sienna Saint-Cyr explores yoga for compassion. The poses she practised helped her to release both sadness and stress, and to feel a whole lot happier. Happiness, joy, bliss: these things aren't easy to find or maintain. I've worked for 15 years now at this and only recently realised that being present is the key. But there's still work to be done! Being present is only the first step of many, all of which include being present inside the body too. Not just mentally and emotionally in the moment, but physically as well. Yoga for compassion can help you achieve that. Therapy, openness, and great friends indeed help me maintain joy with my mental and emotional states, but my body is more complicated. I’m still getting used to being present in it and learning to listen when my body needs something is hard. Since I know yoga works well for this, I wanted to explore specific yoga practices like trauma sensitive yoga, designed to bring joy, happiness, compassion, and gratitude. This article marks the first of a three-part series involving yoga for finding happiness (and maintaining it). Rather than do each practice just once, I’m repeating them during different parts of the day and when I'm in varying moods. Compassion yoga The first practice I tried was called 'Compassion Yoga – Yoga With Adriene'. Some of her videos, including the one here below, are free to view on YouTube. This is a one-hour video surrounding yoga for compassion. Since the instructor has the practitioners set their intentions, I set mine for self-compassion. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Release tension and trauma with compassion yoga Self-compassion isn't easy for me. But I was already feeling great, uplifted, and my heart was full of gratitude. So setting my intent for self-compassion seemed the right choice. There were two things I was going to focus on for self-compassion: Keep trying, even when it’s hard Listen to my body Listening to my body is a struggle not only because I tend to push it, but also because when I’m stressed, I carry so much tension in my neck, shoulders and back. It’s distracting, and hard to maintain staying in my place of peace when I’m full of tension. The tightening of my muscles is a clear indication that I need to release something I'm holding onto. It might be an emotional, mental, or physical strain. No matter the source, tension makes me grumpy and pulls me from being present and feeling joy. By listening to my body, this enabled me to focus on my areas of tension. Adriene also asked that we focus on compassion, the highest form of love. Then she asked that we say ‘yes’ to our practice. She wanted us to be present and aware of our movements. Observations and compassion yoga Adriene suggested exploring and to move slowly. Not to rush. What I instantly noticed was that I began paying attention to the spaces between what I thought were the important poses. It was the movements from one position to another that I started to really connect with my body as opposed to just repeating what was on the screen. I found I moved differently than Adriene. “Listening to my body during yoga for compassion enabled me to focus on my areas of tension.” She also kept repeating that she wanted those practising with her to have an experience, not just ‘do yoga’. This changed the nature of what we were doing for me. It gave me the freedom to explore my body and not worry about doing the pose exactly how Adriene did. This was helpful as I have hypermobility and shouldn't do certain poses for health reasons. Downward Dog: making progress! As we moved through the practice, I discovered that poses that historically bothered me — like Downward Dog — weren't so bad. Some of that was me taking my time getting into the pose, and the rest was settling into it. I found so much tension in my back and shoulders released through my hands and feet as I allowed myself to stay in Downward Dog. The burn moving through me was pleasant, like a phoenix burning up all the unwanted energies of my day. Compassion yoga: Warrior One pose Yoga for compassion: staying present We also did what Adriene referred to as holding a beach ball. There were several positions where we held our imaginary beach balls. Some as we sat, other as we stood tall — Mountain Pose — some while in Warrior poses, and I found that this really opened my heart and chest. I was able to breathe deeper and let go of more stress in my upper back and shoulders. One thing I noticed was that I kept smiling, even when the moves were more difficult for me. I was feeling the gratitude in my body, not just thinking it. I felt it move through me like a wave of pleasant energy and that’s what was making me smile and I couldn't stop myself if I’d tried! By the time I finished, my entire body was relaxed. I’d also learned during my practice that I had issues with my knee and hip, something I’d not been aware of before. Taking the time to hold compassion and stay present in my body made a huge difference in my result. “I left the practice full of joy and self-love. I felt euphoric, which isn't something that I've historically felt after yoga.” The second time I did the video, I wasn't in a good place. I’d dealt with some trauma and was genuinely sad. While I still felt grateful for all the goodness in my life and inside me, I was in pain, and it closed off that lovely flow of energy I’d been feeling move from my root chakra up through my crown. Boat pose: great for releasing sadness This time, I entered into the practice with an intention to release the sadness and trauma that had caused my pain. For me, releasing pain and trauma are the highest form of self-love and self-compassion. While I still moved slowly on my second go, because I needed to release emotional build-ups, I stayed in the tougher positions for longer. I kept my body active: my muscles and breathing active. One pose I found particularly helpful when releasing sadness was Boat Pose. I’m not sure why, but it seemed to keep all the parts of my core that like to hold onto trauma engaged. The longer my muscles were involved, the more I released when I left the pose. I also found Cobra pose particularly helpful during my state of sadness. Compassion yoga: Boat Pose When I'm sad and holding onto trauma, it affects my core and heart chakra. So, by opening my chest up and my entire body with Cobra, I was able to feel a lot of the negativity move out through my heart. I felt like a blast of sadness shot from my chest, and it pushed right through my open window and into the earth. After finishing a second time, I’d managed to release the negative emotions I was feeling. I couldn't explain why, though. My inner scientist wanted to understand how the sessions — which seemed to impact me more than shorter sessions I’d done — affected me so positively, even when I came into it full of sadness. Yoga: alleviating depression and sadness According to Science Daily, Boston University School of Medicine carried out a study in 2007 to find out if yoga alleviated depression and sadness. The researchers found that practising yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels. GABA is a major neurotransmitter that brain cells use to communicate with each other. People with low levels of GABA often experience depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders that affect happiness. The study included testing 19 subjects. All had their GABA levels tested before their tasks. Eight were sent to do an hour of yoga and 11 sent to read for an hour. After one hour, all the subjects were tested again. Those that read for an hour had no change in their GABA levels. But those who did an hour of yoga experienced an increase in GABA levels. After more research, the team came to the conclusion that an hour of yoga may help alleviate depression and assist with happiness. The study was more comprehensive than my summary here, so I do suggest to check it out fully. Conclusion: yoga for compassion works! My research and experience explained why this compassion yoga video was so much more effective than others I’d done. Each time I came away with a feeling of being high, but still in control of my facilities! It seems that the length of this particular video weighed into my results just as much as my focus on compassion and releasing. While this video is longer than the other two in this series, it's my favourite when I have the hour to complete it. I highly recommend trying Compassion Yoga with Adriene. Be sure to check out part two, Gratitude Yoga! Namaste! ● Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more.

In the final part of her series, Sienna Saint-Cyr looks at yoga for mood swings. Learn how to calm the shift in your mood through this set of yoga poses. As I ventured into the final part of this yoga series looking at yoga for mood swings, I began to see something pop up again and again: our moods are vital to us living a happy life. Psych Central, the Journal of Depression and Anxiety, Psychologist World and many more sources agree that happy people live healthier lives and make better decisions. Through that, happy folks bring more positive experiences into their lives. The sources also agree that our mood directly affects our happiness. Indeed, it takes mere seconds for even the most fortunate people I know to go from beaming with joy to being sour-faced and irritated. It's in this moment that we need to build resilience. Rapid changes in mood are due to the vast amount of stimuli that can affect us. We might get cut off in traffic, receive a bad review at work, hear a song, or even get a whiff of a random smell that can trigger a mood shift. Even when I'm happy overall in life, I can lose the feeling for days at a time if I don’t address my current mood of anger, sadness, fear or anxiety. When my current mood takes centre stage, all my focus shifts there. If the mood is a slight shift, I don’t tend to notice, and both the emotion and my overall happiness can coexist within me. But the moment my emotion moves to a place of being the focus, then it tends to hide my happiness from me. Mood swings and yoga Since yoga was doing so well for me in other areas, I began looking at Adriene’s videos on mood. I’d already used hers for compassion yoga and gratitude yoga, so this was a natural place to search. To my surprise, she had several options to choose from. I decided to try yoga for mood swings. This one called to me most because in the description Adrienne mentioned life’s little annoyances and how they can shift our mood fast. She also mentioned the stress hormones such as Cortisol and how yoga can help with these. According to the American Psychology Association, this hormone is natural to the body and helps regulate certain systems, but when there's too much of it flowing, it can cause adverse effects. So, when there's too much Cortisol in the system, it’s time to give it the boot! .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Y Yoga for mood swings from Adriene The practice: yoga for mood swings In her yoga for mood swings video, Adriene begins with a suggestion to let go and not worry about ‘doing it right’ for this practice. Her focus is more on the body’s needs, so she suggests allowing whatever is going on to exist. To do this, she keeps the practitioner in Sukhāsana (Easy pose) for longer than I found in other videos. In this cross-legged sitting position there's a heavy focus on breath and listening to the body rather than movement. As she brings the hands into play, Adriene gives the option to have soft hands or active hands. This was helpful because when we’re angry, we may want more pressure and use of our muscles. Personally, I found that I was able to release anger more efficiently when I maintained active muscles. On the contrary, when I'm sad or depressed, keeping my muscles soft assisted in releasing those emotions more effectively. The heavy focus on listening to our body in this video made a significant difference in the way I worked through my current mood. Another aspect of this practice that I felt helped me was the release portion. Rather than suggest the practitioners release slowly, she suggested doing what felt right at that moment. It might be jerky and fast, slow and steady, or whatever we need to release our emotion. When I was angry, the quicker and firmer movements helped. When I was sad, the slower releases from poses was most effective. “In her yoga for mood swings video, Adriene begins with a suggestion to let go and not worry about 'doing it right' for this practice. Her focus is more on the body's needs.” We then moved into Downward Dog, then into Walk the Dog. The walking kept my legs active. I was again surprised to notice that even when I did the practice during a sad moment, by the time we’d reached this spot in the video, the walking and active legs part was helping. Even though prior, the softer muscles worked best. I took this as a sign that the releasing was working and I made a conscious note of it. Had I started with Walk the Dog, it would have added to my sad mood rather than help it. Yoga for mood swings: downward dog pose After Walk the Dog we went back to a seated position and stayed there through the rest of the video, placing much focus on stretching. This was to bring us back into our 'flow', as Adriene calls it. The flow we have when the little things don’t happen to shift our mood. Adriene maintains positive affirmations throughout the yoga for mood swings video, things like, “I am supported”, which I found incredibly helpful in combination with the poses. She ended with the Reclining Goddess pose, also known as Supta Baddha Konasana. The moment I was in this pose, I felt relief from the emotions that had affected my mood so much. I don’t know why it worked, but it just did. Perhaps because spreading my legs open in such a manner forces my heart upward at the same time as it puts me in a vulnerable position at my base. As a victim of sexual abuse, opening my legs can be a struggle, even when I’m alone. The more I trust myself and the situation, the easier it becomes to open them. RELATED: Healing trauma with yoga But no matter how safe I feel, that position still makes me feel very vulnerable. But when I’m able to feel vulnerable rather than shut it down, it means that I’m working through whatever is causing me emotional pain. Yoga for mood swings: Reclining Goddess pose Shifting mood and thought I wholeheartedly believe that proper yoga for mood swings can change our attitude. If I was doing the wrong kind, like a bunch of super soft poses while I was full of rage, I don’t think that would be helpful. But with Adriene's method of listening to our body’s needs, we can embrace what our instincts tell us and work through the emotions that are sucking the happiness from us. We will always be affected by our surroundings. We live in a chaotic world the majority of the time. Having the tools to stop, breathe, listen to our body, then move in a manner that releases, could change how we go about our day. Imagine if I was in line at the grocery store and someone cut in front of me knowing I was there first. No matter what I chose to do at that moment, I’d still have emotions around what happened. I might get angry and say something. I might decide to suck it up and not start an argument. But either way, I’m going to feel slighted. If I don’t deal with the emotion at that moment, it would add to the list other things that happened that day until I became overwhelmed and full of rage. “Having the tools to stop, breathe, listen to our body, then move in a manner that releases, could change how we go about our day.” But what if I recognized my anger and what the person did, tuning into my body right there in the line? I could focus on my tense muscles. Listen to my body and what it needed. Then I could stretch or move onto my toes to activate my calf muscles. Many things could be done to release the feeling right there. And this means I don’t need to carry what happened beyond the store. By shifting my thoughts on how to respond to others, I can also change my mood. If we all began behaving in this manner, the chaos that so many of us know would eventually cease to exist. Yoga for happiness: series conclusions If you haven’t checked them out yet, please read part one: Compassion Yoga and part two: Gratitude Yoga as well as this one on yoga for mood swings. This series is designed to give us tools that will assist with the pursuit and ability to maintain happiness and introduce mindfulness, also for those who have difficulties with meditation. From my experiences, Adriene’s yoga series worked for achieving a greater level of happiness. But I had to commit to it completely. This experience taught me that balancing the mind, body and soul becomes easier when incorporating the practices of yoga and mindfulness. I now pay attention to my thoughts, my body and the tension in it, and my gut, which will conflict with my thoughts more often than I care to admit. These parts of me make up the whole me and keeping them in balance is vital to me being present, complete, and happy. Namaste! ● Images: colourbox.com happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ self-develop with free online classes in our Academy Mindfulness | Stress management | Burnout Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more.

In the need for some feel-good news? Ed Gould shares his Top Ten round-up from the past month, from amazing seaweed water pods to a new alternative for coffee waste... 1. Mindfulness centre of excellence to open In an exciting bit of positive news for mindfulness fans, the University of London announced in April that it would open a centre of excellence in mindfulness in 2019. Academics believe it will bring together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to share ideas, with the goal of increasing the level of scientific evidence for all sorts of mindfulness-based practices. The university president said the centre would lead to world-leading research that would have a real impact on the global mindfulness debate. RELATED: 7 mindfulness tips for staying engaged 2. Seaweed drinking vessels set sail at the London Marathon! The organisers of the London Marathon have to deal with thousands of single-use water bottles (which, of course, can be an eyesore as well as an environmental headache). At this April's race, however, drinking pods derived from a biodegradable material were used for the first time. Now expected to be the norm, the use of seaweed-based drinking vessels could run and run... and run! Both completely edible and flavourless, the pods simply break in the mouth, releasing the fluid within. Smart stuff! .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Water works: these pods could reduce plastic bottles 3. Could plastic help in the fight against climate change? OK, so plastic is rarely the source of a good news story, but this April, reporters at The Science Times bucked this trend. According to them, research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Metal Research has shown how certain plastic crystals can be harnessed to provide a refrigerating effect. If it works out, then the energy consumed by chiller cabinets, fridge-freezers and air-conditioning units could be vastly reduced, thereby helping to lower carbon-emitting fossil fuel usage. 4. Mother of pearl could be used to help bone repairs A 3D printing technique has been deployed by scientists to make mother of pearl for the first time, as reported in The London Economic. Tougher than many man-made materials, mother of pearl can be manufactured, but it's costly and involves some pretty nasty chemical processes. This new approach means a relatively cheap and safe way of making the material which can be turned into medical applications like artificial bones and implants. It's all down to the research of Professor Anne Meyer from the biology department at the University of Rochester. 5. A surprising alternative to palm oil In good news for anyone who checks their food for palm oil, two Scottish entrepreneurs have come up with a sustainable alternative to this pervasive foodstuff. Their eco-friendly approach is to use waste coffee granules (which are either thrown away or composted locally, at present). Working under the name Revive Eco, the pair are developing a process to extract and purify the oils found in coffee waste, which could then be used in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. Revive Eco has already gained £235,000 of funding for their idea from the Zero Waste agency in Scotland. Something brewing: could coffee replace palm oil? 6. Breakthrough found in the fight against Parkinson's disease Scientists at the University of Ontario in Canada have found a way to restore movement to patients with advanced stages of this debilitating condition. According to reports from the BBC, the team's brain implantation method has produced results which exceeded all expectations. They hope to turn their approach into a full treatment which will restore both mobility and confidence to sufferers. 7. Proton therapy to be deployed to save memories Using any sort of medical technique inside the brain to fight against tumours is tough. According to BT, this is particularly the case with younger patients but now safeguarding childhood brain activities – including protecting precious memories – will be possible thanks to the use of proton therapies. Already rolled out to adult patients on the NHS in the UK in April, the superior accuracy of the method should be able to help children with tumours to preserve the healthy parts of their brains, thanks to the Danish research which has pioneered the technique. RELATED: The Bright Side – positive news from March 8. Mindfulness is helpful for carers A report in Science Daily stated that the role of mindfulness should not be underestimated when it comes to people caring for others. In research undertaken at the University of Illinois, it appears that practising mindfulness techniques can help those offering care to relax and focus on the important job they're doing. By gaining mindfulness-based cognitive therapy skills, the researchers found that their work with veterans was most useful in reducing levels of stress. Care calmly: being mindful can help those looking after others 9. A huge clean up of Mount Everest has begun According to the Kathmandu Post, an operation to clear much of the rubbish which has simply been abandoned on the world's highest mountain got underway in April. Although other clearance campaigns have operated in the past, this one is on a much larger scale. The operation has already started to clear rubbish from Everest Base Camp but it should go on to remove around ten tonnes of material from the whole mountainside. 10. World's rainforests to be helped by drones According to the Evening Standard, drone technology could make a significant impact on the fight against global deforestation. Of course, trees help to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their trunks. Therefore, speeding up the process of planting new ones can only help to combat climate change. Helpfully, an Oxfordshire-based start-up has been working on ways to do just that. It has deployed drones successfully in Myanmar to plant new trees in a mangrove forest, a global habitat which has been severely deforested in recent years. ● Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and practitioner of Reiki.

Which are the best happiness apps out there on the market? Rae Bathgate selects the top six that help boost your well-being. Apple coined the phrase “there's an app for that,” and it's true many of us tend rely on our smartphones and apps for so much these days. There are apps for music, dating, exercising, health, transport, learning new languages, and even tuning a guitar. But what are some of the best happiness apps out there? There are so many happiness apps these days, how do you know which are the best? Well, below I review six of the top science-based happiness apps to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. The best happiness apps are, first and foremost, free (at least for a trial run). Many also use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a basis for their concept. While apps are indeed very different than an hour of talk therapy with a counsellor, the way that apps can work within the realm of CBT is to try to modify your thinking patterns and by helping you to change patterns of behaviour through repetition. This can be of help if you are trying to stop ruminating. Who uses happiness apps? There are various reasons why self-care apps can be a positive addition to your life and push you a little bit closer towards your quest to happiness. They're more common than you think, and people already tend to use the iPhone, an extension of themselves, as a way to learn more about and to be more in tune with their mind. Get appy: which happiness apps boost your well-being? Indeed, according to Nature, about 29 per cent of “disease-specific mobile health apps” are focused on mental health. For example, two common mental health related apps for more dire circumstances are the PTSD Coach app or FOCUS for users with schizophrenia. While these two don't illustrate why the average happy hunter uses happiness apps, they have some of the same benefits. So, can an app really make you happier? First of all, the best happiness apps are helpful for those with a busy schedule, as they are always available. After all, you never know when you’ll need help. The app also interacts positively with the user. Just like getting constant notifications or updates on social media might be stressful, receiving reminders to do a task or maybe an affirmation just when you need it could help you feel a lot better. “Apps within the realm of CBT try to modify your thinking patterns and by helping you to change your patterns of behaviour through repetition.” While not all the apps are free, many beat the cost of going to see a mental health professional, and, what’s more, the stigma of going to see a specialist unfortunately still exists. Some of the advantages of using happiness apps are: You can practice them everywhere; If you use them as much as you use your smartphone, you'll use them regularly; It can remind you to be happier if you forget; Many of them are cost effective, if not free. Of course, it's important to remember that happiness and health apps are an excellent way to keep working towards better mental health at the forefront of your everyday life and can consolidate healthy habits, but even the best happiness apps by no means replace visiting a mental health professional, or even just simple human contact. Think of these happy apps like vitamins – supplements are great, but they can never replace the real thing. So, without further ado – and in no particular order – here's our pick of the best happiness apps on the market right now. 1. Happify Android: Free iPhone: Free Happify comes in both website and app form, and claims to: increase happiness through fun activities and games; help you learn life-changing habits based on science; reduce stress and build skills for a happy healthy life. The Happify app has various “scientifically validated tracks” that are suggested to you after you take a short questionnaire detailing your life and health. Each track has a theme and is divided into parts (usually four). These are then divided into activities, ranging from guided meditations to reflective writing assignments to fun games. How many tracks depends on if you pay the monthly subscription or downloaded the free version. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Happify app: an overview of this happiness application For the more socially minded, there's a community page with inspirational comments from other users. You can add your own too to brighten someone else’s day since it’s proven to make you feel happier. There are 58 'core activities' to begin with, with different variations, adding up to an amazing 1,200 various activities in total. These activities were designed with the help of a psychology professor, and they range from asking you to write down what you’re looking forward to in general, or looking forward to doing for a friend. Each of the 58 activities has a “Why it works” icon next to it, to explain you more about the science behind the fun games. Every two weeks, your phone gives you a happiness check-in. “While not all the best happiness apps are free, many beat the cost of going to see a mental health professional.” The reception for Happify app has been overall positive. In fact, 86 per cent of the app's users reported feeling better about their lives after just two months of using it during testing, with many reporting feeling more motivated and productive, indicating that it helps people to solidify positive, helpful habits that are the framework for a more confident and happy life. Happify app allows you develop life-changing habits Users can also access Happify Daily – free content based around happiness – as well as the Happify community and forum. And, if you really feel the app is working for you, you can unlock the full range of actives and reports by subscribing to Happify Plus. So, as a recap, here's why you should download the Happify app: It helps you build resilience for stressful experiences; It helps you build happy, healthy habits tied to positive thinking; Since even reflecting on happy memories releases happiness hormones, you can boost your well-being by making a digital scrapbook to remind you of sunnier pastures when you feel blue. 2. Happy Habits Android: free iPhone: unavailable The Happy Habits app describes itself as relying heavily on the principles of CBT, and that it works by helping to “create the conditions for happiness in [the user's] life. It starts out by giving its users a 119-item test to assess their happiness based on 14 factors; then, they administer results and suggestions, through games and soothing audios to talk you through your quest for happiness. Another Happy Habits feature are Emotion Training Audios. These are to help with managing emotions so that you can be more aware and cultivate a more positive attitude, best used when you feel overwhelmed by anger, sadness, or stress. Happy Habits: a sneak peak inside this well-being app Then, if you're feeling particularly anxious, you can also use the Relaxation Audios to unwind and to learn deep relaxation. Or, for those of you who like to find out more about the concept and the history of the pursuit of happiness, there's their Choosing Happiness Audio to delve into the idea of and search for well-being. For those of you who like to cross things off of a list, the Happy Habits app also features a Customisable Happy 'to do' list. “The best happiness are free (at least for a trial run). Many also use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a basis for their concept.” Like most of the best happy apps, it's gamified, which means using it is fun, rather than a chore, with a points feature that helps you to keep track of progress. Users who like to write and keep track of their thoughts will be happy to know that the app also has a happiness journal for writing personal affirmations and recording positive events to look back on later. The Happy Habits design is a little retro, but it uses positive colours like yellow and orange, and it’s customizable. So, a recap of why you should use Happy Habits: It's based on CBT, a method that's proven to help depression and anxiety; It has a large variety of calming audios for you to listen to in the car, on the bus, or at home; It gives you a gratitude scrapbook to look back on when you need to cheer up. 3. SuperBetter Android: free iPhone: free Building resilience – the ability to stay strong, motivated and optimistic – even in the face of change and difficult challenges is tough. But the makers behind the SuperBetter app believe that using their tool will unlock your heroic potential so you can overcome tough situations and achieve goals that matter most. RELATED: Happiness podcasts – 8 that we rate At the heart of SuperBetter is the Live Gamefully® method, a framework that brings the psychological strengths and mindset of gameplay to real life. The method promotes new levels of personal growth as a result of stress and change. That's why it's called SuperBetter. A key part of building happiness is developing resilience. While bouncing back from life’s challenges is important, it’s not easy. SuperBetter makes the process easier by taking you through a series of activities that help you build resilience while reducing anxiety and depression, leading to a happier life. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } XX Feeling super: SuperBetter founder Jane McGonigal The SuperBetter app has gamified the process of building happiness by creating short and simple activities that you complete as you head off on quests to build happiness-boosting skills. Completing the activities provide you with quick wins to jump-start your happiness journey. With SuperBetter you become the hero of the app, as you gain points and power by completing and tracking daily activities. Simple tasks such as taking a walk or drinking a glass of water count as a step toward your ultimate goal. You can also do it with a secret identity and superhero story of your choosing. The SuperBetter lets you collect power-ups on your quests, fight off bad guys, and get help from allies. One of our best happiness apps: SuperBetter Another unique thing about the SuperBetter app is that it's heavily science-backed. A study by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found that when people played SuperBetter for 30 days, their mood improved, symptoms of anxiety and depression decreased, and self-belief to achieve goals increased. So, a recap of why you should use the SuperBetter app: Gamified and fun; Helps you to build resilience, adopt new habits, improve skills and strengthen relationships; Research has shown it has positive results. 4. HAPPY Android: free iPhone: free OK, call us biased, but we really think our own app, HAPPY, is also one of the best happiness apps on the market too! One of the most significant factors to impact our happiness is a sense of community, and that's what HAPPY, our own well-being app, focuses on. Many of the apps on this list aim to improve our mental health, foster resilience and actively build our capacity to live happier lives by offering concrete personal exercises such as gratitude journals, mindfulness exercises, creating healthy habits, etc. These are all practical measures which we at happiness.com highly recommend. However, they are primarily done in solitude and through introspection. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The HAPPY app makes use of the key feature of the happiness.com platform – community. It's a happiness app that allows you to be in touch with people worldwide to share your struggles and support each other. To find strength in our shared humanity, our imperfection, and our deep care for each other and the planet. HAPPY is an app that aims to build a community and to use it to elevate your well-being through: Joining a conscious, global community. Engaging in big topics and intimate conversations. Sharing common interests and new perspectives. Building mutual support through shared struggles. Everyone experiences ups and downs, but how do we master the downs skillfully? The HAPPY app facilitates a safe and mutually supportive community where tools, practices and experiences enable everyone to live happy and fulfilled lives. HAPPY: our well-being app focuses on community For example, are you awake at 3am full of anxiety? Share your struggles live on the HAPPY app, and who knows where in the world someone else will be awake who relates to your experience and has kind words of support. Maybe you are in the metro on the way to work, and you can be the person who is offering those accepting words and emotional support. The HAPPY App is the mobile addition to happiness.com: your pocketful of happiness. Making the healing power of human connection – the happiness community – accessible on your phone. 5. Happier Android: unavailable iPhone: free Happier is an Apple app on a mission: to make sure you appreciate life to the fullest. Happier app was developed by Nataly Kogan, a TEDtalk speaker who emigrated from Russia when she was young and went through hard times, escaping oppression in the Soviet Union while her family got on their feet in the Detroit projects. Allegedly, Kogan vowed to find happiness, first looking towards success and wealth to achieve it. Quite understandably, this did not lead her where she wanted, so she turned towards her father's work – science – to see what next steps she could take. Happier app: an overview of what's inside In practice, the app works by helping you to be "more present and positive throughout the day," working like a life appreciation platform, or a personal life coach. Each day it prompts you to write what you're most grateful for, be it the sun shining on your back, a moment spent with a loved one, making every stoplight on the street, or getting your favourite ice cream – you can even add pictures • JOIN US! Discover more tips on happiness with our open and inspired community • These are moments that you might not notice if not for Happier, with which you can "create, collect and share those tiny positive moments." Ways you can use it are to lift your mood, take a meditation break, or enjoy the moments that make your day happier. “Happier app works by helping you to be 'more present and positive throughout the day', working like a life appreciation platform, or even a personal life coach.” The Happier app is portable and can be used on Apple watch as well, acting as your gratitude journal. It also offers “bite-sized, expert-led courses,” to teach you more about the practice and science of happiness on which the app is based, breaching subjects like strength, calmness, and gratitude. What's more, it works as a sort of happiness social media platform, where you can connect to those around you (if you want, since sharing publicly is entirely optional) and get inspired by their gratitude posts. There's something very zen about Happier, an app which urges you to think of happiness, not like a feeling, but more like a muscle to be trained and on which you can rely on your day-to-day life. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } So, here's a recap as to why you should use the Happier app: Instead of selling you unattainable happiness, it helps you to appreciate what you already have; To keep a picture, easily updatable scrapbook on what you're most grateful for; It helps you learn more about the science behind positive psychology. 6. Yolife Android: free iPhone: free A relative newcomer into the happiness app scene, Yolife is described as 'your personal coach to live longer in good health'. Indeed, the vision of the Yolife founders is to add 15 healthy years to the lives of at least one million people in the world. And what does great health bring? Greater happiness, that's what. Signing up via log-in or Facebook, the first stage of Yolife involves completing an engaging health consultation, answering questions about your health, habits, exercise, social life and such. Your responses determine just how many extra healthy years they suggest you'll live in good health. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Love life: Yolife wants you to live longer in great health Furthermore, with each answer you give there's a scientific explanation behind it and the chance to read more. Indeed, Yolife is thoroughly research-based, using clinical studies and advisory board for input. The design is modern and sleek, with a refreshing sense of humor in the texts, too. After completing the consultation you can see how many estimated healthy years you have. What comes next is your personalized programme of activities which aims to boost those healthy years further by helping you to discover which areas you have the greatest potential to improve. The programme includes classes on subjects such as optimal sleeping conditions, the purpose of life, sex makes you live longer (!), different ways of fasting, and plenty more. “The vision of the Yolife app is to add 15 healthy years to the lives of at least one million people in the world.” Yolife co-founder Tassilo Weber has his own definition of happiness which is very much present in the app: "I'm not only an entrepreneur, I also studied philosophy and still consider myself a philosopher by heart. Therefore, the pursuit and definition of happiness has always been a major topic in my life. And that influence cannot be hidden, as you use the Yolife app. The happiness app Yolife has a sleek, smart design “There's even one full session called “A formula for happiness”. It boils down to two things: 1. Find and follow a purpose. 2. Stay healthy for as long as possible. With these two pillars in place, happiness has the best chance to thrive. As Yolife is an app that helps you to live longer in good health and guided by purpose, I consider happiness as one of the main value propositions that we intend to bring to at least one million people.” So, here's a recap as to why you should use the Yolife: Science-backed suggestions on practical life changes; Track your progress and growth Sleek, modern design and great colours; The best happiness apps: conclusions Of course, using these happiness apps alone won't be enough to change your life. Spending too much time on your smartphone – even on happiness apps – won't give you time to put what you learn on these apps into practice. Still, there is science to back up the claims behind these programs. For example, a meta-analysis of 51 “positive-interventions” like mindfulness activities, gratitude writing, and goal-setting found them to “significantly enhance well-being and decrease depressive symptoms.” More specifically, one of the main ideas behind the majority of these apps, counting your blessings, has been proven to make you happier. We invite you to try out what we think are the best happiness apps to see what works best for you, and what pushes you to do the little things that will make your life better. Let us know below in the comments which ones have helped you the most! ● happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ develop with free online Academy courses Learning | Mindfulness | Meditation | Coaching Written by Rae Bathgate Rae Bathgate is an American journalist based in Barcelona, where she enjoys sunlight, yoga, and bookbinding.

Instead of striving for happiness through end goals or objects, try cultivating day-to-day well-being. Because, as Calvin Holbrook explains, science shows that happiness really is a journey and not a destination. 'Happiness is a journey, not a destination’ is an often-heard saying, and many people would argue that the search for well-being is the greatest motivator of all humankind. But does this motto really hold true? And what does science have to say on the subject? The expression suggests that humans shouldn’t believe that reaching a certain life goal will award them with happiness. The destination in question could be one of numerous end-points we're often striving for in life: that dream job, buying a first home, meeting the perfect partner, or snagging that huge pay rise you've been working so hard for. RELATED: Money Can't Buy Happiness (Except When You Spend It Like This!) Chances are if you do reach one of your destination life goals, you may indeed feel happier – but only temporarily. Why? Because of our happiness set-point. Happiness journey vs destination: set-point One theory in happiness research puts forward that humans have a so-called happiness ‘set-point’. According to psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, this genetic set-point makes up about 50 per cent of our happiness levels – the rest coming from our circumstances and how we live life. Enjoy the ride: happiness is a journey, not destination. shutterstock Our set-point largely determines our overall well-being, and all of us have different levels. Therefore, those with higher set-points will be happier most of the time compared with those that have a less joyful outlook (due to their lower set-point). Going through our life journey, we oscillate around this set-point. Unhappy life events shift happiness levels below their set-point while positive or exciting events boost your happiness levels above it. RELATED: Is Happiness Genetic? However, sooner or later, when that event becomes normalized or changes, happiness levels return to the original set-point (for example, when we feel the 'holiday blues' after coming back from the high of a recent holiday). Likewise, once you reach your supposed happiness destination, it may not last, or something may get in the way of the perceived happiness you thought it would bring. For example, after getting what you thought was your dream job, you actually discovered it brought you a lot of negative stress due to the additional workload (and your demanding new boss). That dream new apartment you bought? Well, the noisy neighbours upstairs are doing their best to destroy your peace. Just met your 'perfect' partner? You'll soon discover all the things about them that drive you up the wall! Well, you get the picture. “Chances are if you do reach one of your destination life goals, you will indeed feel happier – but only temporarily.” Additionally, at some point these final destinations may dissolve all together. Indeed, as the only consistent thing in life is change, believing that happiness is a destination rather than the journey itself makes little sense. In fact, this pursuit of happiness – the constant desire and drive to achieve things we believe will boost our well-being and joy – often ends in disappointment (the so-called ‘happiness trap’. ) Overcoming disappointment is a challenge in itself. Improving your journey to happiness As discussed, according to Lyubomirsky, our genetic set-point is responsible for around 50 per cent of our happiness. The remainder depends on our circumstances (10 per cent ) and our life activity (40 per cent). However, some studies suggest that by changing our day-to-day life activity – focusing on our journey and not a final destination – we can boost our internal set-point to a higher level and become happier. Indeed, there are many smaller, everyday activities we can choose to improve our general well-being. So, here are five that you can employ right away. 1. Be kind Studies show we can fix our happiness set point higher by helping others. In fact, according to one — analyzing data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey – the trait most strongly linked to long-term happiness increases is a regular commitment to altruism. It showed that the more compassionate we are, the happier our life journey seems to be. RELATED: The Benefits of Kindness This was backed up by another study by Sonja Lyubomirsky published in the Review of General Psychology in 2005. When she had students perform five weekly acts of kindness over a period of six weeks, they noticed a significant increase in happiness levels compared to a control group of students. Deciding to always be kind – even in a difficult or negative situation – can work wonders. 2. Practise gratitude Cultivating gratitude is scientifically-proven to increase your happiness journey, and is one of the simplest life changes you can make as it requires little effort. “As the only consistent thing in life is change, believing that happiness is a destination rather than the journey really makes little sense.” According to a 2003 report in the journal of Social Behavior and Personality, grateful people tend to appreciate simple pleasures (defined as "those pleasures in life that are available to most people”). Indeed, a study published in The Journal of Happiness Studies showed that writing a daily or weekly gratitude journal can make finding happiness easier. 3. Meditate Starting your day with just five to 10 minutes of meditation will help you to develop your happiness. Try meditating in the morning shortly after waking: the immediate heightened inner clarity it will give you will set you up for the rest of the day. In fact, the benefits of meditation are many. There are numerous studies that show that it can boost happiness levels by reducing stress hormones, shrinking the part of the brain that controls anxiety, and by stopping rumination, amongst other things. Inner focus: meditation will help your happiness journey And, according to Psychology Today, meditation is the strongest mental practice that has the power to reset your happiness set point, thus turning you into a more joyful person: regular meditation practice can literally rewire your brain so you can become happier. 4. Build quality relationships If happiness is a journey and not a destination, then it’s the people that are with you on your journey that can make all the difference. Science is clear on this: you can find and maintain happiness through developing quality relationships. Humans are a social species and need regular contact. In a 75-year, multigenerational study, Robert Waldinger measured happiness levels in people from Boston’s poorest neighborhoods. He found that the most joyful were those with high-quality social connections. 5. Choose happiness Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse who devoted her career to working with end-of-life patients, found a theme in those coming to the end of their lives: they has a deep regret about not ‘letting’ themselves be happy. Ware, the author of The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying, penned a blog for the Huffington Post, in which she wrote: “Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. “Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again ... Life is a choice. It is your life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.” RELATED: Cherophobia: the Fear of Happiness Explained Takeaway: happiness is a journey All to often we are led to believe that by obtaining goals or possessions we will feel happier. But the reality is – and science agrees – that when we reach those destinations, our happiness levels quickly return to their original set-point. Indeed, happiness often leads to success, but success does not always lead to happiness. Instead, research shows that the best way to maintain consistent well-being is to focus on the everyday changes you can make in your life, with altruism, gratitude and quality relationships being important factors: happiness really is a journey and not a destination. And when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! In fact, research in the field of positive psychology has shown that happiness is a choice that anyone can make. As psychologist William James put it, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.” ● Main image: shutterstock/Olga Danylenko happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ Develop with free online Academy classes Friendship | Empathy | Deep listening | Loneliness Written by Calvin Holbrook Calvin edits our magazine, as well as being an artist, lover of swimming, nature, yoga, dancing to house/techno, and all things vintage! Find out more.

Du möchtest durch bestimmte Ziele oder Anschaffungen glücklich werden? Versuch lieber, dein tägliches Glück zu fördern! Calvin Holbrook zeigt anhand den Erklärungen der Wissenschaft, dass Glück wirklich kein Ziel, sondern eine Reise ist. „Glück ist eine Reise, kein Ziel“ - dieses Sprichwort hört man oft. Und viele Leute würden wohl zustimmen, dass die Suche nach Wohlbefinden der größte Antrieb der gesamten Menschheit ist. Aber stimmt dieses Sprichwort wirklich? Was hat die Wissenschaft dazu zu sagen? Das Sprichwort legt nahe, dass Menschen nicht glauben sollten, das Erreichen eines bestimmten Lebensziels würde sie glücklich machen. Das fragliche Reiseziel könnte beispielsweise der eine Traumjob sein, das Finden des perfekten Partners oder das Gehalt nach einer Lohnsteigerung, für die man so hart gearbeitet hat. Die Chancen stehen zwar gut, dass du dich glücklicher fühlst, wenn du eines deiner Ziele erreicht hast – allerdings nur vorübergehend. Warum das so ist? Wegen unseres Glücks-Sollwert oder dem sogenannten "Set-Point". Glück: Reise vs. Ziel und der Set-Point Eine Theorie der Glücksforschung behauptet, dass der Mensch einen sogenannten „Set-Point“ (Sollwert) des Glücks hat. Der Psychologin Sonja Lyubomirsky zufolge, macht dieser genetische Sollwert etwa 50 Prozent unseres Glücksniveaus aus - der Rest bedingt sich durch die Umstände in denen wir leben und wie wir leben. Genieß den Weg: Glück ist eine Reise, kein Ziel. shutterstock Unser uns innewohnender Sollwert bestimmt weitgehend unser allgemeines Wohlbefinden, und wir alle leben mit unterschiedlichen Stufen dieses Wertes. Daher sind die Menschen mit höheren Sollwerten meistens zufriedener als diejenigen, die weniger freudige Aussichten haben (aufgrund ihres niedrigeren Sollwerts). VERWANDTES THEMA: Ist Glück genetisch bedingt? Auf der Reise durch unser Leben werden wir uns um diesen Sollwert herum bewegen. Unglückliche Lebensereignisse verschieben das Glücksniveau unter deinen Sollwert, während positive oder aufregende Ereignisse dein Glücksniveau darüber erhöhen. Jedoch werden wir früher oder später, wenn sich die Ereignisse normalisieren oder verändern, auf unseren ursprünglichen Sollwert zurückversetzt. Dies passiert zum Beispiel, wenn wir den ‚Holiday Blues‘ spüren, nachdem wir aus dem Hoch des letzten Urlaubs zurückgekehrt sind. Ebenso kann es sein, dass das Glücksgefühl nicht anhält, nachdem du ein vermeintliches Ziel erreicht hast, oder ein neues Problem lässt dich das Glück nicht so erleben, wie du es erwartet hast. Nachdem du beispielsweise deinen Traumjob gefunden hast, stellst du fest, dass dieser durch die zusätzliche Arbeitsbelastung (und den anspruchsvollen neuen Chef), viel negativen Stress mit sich bringt. Oder die neue Wohnung, von der du dir so viel erhofft hast? Die lauten Nachbarn tun ihr bestes, um den Frieden zu stören. Du hast gerade den „perfekten“ Partner getroffen? Dann ist es nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis du all die Dinge entdeckst, die dich an ihm stören. Es gibt unzählige Beispiele für dieses Phänomen. „Die Chancen stehen zwar gut, dass du dich glücklicher fühlst, wenn du eines deiner Ziele erreicht hast – allerdings nur vorübergehend.“ Irgendwann können sich alle diese vermeintlichen Glücksziele in Luft auflösen. In der Tat ist das einzig beständige im Leben die Veränderung. Da macht es wirklich wenig Sinn zu glauben, man könnte ein Ziel erreichen, und infolgedessen dauerhaft glücklicher sein. Tatsächlich endet dieses Streben nach Glück - das ständige Verlangen und der Antrieb, Dinge zu erreichen, von denen wir glauben, dass sie unser Wohlbefinden und unsere Freude steigern werden - oft in einer Enttäuschung (die sogenannte „Glücksfalle“). Verbessere deine Reisebedingungen auf dem Weg zum Glück Wie oben beschrieben, ist laut Lyubomirsky unser genetischer ‚Set-Point‘ für etwa 50 Prozent unseres Glücks verantwortlich. Der Rest hängt von unseren Lebensumständen (10 Prozent) und unserer Lebensaktivität (40 Prozent) ab. Einige Studien deuten jedoch darauf hin, dass wir durch Veränderungen unseres Alltags - also während wir „unterwegs“ sind – unseren voreingestellten Sollwert auf ein höheres Niveau bringen und dadurch glücklicher werden können. Tatsächlich gibt es viele kleine alltägliche Handlungen, die wir ausführen können, um unser allgemeines Wohlbefinden zu verbessern. Hier sind fünf, die du sofort anwenden kannst. 1) Sei gütig Studien zeigen, dass wir unseren Glückssollwert nach oben verlegen können, indem wir anderen helfen. Einer Studie zufolge - in der Daten aus der repräsentativen Wiederholungsbefragung des Sozio-ökonomischen Panels analysiert wurden - ist das Merkmal, das am stärksten mit der Steigerung der langfristigen Zufriedenheit zusammenhängt, ein regelmäßiges Bekenntnis zum Altruismus. Im Ergebnis scheinen wir umso glücklicher zu sein, je barmherziger wir handeln. Dies wurde durch eine weitere Studie von Sonja Lyubomirsky untermauert, die 2005 im Review of General Psychology veröffentlicht wurde. In dieser sollte eine Gruppe von Studenten fünf Mal wöchentlich eine gütige Handlung über einen Gesamtzeitraum von sechs Wochen ausführen. Nach diesem Zeitraum wiesen die Studenten im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe eine deutlich gesteigerte Zufriedenheit auf. VERWANDTES THEMA: Die Vorteile von Freundlichkeit 2) Dankbarkeit üben Es ist wissenschaftlich belegt, das es die Zufriedenheit erhöht, wenn man sich in Dankbarkeit übt. Außerdem ist das eine der einfachsten Lebensveränderungen die du dir vornehmen kannst! Schließlich erfordert sie kaum Aufwand. „In der Tat ist das einzig beständige im Leben die Veränderung. Da mach es wirklich wenig Sinn zu glauben, man könnte ein Ziel erreichen, und infolgedessen dauerhaft glücklicher sein.“ Laut einem Bericht aus dem Jahr 2003 in der Zeitschrift Social Behavior and Personality (für soziales Verhalten und Persönlichkeit) neigen dankbare Menschen dazu, die kleinen Freuden des Lebens mehr zu schätzen (definiert als "jene Freuden im Leben, die den meisten Menschen zur Verfügung stehen"). Tatsächlich zeigte eine Studie, die im The Journal of Happiness Studies veröffentlicht wurde, dass das Schreiben eines täglichen oder wöchentlichen Dankestagebuchs zu mehr Zufriedenheit führt. 3) Meditiere Beginne deinen Tag mit nur fünf bis zehn Minuten Meditation, um dein Glück zu fördern. Versuche morgens kurz nach dem Aufwachen zu meditieren: Die mentale Klarheit, die du dadurch erreichst, wird dich auf den Rest des Tages vorbereiten. Tatsächlich bringt Meditation viele Vorteile mit sich. Es gibt zahlreiche Studien, die zeigen, dass meditieren das Glücksniveau steigern kann, indem es Stresshormone reduziert. Außerdem verkleinert sich der Teil des Gehirns, der Angst steuert. Und, neben anderen Vorteilen, kann ständiges Grübeln gestoppt werden. Inneres Ankommen: Meditation hilft dir, deine Mitte zu finden Laut der Zeitschrift Psychology Today ist Meditation die wirkungsvollste mentale Übung, mit der es möglich ist, deinen Glücks-Set-Point zurückzusetzen, was dich wiederum zu einer zufriedeneren Person macht. Durch regelmäßige Meditation kannst du dein Gehirn buchstäblich neu verdrahten, sodass du glücklicher werden kannst. 4) Qualitative Beziehungen aufbauen Angenommen, Glück ist die Reise und nicht das Ziel. Dann können die Menschen, die dich auf dieser Reise begleiten, definitiv den Unterschied machen. In diesem Punkt ist sich die Wissenschaft einig: Menschen mit tiefen, qualitativen Beziehungen können mehr Zufriedenheit und beständigeres Glück erleben. Menschen sind eine soziale Spezies und brauchen regelmäßigen zwischenmenschlichen Kontakt. In einer 75-jährigen Studie über mehrere Generationen untersuchte Robert Waldinger die Zufriedenheit der Menschen in den ärmsten Stadtteilen von Boston. Er fand heraus, dass, unabhängig von ihrem sozialen Status, die Menschen am zufriedensten waren, die über hochwertige soziale Beziehungen verfügten. 5) Entscheide dich für Glück Bronnie Ware, eine Krankenpflegerin der Palliativmedizin, die ihre Arbeit den Patienten an ihrem Lebensende widmete, fand bei ihren Patienten ein immer wiederkehrendes Thema: Sie bedauerten es zutiefst, sich nicht „erlaubt“ zu haben, glücklicher zu sein. Ware, die Autorin von „5 Dinge, die Sterbende am häufigsten bereuen“, verfasste einen Blog für die Huffington Post, in dem sie schrieb: „Viele haben erst am Ende erkannt, dass Glück eine Wahl ist. Sie waren in alten Mustern und Gewohnheiten gefangen. Sie bewegten sich in ihrem Leben, emotional wie physisch, nur in der sogenannten Komfortzone.“ VERWANDTES THEMA: Cherophobie – die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein „Die Angst vor Veränderungen ließ sie, vor anderen und vor sich selbst, vormachen, dass sie zufrieden wären. Tief im Inneren aber sehnten sie sich danach, wieder einmal richtig zu lachen und mehr Albernheit in ihr Leben zu lassen (...). Das Leben ist eine Entscheidung. Es ist dein Leben. Wähle bewusst, wähle klug, wähle ehrlich. Wähle, glücklich zu sein." Zusammenfassung Allzu oft glauben wir, dass wir uns durch das Erreichen von Zielen oder Besitz glücklicher fühlen werden. Aber in Wirklichkeit ist es so - und die Wissenschaft stimmt dem zu -, dass unser Glücksniveau nach Erreichen dieser Ziele schnell auf seinen ursprünglichen Wert zurückfällt. Glück führt oft zum Erfolg, aber Erfolg führt nicht immer zum Glück. Stattdessen zeigt die Forschung, dass der beste Weg, um das Wohlbefinden langfristig zu steigern, darin besteht, kleine Veränderungen im alltäglichen Leben anzustreben. Dabei sind Altruismus, Dankbarkeit und qualitative Beziehungen wichtige Faktoren: Glück ist wirklich eine Reise und kein Ziel. Tatsächlich hat die Forschung auf dem Gebiet der positiven Psychologie gezeigt, dass Glück eine Entscheidung ist, die jeder treffen kann. Der Psychologe William James formulierte es so: "Die größte Entdeckung einer jeden Generation ist, dass ein Mensch sein Leben verändern kann, indem er seine Haltung ändert." ● Titelbild: shutterstock/Olga Danylenko Geschrieben von Calvin Holbrook Calvin kümmert sich um das englische happiness Magazin und liebt Schwimmen, Yoga, Tanzen und alle Vintage-Dinge. Hier erfährst du mehr.

Having lots of sex doesn't always mean it's fulfilling or lead to happiness. Indeed, as Sienna St-Cyr argues, factors such as the quality of sex and couple compatibility are far more important when it comes to achieving a happy sex life. If you've ever been told that lots of sex will lead to happiness, you might have heard correctly! There are many factors that go into that statement, however. Frequency of sex is just one factor to be considered. Couple compatibility, quality, and type of sex are also important. So, the link between sex and being happy seems to be there, but it also appears to be more complex. After reading an article on the frequency of sex and whether couples are having enough of it on Greater Good, I began thinking a great deal about the subject and whether or not it’s sex itself or something that goes along with the sex that leads to happier people. This led me to a few concepts to examine in detail when discussing the link between fulfillment, sex, and being happy. 1. Frequency of sex While the article on Greater Good points out that for many folks having a lot of sex makes them happier, it also states that this isn't the case for everyone. In fact, frequency without other important factors incorporated may actually make people unhappy. I was once with a partner that wanted sex daily. I, however, didn't. For one, it wasn't satisfying for me. This partner rarely put the time in to make it enjoyable, and he usually focused on his release over mine. This caused a depression in me. RELATED: Why I'll never ignore my sexual needs in a relationship again Brian Joseph Gillespie of the Department of Sociology at Sonoma State University carried out a study in 2016 where he found that couples taking part in frequent sex were only more satisfied if the sex was also of high quality. So, frequency is only a part of the equation when it comes to having a happy sex life. Frequent sex doesn't equal great sex (or make you happy) 2. Couple compatibility This brings me to sexual happiness and compatibility. That ex and I simply weren't compatible. He wanted quick sex and often and I wanted less sex with more build up. When I met my husband, he loved foreplay. He enjoyed putting the energy into turning me on. This shows that we were far more compatible because this energy was what I needed. I went from rarely reaching orgasm to sometimes having more than one in a sexual escapade. According to the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, reaching orgasm releases oxytocin, which is also known as one of the happiness hormones. The article on 'The Orgasmic History of Oxytocin' covers several areas of sexuality and the release of oxytocin. So, all the extra energy my husband put into me and all the additional orgasms led to more of this happiness hormone being released into my body. “The sexual connection I have with my partner leads to far more happiness if it's a positive one. Desiring the same things as a couple leads to positivity.” This sexual connection I have with my partner leads to far more happiness if it's a positive one. Desiring the same things as a couple leads to positivity. Putting the kids to bed together and reading them a story five nights a week, while only have sex twice a week, may, in fact, make for more satisfying sex. RELATED: What is Omnisexuality? Understanding and Debunking Myths However, other couples may prefer sex seven days a week. Finding that partner we’re most compatible with is essential for achieving a happy sex life, even if the actual frequency of sex is less than before. Healthy connections and finding a compatible partner means we must be mindful of our needs and desires. 3. Quality of sex As mentioned above, having sex twice a week may be perfect for some partners. The biggest thing I've found out for myself, though, is that's it's the quality of sex rather than the frequency that matters. Is it sex I like? I can have sex for an hour, but ten-minute, super intense, sex is far more powerful for me. Because I enjoy the latter more, it means a deeper level and quality of sex. Longer, softer sex is still good, but not as strong for me. RELATED: What work can teach us about improving our relationships As Brian Joseph Gillespie also mentions in his April 2016 study, couples that had far less sex but felt they had quality sex were more satisfied with their sex lives. Sp, satisfaction contributes to a happy sex life too, as well as your overall happiness levels. It's a match: couple compatibility is one factor of a happy sex life This isn’t so clear, though, when it comes to other studies. The Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization also carried out research. It found that when they asked participants to have more sex, their fulfillment actually decreased! What I found interesting about this study is that it didn’t include crossovers as Brian’s did. So the folks taking part may or may not have desired that frequency, and that can lead to poor and ‘rushed’ quality. 4. Type of sex I'm convinced that the more we're self-aware and mindful of our needs around sex and happiness, the happier we will be. It can be related to oxytocin release or happiness with our partner(s). Or, it might be that when we honour our needs, we will be more satisfied because we’ll be seeking out the relationships and sexual encounters that make us feel good inside. RELATED: Altruism is sexy and leads to more sex One of the things that drives me batty as a sexuality educator is that so many people feel they need to have intercourse for it to be ‘sex’. I believe that this is not true. That's because there's oral sex, anal sex, masturbatory sex, and even tantric sex. Some may get just as much satisfaction from cuddling as others do a three-hour long missionary sex session. Cuddling releases oxytocin too. So, for asexual folks, this is likely to be far more satisfying than full intercourse. Conclusion: lots of sex doesn't equal happy sex What all of this research and my personal experience has taught me is that the topic of sexual activity and happiness is complex. What I find this all boils down to is that we have to be mindful of our desires and needs. Then we need to honour those desires and needs to be happy. There's no doubt in my mind that when I've walked away from a very satisfying sexual encounter, I'm giggly and flying high. This elevated mood can even last for days! Interestingly, some of the encounters that brought on this feeling have been quite short. And sometimes they vary in frequency as well. But they are still – by far – the most satisfying and happy-making for me. Other times I've had a lot of sex and often, but I didn't get that same high from it: I didn't giggle or walk away with a feeling of euphoria. Ride of your life: quality rules when it comes to happy sex But the most important factor from the list for me is the quality of sex I'm having. All of this connects because all of this involves being tuned into who we are. It’s the self-awareness and mindfulness that leads to us finding compatible partners with similar sexual desires, with the ability to turn mediocre into outstandingly – quality-filled – sexual encounters. If you’re interested in upping your happiness through increased sexual encounters – and I guess you are as you are reading this article (!), I’d suggest keeping these things to the front of your mind: Find a partner compatible with your life goals Talk about sex and sexuality, compare your desires Remember that quantity is not the same as quality Honour both people’s needs with compassion In essence, this is simple. Pay attention and honour one another. If you find your partner isn't ready to meet your needs or if you find you’re not willing to meet theirs and you are both profoundly unable to compromise, maybe letting go of that connection and being open to someone more compatible with your needs is the healthier way to go. “There's no doubt in my mind that when I've walked away from a very satisfying sexual encounter, I'm giggly and flying high. The elevated mood can last me days.” I was often taught that couples that love each other stay together until death. But I have never really bought into this belief. If I can’t make my partner happy, then I will love him enough to let him go so he can find happiness elsewhere. I'm sure the ex that hated foreplay and loved frequent sex has found his special someone that desires those same things. If we’d stayed together, we wouldn't have been happy. And that wouldn't have been due to lack of sex: we were having plenty of that, after all! So, in conclusion, honour your needs, talk about your desires, and listen to your partner when they tell you about their needs and desires. Then, act. For me, this has been the fastest way to a happy and fulfilled sex life. ● Main image: colourbox.com Written by Sienna Saint-Cyr Sienna Saint-Cyr is an author, advocate, and the founder of SinCyr Publishing. She speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on the importance of having a healthy body image, understanding enthusiastic consent, using sexuality to promote healing, navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships, having Complex PTSD, and more. Sienna loves sharing her journey of healing and finding happiness with her readers. Along with writing erotica and romance, Sienna speaks at conventions, workshops, and for private gatherings on such sex-positive topics as a healthy body image, using sexuality to promote healing, and navigating diverse or non-traditional relationships. She writes for several websites. Find out more.

Du denkst, Glück kann man nicht kaufen? Das überprüfen wir nochmal! Schließlich führen Untersuchungen zu der Annahme, dass Geld das Wohlbefinden bis zu einem bestimmten Niveau verbessern kann. Aber wie Dee Marques herausfindet, wird das Glück im Wesentlichen davon beeinflusst, auf welche Weise man sein Geld ausgibt. Der Artikel wurde im Original im englisch happiness Magazin veröffentlicht. “Glück kann man nicht kaufen“. Wie oft hast du das schon gehört? Dieses alte Sprichwort spiegelt die allgemein akzeptierte Überzeugung wider, dass Glück eine innere Haltung ist, die sich nicht dadurch ändern lässt, wie viel oder wie wenig Geld wir haben. Manchmal haben wir jedoch das Gefühl, dass das nicht ganz richtig ist und dass Geld und Glück tatsächlich miteinander verbunden sein können. Gewiss haben wir alle schon einmal gedacht, dass wir mit etwas mehr Geld in der Tasche glücklicher wären. Wenn das Geld knapp ist, ist es nur natürlich zu glauben, dass wir uns mit ein wenig mehr davon besser fühlen würden, weniger gestresst und insgesamt glücklicher. Tatsächlich ist der Zusammenhang zwischen psychischer Gesundheit und finanziellen Problemen gut dokumentiert. Wenn dies der Fall ist, warum soll im Gegenzug Geld nicht glücklicher machen können? Was genau soll man denn nun glauben? Lasst uns einen Blick auf die Forschungsergebnisse dieser langjährigen Debatte werfen und die Verbindung zwischen Geld und Glück aufdecken. Glück und Geld: was sagt die Forschung? Laut einem Bericht der Gesellschaft für Psychologie Großbritanniens stehen finanzielle Probleme auf Platz acht der 18 häufigsten Stressursachen im Vereinigten Königreich. Ähnliche Ergebnisse wurden in vielen anderen Ländern, einschließlich den Vereinigten Staaten, Australien und Hongkong, erfasst. Glück lässt sich kaum kaufen. Die Ausnahmen sind hier aufgelistet. Andererseits ist 'finanzielles Wohlbefinden' einer der Hauptfaktoren, die zu Lebensqualität und zu allgemeinem Glück beitragen. Finanzielles Wohlbefinden darf daher nicht außer Acht gelassen werden, wenn man heraus finden will, ob man Glück kaufen oder eben nicht kaufen kann. Finanzielles Wohlbefinden bedeutet, dass wir genug Geld haben, damit wir uns keine Sorgen machen müssen, dass unsere Beziehungen, Gesundheit und Zukunftspläne davon beeinträchtigt werden. Es scheint also, dass die Antwort auf "Kann man Glück kaufen?" auf einer bestimmten Ebene „Ja“ ist - und zwar dann, wenn man genug Geld besitzt. Aber wie viel ist genug - und kann das finanzielle Wohlbefinden quantifiziert werden? Laut dem Nobelpreisträger und Ökonom Angus Deaton kann der Maßstab bei 75.000 US-Dollar / Jahr festgelegt werden. Bei seinen Forschungen stellte Deaton fest, dass unterhalb dieser Menge Stress und negative Emotionen häufiger gemeldet wurden. Aufgrund der weltweit unterschiedlichen Einkommen ist dies natürlich keine feste globale Kennzahl, da sie von Land zu Land zu variieren scheint. Zum Beispiel wurde festgestellt, dass der für Glück benötigte Betrag in Australien und Neuseeland viel höher, in Lateinamerika jedoch deutlich niedriger liegt. Kann man Glück kaufen? Eine Frage der Balance und der Prioritäten Obwohl der genaue „Preis des Glücks“ variiert, können die meisten Studien, die die Frage „Kann man Glück kaufen?“ zu beantworten versuchen, sich auf eine Sache einigen: Sobald unsere Grundbedürfnisse erfüllt sind, verlieren die positiven Auswirkungen des Geldes an Bedeutung, wenn sie gegen die negativen Aspekte aufgewogen werden. Natürlich kann genug Geld die finanziellen Ängste reduzieren, aber die Forschungen haben auch ergeben, dass sich Menschen nicht glücklicher fühlen, wenn sie über den genannten Schwellenwerte hinaus verdienen. Tatsächlich deuten einige Studien darauf hin, dass ein jährliches Einkommen von mehr als 95.000 US-Dollar im Zusammenhang mit einer geringeren Lebenszufriedenheit steht. Dies mag daran liegen, dass Menschen sich neue materielle Ziele stecken, je mehr Geld sie verdienen. Sind diese materiellen Ziele einmal erfüllt, kann die Aufrechterhaltung eines kostspieligeren Lebensstils in eine Unzufriedenheitsspirale führen (bekannt als das hedonistische Adaption). Stress im Job: Geld kann dich nicht glücklich machen, wenn der Job dich stresst. Lyashenko Egor/shutterstock.com Darüber hinaus kann es sein, dass man, um mehr Geld zu verdienen, mit einer höheren beruflichen Verantwortung und einer schlechteren Work-Life-Balance leben muss. Es kann bedeuten, länger arbeiten zu müssen, mehr Zeit im Büro zu verbringen und weniger Zeit für Familie und Freunde zu haben. Im Ergebnis führt dies zu weniger Zufriedenheit und verschlechtert die Bilanz von Glück zu Geld. Also ist das Wichtige, das wir daraus lernen können, uns der schmalen Grenze zwischen genug zu haben und übermäßigem Konsum, bewusst zu sein. Übermäßiger Konsum kann niemals zufriedengestellt werden und uns schließlich unglücklich machen. Wann kann man Glück also kaufen? Mehr Geld zu haben, als wir brauchen, macht uns nicht notwendigerweise glücklicher. Aber wenn wir es nutzen, um Erfahrungen zu sammeln und sinnvolle Dinge zu tun, könnte es dabei helfen. Tatsächlich zeigt die Wissenschaft, dass es beim Glück nicht darum geht, wie viel Geld man hat, sondern wie man es verwendet. Um die Balance zwischen Geld und Glück zu finden, ist es wichtig, Geld auf eine Weise zu verwenden, die zu anhaltender Zufriedenheit führt. Wenn du zum Beispiel einen Einkaufsbummel machst, bietet dies nur ein kurzzeitiges Glücksgefühl (das bald nachlässt), aber durch die Investition in Erfahrungen können Erinnerungen entstehen - und Glück - das für immer anhält. Hier sind drei Vorschläge, wie man Glück bis zu einem bestimmten Grad kaufen kann: 1) Altruismus und Glück Studien zeigen eine starke Verbindung zwischen Altruismus und Glück. Einige der reichsten Menschen der Welt, wie Bill Gates und Warren Buffett, spenden den größten Teil ihres Vermögens, weil diese Aktion ihnen dabei hilft, einen Sinn zu finden. Du musst jedoch kein Milliardär sein, um dies zu erleben: Du kannst Gesten ausüben, die mit kleinen Geldbeträgen verbunden sind. Beispielsweise kannst du einen Kaffee für die Person in der Warteschlange hinter dir kaufen, oder eine monatliche Lastschrift für eine bevorzugte Wohltätigkeitsorganisation einrichten. Altruistisch zu sein ist im Allgemeinen eine großartige Sache: Die Vorteile von Freundlichkeit sind riesig und erwiesen. 2) Investiere in Erfahrungen In vielen Kulturen und Gesellschaften haben materielle Besitztümer nach wie vor einen hohen Stellenwert. Aber „Dinge“ gehen kaputt, verloren oder werden nach einiger Zeit uninteressant. Erfahrungen dagegen schaffen Erinnerungen, die immer bei einem bleiben werden. Du kannst reisen, an einem Kochkurs teilnehmen, ein Hobby finden, für das du dich begeisterst, oder einfach als Tourist deine eigene Stadt besuchen. Was auch immer dir Freude macht, tu es. Tatsächlich ist erwiesen, dass eine Lebensweise, in der man nicht nach materialistischen Dingen strebt sondern einen nicht-materialistischen Ansatz verfolgt, ein Schritt zur Steigerung der Zufriedenheit ist. Einfach mal raus hier: Geld, das für Erfahrungen, wie hier für Reisen, ausgegeben wird, bringt Glück 3) Kauf dir Zeit Verwende Geld, um dir zusätzliche Zeit zu kaufen. Auf diese Weise hast du mehr Zeit, um Dinge zu tun, die dich glücklich machen. Wenn die Hausarbeit zu viel Zeit in Anspruch nimmt und du es dir leisten kannst, miete eine Haushaltshilfe. Wenn du für deine Steuern oder die Verwaltung deiner Finanzen viele Stunden benötigst, gib diese Arbeit an einen Steuerberater ab. Wenn du und dein Partner wegen der Kinder immer erschöpft seid, könnt ihr einmal in der Woche etwas für einen Babysitter ausgeben und gewinnt wertvolle Zeit zu zweit. Wichtig ist dabei, die gewonnene Zeit nicht für weitere Arbeit einzusetzen, sondern Dinge zu tun, die dir Freude bereiten! Und du musst nicht reich sein, um von diesen Vorschlägen zu profitieren. Eine Studie mit 6.000 Menschen in mehreren Ländern zeigte, dass diejenigen, die Geld für zeitsparende Aufgaben ausgaben, unabhängig von ihrer Einkommensklasse eine höhere Lebenszufriedenheit verzeichneten. Der Botschaft hierbei ist, dass Geld nicht nur für Dinge ausgegeben werden kann, die dir Freude bereiten, sondern auch dafür, Dinge zu vermeiden, die du nicht gerne tust. Zeit ist Geld: Kaufe dir Zeit - das macht glücklich Glück und Geld: Wohlstand beeinflusst unsere Wahrnehmung Bei der Untersuchung des Zusammenhangs zwischen Glück und Einkommen muss als letztes berücksichtigt werden, dass Glück für unterschiedliche Menschen verschiedene Dinge bedeuten kann. Es ist daher wichtig, dass du darüber nachdenkst, was dich persönlich glücklich macht. Studien zeigen, dass Glück eine komplexe Emotion ist, die als Ergebnis anderer positiver Gefühle erlebt werden kann. Laut einer Studie verbinden wohlhabende Menschen zum Beispiel Glück mit Stolz, Erfolgserlebnissen und dem Gefühl, etwas erreicht zu haben. Umgekehrt erleben weniger wohlhabende Menschen Glück eher in Verbindung mit Gefühlen wie Mitgefühl und Liebe. Was auch immer Glück für dich bedeutet: Habe keine Angst davor etwas zu verändern, um es zu finden. Auch wenn solche Veränderungen im ersten Moment beängstigend sein können. Für manche Menschen bedeutete Glück, ihre hoch bezahlten Unternehmensjobs aufzugeben, um ihrer Berufung zu folgen. Für andere bedeutet es vielleicht, einen weniger fordernden Job zu suchen oder ein paar Tage in der Woche von zu Hause aus zu arbeiten, auch wenn dies bedeutet, weniger zu verdienen. Glück kann man nicht kaufen: eine kurze Zusammenfassung Um es zusammenzufassen - es scheint klar zu sein, dass es einen Zusammenhang zwischen Geld und Glück und zwischen Glück und Einkommen gibt, aber es ist nicht immer eine Ursache-Wirkungs-Situation. Obwohl Geld wichtig ist, ist es bei weitem nicht der einzige Faktor, der zum Glück beiträgt. Wenn man versucht, die Frage „Kann man Glück kaufen?“ zu beantworten, ist es nützlich, unsere Vorstellung von Glück zu überdenken, Vergleiche mit anderen zu vermeiden und herauszufinden, was Glück für mich ganz persönlich bedeutet. Bei unserem Streben nach Glück macht es außerdem Sinn, sich auf die Erfüllung unserer Bedürfnisse zu konzentrieren. Sich ein Erlebnis- und Erinnerungsgewölbe zu schaffen, statt ein Leben voller materieller Besitztümer. Dabei sollten wir aber versuchen, nicht zu vergessen, für das was wir haben wertschätzend und dankbar zu sein. ● Titelbild: Dean Drobot/shutterstock.com Geschrieben von Dee Marques Dee ist Absolventin der Sozialwissenschaften, hat großes Interesse an Sprachen, Kommunikations- und Persönlichkeitsentwicklungsstrategien. Sie liebt es zu trainieren, in der Natur zu sein und warme und sonnige Orte zu entdecken, an denen sie vor dem Winter fliehen kann.

Here are six ways to keep your head when the internet loses it. By Zaid Jilani on behalf of Greater Good Science Center. The short video went viral on social media, as so many do. It appeared to show teens participating in an anti-abortion march confronting and mocking an older Native American man, provoking outrage by millions across social media. The clip made it to cable news. Celebrities joined in the fracas. Their school, Kentucky-based Covington Catholic, eventually responded, saying that it will take “appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.” But the initial narrative about the video collapsed when the full two-hour video of the incident became available. It’s not that the longer video exonerates the teenagers for bad behavior, but it did become clear that they were surrounded by adults whose behavior was, if anything, worse. Teen Nick Sandmann faces Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, DC, on Jan 18, 2019. Hostile interactions between protesters and counter-protesters are common at these sorts of events, and it’s possible that if everyone involved were to engage in productive dialogue in a different setting, they could make amends with each other. The Native American activist in the video, Nathan Phillips, himself later offered to participate in such a bridge-building dialogue with the students. But that’s not the way social media outrage commonly plays out. Social media tribes tend to divide the world into good and evil, and seek to punish offenders, not promote understanding and change – a dynamic that is almost certainly aggravated by foreign-sponsored social media accounts that aim to play on America’s social divisions. There is even research showing that the volume of moralized tweets is linked to real-life acts of violence. As neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky writes in his 2017 book Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, “punishing norms violations is satisfying,” because punishing a perceived evildoer releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that relates to how the brain processes pleasure. Punishment and pleasure Sapolsky cites a 2004 study to make the point. In that study, players are offered the opportunity to punish others who behave unfairly in an economic game. What the researchers found through the use of brain scans is that reward-related regions of the brain were consistently activated when players administered punishment, especially when players had to pay to punish. Punishing others feels so good, we’re even willing to sacrifice to do it. 
RELATED: Happiness hormones: the neurochemicals of happiness The neurological rewards we get from punishing people is at least one of the reasons why humans have engaged in public shaming rituals. In pre-industrial England, this took the form of maiming, branding, whipping, and other forms of physical torture. “Social media tribes tend to divide the world into good and evil, and seek to punish offenders, not promote understanding and change.” Zaid Jilani Eventually, this form of public shaming was ruled inhumane. The U.S. Constitution includes a provision barring “cruel and unusual punishment,” partly in reaction to the frequent use of torture. But the rise of social media services have offered another avenue for public shaming, with the frequent goal of making the targets persona non grata – not engaging in any sort of physical torture, but making them less appealing to employers and potential friends. “Social media might make it even more rewarding than it already is,” says William Brady, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale who studies the role of morality, emotion, and social identity online. “Because now it’s bringing on a social-feedback element. Where not only does it feel good for you to express outrage and punish, but now all your friends are saying, ‘Hey, we approve of this, we feel good.’” Given this powerful human psychology, what can we do to de-escalate our own online outrage moments? Here are six ways we can dial down our discussions and avoid snap judgments of people we only know through videos or words that are sometimes taken out of context. 1. Avoid stereotyping people based on little information Part of the reason the Covington teens provoked such a backlash online, especially among members of the political left, was the imagery of the situation in the brief online clip originally posted. The teenagers were smiling white boys wearing pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” hats facing off with a Native American protester. That’s an image tailor-made to provoke rage in today’s America. Face shook? Don't let social media enrage you shutterstock/pathdoc Many observers used a mental shortcut known as the “representatitiveness heuristic” – to make assumptions about the teenagers based off of stereotypes. One writer for The Atlantic instantly compared the incident to white mobs preventing African Americans from attending public schools in the 1950s, a comparison that became debatable once the full context of the incident was made available. It’s not that race wasn’t at play in the incident; but understanding the impact of the representativeness heuristic on how we see events will slow the rush to judgment. All human beings are susceptible to stereotyping, and in some applications stereotypes can be useful – for instance, if you're trying to decide whether it’s a good idea to bring an umbrella during a spring trip to Seattle. But when we use limited information to fit people into stereotypes, we often make negative and ignorant assumptions. 2. Be aware of “pluralistic ignorance” Sophia Moskalensko, a researcher who studies radicalization, says a phenomenon called “pluralistic ignorance” helps drive outrage on social media. Pluralistic ignorance is a situation where members of a group may privately reject an idea, but they believe most of the other members of the group believe that idea, so they decide to accept it. Since our social media networks are likely to consist of people we tend to agree with, we feel compelled to be angry when we see all of them angry about something. “When we’re online and we encounter some piece of political theater… we see people all outraged about it, and they’re using expletives and they’re using explosive metaphors, we’re thinking, ‘Wow, everybody is feeling this way about this,’” says Moskalensko. “Over time people shift their opinions to more closely resemble what they feel is the social norm.” 3. Walk in the shoes of your opponents Some of the behavior of the teenagers may indeed have been immature and emotionally harmful. However, the longer video reveals a chaotic environment in which any one of us might have lost our cool or behaved in an immature fashion — especially if we were teenagers with a limited worldview. Simply dropping our preconceived notions and imagining ourselves in their shoes can help lower the temperature of the online conversation. You may doubt this approach can work, but it is research-tested. In 2005, researchers paired Palestinians with Israelis and asked each to share the difficulties of life in their society, and then take the perspective of the other side. This form of dialogue significantly improved the attitudes of both sides towards each other. If this approach has shown promise between foes in a lethal conflict, it certainly may heal the divide between Trump-backing teenagers and those who oppose the president. 4. Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong After the larger context of the Covington Catholic teens incident was unveiled, some news outlets who had promoted the story tried to portray the entire high school they attended as unarguably racist to keep the narrative alive. Quite a few commentators doubled down on the original narrative, ignoring new information. This isn’t surprising. Human beings are naturally averse to admitting they were wrong. But our first impressions are often understandably inaccurate, and we should have the humility to admit our errors, and to be generous towards others when they make errors, as well. Tweet sweet: think before you bang out a reply on social channels While it’s hard to admit a mistake to another person, writes the psychologist Rick Hanson, there are benefits: “It cuts to the heart of the matter, reduces a cause of their anxiety or anger, let you move on to other topics (including your own needs), takes the wind out of their sails if they’re lambasting you, and puts you in a stronger position to ask them to admit fault themselves.” RELATED: The six steps to an effective apology On social media, admitting fault has another benefit: It will encourage an ethic of reflection and apology that will almost certainly make your network a more pleasant place to be. 5. Practice mindfulness to approach politics with less anxiety and anger Part of the reason online outrage takes a hold of people is because they are having a hard time controlling their personal anxiety. But research has shown that even a brief period of meditation may make you more generous and less angry towards others. In one 2013 study, participants who took part in a short meditation showed reduced prejudice towards the homeless; a study released the following year found similar benefits in terms of reducing prejudice towards African Americans and the elderly. RELATED: Do mindfulness apps work? In some ways, however, mindfulness has a much simpler social media lesson for us: Take a breath before hitting return on that tweet or status update. In that pause, you might ask yourself: What’s happening in my body? What are my intentions? Are these words consistent with my intentions? How do I want my friends and family to feel? What kind of person do I want to be? 6. Focus on individual characteristics, not group identity Should Phillips and the teenagers have the meeting he has proposed, they could start their conversation by talking not about Donald Trump or Native American political issues, but about themselves. “Take a breath before hitting return on that tweet or status update. In that pause, you might ask yourself: What kind of person do I want to be?” Zaid Jilani Research shows that people are more sympathetic towards an identifiable person than towards a group. If Phillips and the teenagers can learn to humanize and respect each other as individuals, they may be able to have a more nuanced and empathic discussion about Native American rights and why some vote for the Republican Party, without taunting or insults. Punishment might feel good in the moment — but restorative solutions to social conflict are what will create a country that all of us can live in. ● Main image: shutterstock/Olena Yakobchuk How do stay calm using social media channels? Let the happiness.com community know below... Written by Greater Good Science Center This article originally appeared on Greater Good, the online magazine of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Happiness.com is honoured to republish it with the kind permission of the Greater Good Science Center. greatergood.berkeley.edu

Nicht glücklich sein können? Studien aus der Glücksforschung zeigen, dass es bei der Cherophobie - der Angst vor dem Glücklich sein - genau dazu kommt. Was ist Cherophobie? Warum haben manche Menschen Angst vor dem Glücklichsein und wie kann das geändert werden? Die Mehrheit der Menschen möchte ihr Leben lang das Glück finden: Glück in der Liebe, im Beruf, Glück als wiederkehrender Begleiter in unterschiedlichen Lebenslagen. Doch es gibt auch Menschen, die Glücksgefühle meiden oder sogar Angst vor ihnen bzw. ihren Konsequenzen haben. Im Fachjargon [1] wird von "Fear of Happiness" oder "Cherophobie" gesprochen. Was bedeutet Angst vor dem Glücklichsein haben? Es sind nicht die angenehmen Glücksgefühle an sich, die den Betroffenen Angst einflößen, sondern vielmehr fürchten sie mögliche negative Folgen (Enttäuschung, Traurigkeit, Einsamkeit...) nach einem schönen Erlebnis. Zum Teil verspüren sie auch die Angst, das gerade erlebte Glück zu schnell zu verlieren und anschließend in ein emotionales Loch zu fallen. Einige Menschen haben Probleme damit, sich selbst Freude und Genuss überhaupt zuzugestehen, sie gleuben sie seien "es nicht wert" glücklich zu sein. Das liegt zum Teil an verinnerlichten Glaubenssätzen wie: "Lobe den Tag nicht vor dem Abend", "nach Sonnenschein kommt Regen" oder "Glück und Glas, wie leicht bricht das". Hunderte Male gehört, manifestiert sich so der Glaube, dass auf Gutes stets Böses folgen müsse, dass sich das (Glücks-)Blatt immer wieder zum Schlechten wenden kann und nichts beständig ist. Auf Glück folgt Pech, so die Annahme. All diese Sorgen stehen einer gesunden Lebensführung im Wege, denn wir brauchen positive Erlebnisse, um Energie zu tanken und uns zu stärken, sowohl mental als auch physisch. Auch die Produktion sogenannter Glückshormone wie Serotonin, Noradrenalin, Dopamin und weiterer, ist wichtig für unser Wohlbefinden. Wer zu wenig Glückshormone bildet, wird möglicherweise depressiv. Glück zeigt sich oft in den kleinen Momenten. Sie anzunehmen, kann geübt werden Der Versuch Glücksgefühle gezielt zu vermeiden bzw. zu unterdrücken wirkt auf den menschlichen Körper kontraproduktiv. Es kostet sogar ein hohes Maß an Anstrengung gegen die Natur zu arbeiten und verursacht Stress, der wiederum Stresshormone freisetzt, statt der positiven Glückshormone. Menschen, die mit Cherophobie leben, haben nicht immer Angst vor den angenehmen Gefühlen, die Glück mit sich bringen kann, sind aber besorgt über die möglichen negativen Auswirkungen. Auch ein niedriges Selbstwertgefühl kann zur "Fear of Happiness" führen, zum irrtümlichen Glauben, das Glück "nicht verdient zu haben". Die Angst vor dem Nachlassen der Glücksgefühle und dem in der Folge erwartenden Tiefs kann Vermeidungsstrategien ins Leben rufen, die in eine ungesunde Richtung führen. Wer sich seiner Person und seines Selbstwertes nicht sicher ist, kann Angst vor Neid entwickeln, der durch das eigene Glück bei Menschen aus dem Umfeld ausgelöst werden kann. Aus Angst, nicht mit dem Neid der anderen umgehen zu können, wird das eigene Glück abgeschwächt oder gar vermieden [2]. Ein anderere verbreiteter Grund für die Angst vorm Glücklichsein ist die Annahme "man sei es nicht wert glücklich zu sein". Der oft tief sitzende Glaubenssatz, dass etwas mit einem nicht stimmt und man daher kein Glück verdient hätte. Den Wurzeln dieses Irrglaubens auf den Grund zu gehen und ihn zu heilen ist ein langwirige aber umso lohnendere Aufgabe. Alleine schon sich die frage "warum kann ich nicht glücklich sein?" zu stellen, ist oft der erste Schritt einer bewussten Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema und damit der erste Schritt zu einer Lösung. Gibt es einen Zusammenhang zwischen der Angst vor dem Glücklichsein und Depressionen? Wissenschaftler*innen gehen von einem engen Zusammenhang zwischen der Cherophobie und Depressionen aus. Bis heute ist allerdings nicht erwiesen, ob die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein Ursache, Folge, oder Begleiterscheinung einer Depression ist. Der "Neue-Deutsche-Welle-Sänger" Hubert Kah sagte nach überstandener Depression in einer Talkshow: "Ich hatte das Gefühl: Bei mir darf es nicht gut werden. Ich darf nicht glücklich sein, bei mir darf die Rechnung nicht aufgehen, ich muss leiden." Die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein wird nicht einer Krankheit gleichgesetzt, sie gilt vielmehr als Phänomen, welches in den vergangenen 10 Jahren verstärkt beobachtet werden konnte und das Interesse der Wissenschaft weckte. Im Hamsterrad des Alltags: Ein weiteres Phänomen unserer Zeit Glück ist auch kulturabhängig Der Begriff des "Glücks" wird je nach kulturellem Hintergrund völlig anders bewertet. In einer Studie sollten US-Amerikaner*innen und Chines*innen den voraussichtlichen Verlauf ihrer Glückskurve über die ganze Lebensspanne voraussagen. Während die Amerikaner*innen eher an einen kontinuierlichen Glücksverlauf glaubten, verlief derjenige der Chines*innen mehr in Wellen, auf und ab. Mit anderen Worten: Chines*innen rechnen mit mehr Schwankungen im Leben. Begründet kann dies unter anderem im Taoismus sein, denn laut der taoistischen Philosophie ist davon auszugehen, dass alles im Wandel ist. Das Streben nach Glück ist in taoistisch geprägten Ländern weniger verbreitet, als in westlichen Ländern. Der Forscher Mohsen Joshanloo von der Chungbuk National University von Südkorea, führte 2013 eine weltweite Studie zur Angst vorm Glück durch und befragte 2700 Student*innen unterschiedlicher Herkunft: Aus dem Iran, Russland, Japan, US-Amerika, den Niederlanden und 10 weiteren Staaten. Das Ergebnis der Studie: Außer in Kenia und Indien spürten die Menschen in allen anderen Ländern die Angst vor dem Glück, mit keinen großen Unterschieden zwischen den Ländern und keinen dramatischen Werten. Es stellte sich jedoch heraus, dass in Kulturen, die mehr auf Konformität ausgerichtet sind, die Angst vor Neid grösser als in den Vergleichsstaaten ist. So haben Menschen in Ostasien mehr Hemmungen ihr Glück zu zeigen, als beispielsweise in Amerika. [2] Auch interessant: Was Menschen überall auf der Welt glücklich macht: Glück in verschiedenen Kulturen Spannend: Jede Kultur hat ein anderes Verständnis von Glücklichsein Was hilft gegen die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein? In dieser Frage sind sich die Wissenschaftler*innen noch nicht einig und es fehlen langfristige Studien an diesem noch sehr jungen Phänomen das Menschen am glücklich werden hindert. [3] Studien zeigen, dass die Fähigkeit zum Glücklichsein zum Großteil angeboren ist. Während es Menschen gibt, die an Schicksalsschlägen zu zerbrechen drohen, meistern andere sie wiederum mit erstaunlicher Stärke. Doch nicht jeder Mensch, der weniger "Glücksgene" mit auf seinen Lebensweg bekommen hat, muss sich diesem Schicksal ergeben. In der Fachwelt wird von den sogenannten "Happy habits", den glücklich machenden Gewohnheiten gesprochen, welche man wiederum erlernen und somit sein Glücksempfinden schulen und erweitern kann. Was kann man bei Cherophobie tun? Achtsamkeit heißt das Zauberwort in diesem Zusammenhang. Es sind nicht die großen Glücksgefühle, wie man sie beispielsweise beim ersten Verliebtsein oder der Geburt eines Kindes erlebt, sondern es sind die kleinen Dinge im Alltag, die uns nachhaltig psychisch nähren und fröhlich machen: Die ersten warmen Sonnenstrahlen nach einem langen Winter auf der Haut, der Duft frischen Kaffees am Morgen, ein freundliches Lächeln auf der Strasse, die überschwängliche Begrüßung eines Hundes oder der Klang des Lieblingsliedes im Radio. All das kann uns be-glücken, wenn wir es nur zulassen. Die Lernerfahrung aus diesen kleinen Glücksmomenten wird sein, dass sie einfach nur gut tun, ohne negative Folgen, ohne Bestrafung, Neid oder Unglücksfälle. Einige Therapeut*innen gehen davon aus, dass man die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein wie andere Phobien und Angstzuständen behandeln sollte: Mit einer schrittweisen Annäherung an das angstauslösende Moment. Die Psycholog*innen sprechen in diesem Fall von der "Exposition", wie sie beispielsweise bei Flugangst angewandt wird. Schrittweise stellen sich die Patient*innen ihrer Angst, bis sie zum Schluss im besten Fall sogar einen ganzen Flug angstfrei meistern können. Andere Therapeut*innen sehen die Lösung des Problems eher in der Umstellung einiger Lebensgewohnheiten wie der Motivation oder bisherigen Lebensführung. Aus Glücksquellen schöpfen Es gibt kein Patentrezept, das für alle Betroffenen gleichermaßen zutrifft. Aber es gibt Quellen für Glück, Zufriendenheit und Fröhlichkeit, aus denen jeder schöpfen kann. Zunächst steht die Selbsterkenntnis im Vordergrund: Was will ich und wie kann ich es erreichen? Während der eine Mensch froh und glücklich ist, wenn er mit vielen Menschen am Feiern ist, genießt ein anderer lieber traute Zweisamkeit. Auch die Dankbarkeit spielt eine große Rolle für unser Wohlbefinden. Wer zu schätzen weiß was er hat, lebt zufriedener, darin sind sich die Forscher*innen einig. Wer immer wieder aus sich herausgeht, eigene Grenzen überschreitet und offen für Neues ist, gelangt zu höherer Lebensqualität. Zum glücklich werden gehören auch Freundschaften, ein gutes Netzwerk. Wer in einer Lebensphase keine Freunde mehr hat, kann sich gezielt um neue Freundschaften bemühen. Wer von Menschen umgeben ist, die ihm wohlgesonnen sind, fühlt sich getragen und weniger auf sich selbst gestellt. Eine gute Partnerschaft kann ebenfalls sehr zum Glück beitragen. Als "Königsweg zum Glück" ist Altruismus: die Fähigkeit, andere Menschen glücklich zu machen. Auch interessant: Glücklich sein. Was heißt das eigentlich genau? Formbar: Auch die Fähigkeit zum Glück ist nicht starr vorgegeben Tipp: Wenn auch du das Gefühl hast, das Glück nicht verdient zu haben, zu wenig Glücksmomente zu erleben, oder generell Schwierigkeiten damit dein Glück zu finden, dann hab den Mut darüber mit einer Therapeutin oder einem Therapeuten zu sprechen. Es lohnt sich in jedem Fall das eigene Glücksempfinden einmal genauer zu betrachten und sich verschiedene Fragen zum Glück zu stellen. Was bedeutet Glück für mich? Wer oder was verhilft mir zum Glücklichsein? Wo kann ich mein Glück finden? Wie gehe ich mit Glücksgefühlen um? Wie könnte ich mir mehr Glücksmomente verschaffen? Wie willst du dein Glück finden? Das sind alles spannende Fragen, deren Beantwortung dich auf deinem persönlichen Lebensweg weiter bringen können und dabei wünschen wir dir viel GLÜCK - jeder darf glücklich werden! ● Ausschau halten nach dem Glück Quellen: [1] https://www.spektrum.de/news/die-angst-vor-dem-gluecklichsein/1348921 [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886916308157 [3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305001540_Conceptions_of_happiness_and_life_satisfaction_An_exploratory_study_in_14_national_groups Main image: shutterstock/ESB Professional Dieser Artikel wurde im englischen Original von Calvin Holbrook geschrieben Calvin ist Journalist und der Redakteur des englischen happiness Magazins und damit ein echter Experte in der Glücksforschung. Es ist als Collagekünstler tätig, liebt Yoga, zu schwimmen, zu House oder Technomusik zu tanzen und alles was man unter "vintage" versteht.

Was ist die Definition von glücklich sein? Wie können wir aktiv unser tägliches glücklich sein steigern? Und können wir das überhaupt? Gehören zum Glücklichsein teure Urlaube, protzige Autos und ausgiebige Shopping-Touren? Nein, sagt die Wissenschaft, denn diese Dinge sorgen nur für einen kurzen Glücksrausch. Sie beeinflussen unser Glück nicht grundlegend oder langfristig. Laut den Recherchen unseres Autors Calvin Holbrook, liegt tiefes, wahres glücklich sein in den kleinen Freuden des Alltags, in der Leidenschaft und der Lebenszufriedenheit. Was bedeutet glücklich sein? Um diese Frage drehen sich seit Ewigkeiten die Gedanken vieler Philosoph*innen, Theolog*innen und ganz normaler Menschen wie du und ich. Seit einiger Zeit bekommt diese Frage mehr Aufmerksamkeit von Seiten der Wissenschaft. Doch bringen uns diese aktuellen Forschungen über unser Wohlbefinden der wahren Definition vom Glücklichsein tatsächlich näher? Bevor wir uns damit befassen, was die Wissenschaft über das Glücklichsein herausgefunden hat, ist es wahrscheinlich einfacher erst einmal festzulegen, was Glück definitiv NICHT ist. 1. Glücklich sein hat nichts mit Wohlstand zu tun Daten aus der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, einer Zeit in der Weltkriege und Wirtschaftskrisen den Alltag bestimmten, belegen, dass die Menschen glücklicher waren, als ihr Einkommen anstieg. Damals zeigten Studien, dass Menschen mit mehr Geld deutlich glücklicher waren. Heutzutage ist das anders. Obwohl es natürlich schwieriger ist in Armut glücklich zu sein, zeigen aktuelle Forschungen, dass, sobald ein gewisser Wohlstand erreicht ist, noch mehr Geld den Menschen nicht noch glücklicher macht. Das beliebte Werbeversprechen "Kauf dich glücklich" funktioniert also nur in einem sehr begrenzten Maß. "Erfolg bedeutet nicht, einfach jede Menge Geld zu haben. Viele Menschen mit viel Geld führen ein unglaublich unglückliches und unausgeglichenes Leben." Benjamin P. Hardy In einer Studie aus dem Jahr 2010 haben Daniel Kahnemann und Angus Deaten von der Universität Princeton den Zusammenhang zwischen Glücklichsein und Einkommen an einer konkreten Zahl festgenmacht. Die Forscher haben ein Jahreseinkommen von 75.000 Dollar bzw. knapp 65.000 Euro als Schwelle [für die USA[ festgelegt. Bis zu dieser Grenze macht wachsendes Einkommen glücklicher. Alles, was diesen Betrag übersteigt, hat keinen Einfluss mehr auf das Glücksgefühl. [1] Erlebnisse mit geliebten Menschen können eine Quelle von Glückserlebnissen sein Es gibt aber eine Ausnahme, und zwar wenn man sich mit seinem Geld Erlebnisse kauft, die man mit Freunden und der Familie teilt. In ihrem Buch Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending zeigen die Autoren Elizabeth Dunn und Michael Norton, dass es uns sehr wohl glücklich macht, wenn wir unser hart verdientes Geld für Aktivitäten nutzen oder es für andere ausgeben. [2] Altruismus ist hier ein wichtiges Stichwort, denn ettliche Studien zeigen: wer gibt wird glücklicher. "Wenn du anderen Personen etwas abgibst, stellst du eine besondere Verbindung zu diesem Menschen her, und das ist definitiv gut für das eigene Glück." M. Norton, Professor für Marketing an der Harvard Universität Das könnte dich auch interessieren: Von Glück, Sinn und einem gelingenden Leben 2. Glück heißt nicht, dass du 24 Stunden am Tag fröhlich sein musst Auf die Frage „Was bedeutet glücklich sein“ sagt die Wissenschaft, dass Glück nicht aus dem Gefühl resultiert, rund um die Uhr glücklich zu sein. Tatsächlich erleben auch glückliche Menschen Zeiten, in denen sie traurig und unglücklich sind. Forscher*innen fanden heraus, dass Menschen eine Art Grundlinie, also einen Glücks-Sollwert, den sogenannten „set-point“ haben. Was ist Glück? Jeder von uns hat einen unterschiedlichen Sollwert für Glück Dieser Begriff aus der Psychologie beschreibt unser allgemeines Level an Wohlbefinden. Jeder Mensch hat einen anderen Glücks-Sollwert: Diejenigen mit einem hohen set-point sind generell glücklicher als die mit einer weniger optimistischen Grundeinstellung (und einem niedrigeren set-point). "Selbst ein glückliches Lebens ist nichts ohne Düsterkeit, und das Wort „glücklich“ würde seine Bedeutung verlieren, würde es nicht von der Traurigkeit ausbalanciert werden." Carl Jung Es heißt, dass unser Glücks-Niveau unter unseren Glücks-Sollwert sinkt, sobald unglückliche Ereignisse in unser Leben treten. Hingegen pushen aufregende Dinge unser Glücks-Niveau deutlich über unseren set-point. Früher oder später, wenn diese positiven oder negativen Dinge vorbei sind, pendelt sich unser Glücks-Gleichgewicht wieder auf seinem natürlichen Level ein (aus diesem Grund fühlen sich manche von uns zum Beispiel nach einem wunderschönen Urlaub erst einmal etwas niedergeschlagen, wenn sie sich wieder im Alltag einfinden) 3. Glücklich sein ist eine permanente Reise, kein finaler Zustand Noch immer denken viele Menschen, dass glücklich zu sein ein Ziel ist, das sie erlangen, sobald sie einen gewissen Punkt auf ihrer großen To Do-Liste erreicht haben: Einen gut bezahlten Job, eine Partnerschaft, ein abgezahltes Darlehen, Kinder, das neueste High Tech-Gerät oder ein Paar neuer Sneakers. Aber oftmals vergessen wir, dass wir im Hier und Jetzt zu leben, und genau das ist einer der Schlüssel zum Glück: Es als eine Reise zu betrachten und nicht als Ziel. Ebenso erfordert es Anstrengung, Glück zu erlangen und zu halten. In der Tat funktionieren viele Dinge, die uns Glück und Zufriedenheit bringen nur, wenn wir sie regelmäßig betreiben und sie nicht als einmalige Tätigkeiten ansehen. Beispiele dafür sind bewusst empfundene Dankbarkeit z.B. beim Schreiben eines Dankbarkeits-Tagebuchs, Sport treiben oder Meditation, durch die wir üben in den aktuellen Moment zurückzukehren. "Das heißt: Glück ist keine Station, an der du ankommst, sondern eine Art des Reisens" Margaret Lee Runbeck Andererseits weren einmalige und besondere Ereignisse, wie eine Hochzeit oder eine Beförderung uns nur kurzfristig glücklich machen. Denn dieses Gefühl lässt mit der Zeit wieder nach (du erinnerst dich an den Glücks-Sollwert?) und pendelt sich auch den unsprünglichen Wert ein - ganz egal wie opulent die Hochzeit, die prestigeträchtig die Beföderung oder wie luxuriös die Reise. Also, was genau ist Glück? Nun wissen wir, was Glück NICHT ist. Aber wie können wir jetzt Glück definieren? In ihrem angesehenen Buch The How of Happiness, definiert Sonja Lyubomirsky, Wissenschaftlerin für Positive Psychologie, den Begriff Glück: Glück eine Erfahrung der Freude, Zufriedenheit und des Wohlbefindens, kombiniert mit dem Gefühl, dass das eigene Leben gut, bedeutsam und lohnenswert ist. [3] What is the definition of happiness? © YouTube/Greater Good Science Center Somit werden tagtägliche Freuden und ein Sinn im Leben (durch Zufriedenheit im Job zum Beispiel) als zwei Schlüsselfaktoren in der Definition von glücklich sein gesehen. Dieser Meinung waren schon die alten Griechen, die glaubten, dass Glück aus zwei Teilen besteht: Hedonia oder Vergnügen sowie Eudaimonia oder Bedeutung. Der Pionoier der Positiven Psychologie Martin Seligmann hat u.a. in seinem Buch "Authentic Happiness“ – noch weitere Komponenten zu diesem Faktoren des Glücklichseins hinzugefügt. Dies resultiert im sogenannten Perma Model, das die fünf Säulen des Glücklichseins definiert [4]: P – Positive Emotions E – Engagement [Motivation/ Flow] R – Relationships [Beziehungen/ Freundschaften] M – Meaning [Bedeutung/ Sinn] A – Accomplishments [Leistung/ Errungenschaften] Dieses Modell zeigt, dass wir an vielen Stellen die Möglichkeit haben uns aktiv ein glücklicheres Leben zu erschaffen und, dass dies entscheident daran liegt wie wir jeden Tag leben und nicht mit wieviel Besitz wir an einem Tag umgeben waren. Wer zum Beispiel in einer Lebensphase keine Freunde hat, kann sich sozial engagieren und wird dadurch gleich mehrere der Glücksfaktoren positiv beeinflussen. "Glück ist eine Wahl. Du kannst dich dafür entscheiden, glücklich zu sein. Es wird Stress im Leben geben, aber es ist deine Entscheidung, ob du dich davon beeinflussen lässt oder nicht." Valerie Bertinelli Mehr zum Thema: Glücksfaktoren: Flow, Beziehungen, Weisheit, Musik Ein weiterer wichtiger Faktor in userem Verständnis und unserer Definition ist das subjektive Wohlbefinden (subjective well-being SWB) [5] Indem siedrei Aspekte von Glück – Freude, Bedeutung und Engagement – kombiniert haben, sind Psycholog*innen auf diese weitere wissenschaftliche Definition des Begriffs Glück gekommen. Glück ist Bewegung: Finde heraus, was du liebst und nimm die öfter Zeit dafür! So ist unser subjektives Wohlbefinden, oder Glück, eine Kombination daraus, wie gut wir uns tagtäglich fühlen, wie zufrieden wir mit unserem Leben sind (hat unser Leben einen Sinn?) und wie engagiert wir sowohl in den Dingen sind, die wir lieben, als auch in der Vernetzung mit unseren Freunden und unserer Familie. In diesem Zusammenhang ist die Cherophobie - die Angst vor dem Glücklichsein - ein interessantes in den letzen Jahren immer verbreitertes Phänomen. Die gute Nachricht ist jedoch, wir haben einen beachtlichen Teil unseres Glücklichseins selbst in der Hand und das ist auch die schlechte Nachricht, denn wie so oft ist es unsere eigene Verantwortung. Glücklicherweise, neben unserer Genetik, die unseren Glücks-Sollwert festlegt, können wir an der Veränderung des tagtäglichen Glücksempfindens arbeiten. Die Suche nach Glück kann uns ein Leben bescheren in dem Sinn, Freundschaften, Wertschätzung, Motivation und Errungenschaften lebenslange Gewohnheiten schaffen, die letztendlich zu einem zufriedeneren, erfüllteren und fröhlicheren Leben führen, das sich nur schwerlich langfristig erschüttern lässt! Genau das ist unsere Definition von Glück. ● Quellen: [1] https://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.full [2] https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=43404 [3] https://booktree.ng/the-how-of-happiness-by-sonja-lyubomirsky-pdf/ [4] https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/ [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174473/ Dieser Artikel stammt im englischen Original von Calvin Holbrook Calvin ist Journalist und der Redakteur des englischen happiness Magazins und damit ein echter Experte für unser Glücklichsein. Es ist als Collagekünstler tätig, liebt Yoga, zu schwimmen, zu House oder Technomusik zu tanzen und alles was man unter "vintage" versteht.

Feeling unhappy is usually viewed as something to be avoided, but as Calvin Holbrook writes, studies show that cherophobia – the fear of happiness – is real. So, why are some people afraid of happiness, and can the condition be treated? It’s probably true to say that many of us are searching for happiness throughout our lives, be it from loving relationships, career satisfaction, or a safe and comfortable home. So, the idea that someone could suffer from a fear of happiness sounds hard to believe. But, in fact, there are some people who completely avoid any feelings of happiness and are indeed afraid of the consequences of being joyful. This phenomenon is known as cherophobia, or the fear of happiness. The term comes from the Greek word chairo, which means ‘I rejoice’. Now, we can all empathize with a fear of flying, snakes or heights – we may even share some of those phobias ourselves – but an aversion to happiness? It’s tricky to get to grips with the idea that a person could be afraid to be happy. Cherophobia: the definition In truth, people living with cherophobia are not always fearful of the pleasant feelings happiness can bring, but are, in fact, more concerned about the possible negative effects – disappointment, sadness, loneliness – which can follow when whatever is causing the happiness stops. Indeed, some people with cherophobia have problems to grant themselves the slightest joy or pleasure as they feel undeserving of it. The assumption is that happiness cannot be stable or constant, and only bad luck will follow, so there’s little point believing in happiness and well-being in the first place. Unfortunately, worrying about being happy blocks a healthy way of life. That’s because humans need positive experiences to reinforce and refuel ourselves, both mentally and physically. Additionally, the production of so-called ‘happiness hormones’ (endorphins such as serotonin and dopamine), is important for our well-being. Those of us who do not produce enough of these endorphins may develop depression. Life on the edge: those with cherophobia are often depressed Indeed, the attempt to deliberately avoid or oppress feelings of happiness has a counterproductive effect on the human body. Working against nature causes stress, which in turn sets free stress hormones (instead of ones linked to well-being). Depression and fear of happiness Scientists assume a connection between cherophobia and depression, although, as it's a recent study area, it’s still not entirely clear whether the fear of happiness is the cause, result or side effect of depression. However, a 2013 study did identify different correlations or connections of fear and happiness. Researchers in New Zealand and England, UK, incorporated a ‘Fear of Happiness Scale’ to measure to what degree participants associated feeling happy to then having something bad happening afterwards. The results, published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, suggested that those people with depression often avoided activities that could potentially lead to happy feelings, such as meeting with friends or going to parties. “People living with cherophobia are not always fearful of the pleasant feelings happiness can bring, but are, in fact, more concerned about the possible negative effects.” Furthermore, the researchers suggested that a spiral develops in which the common depression symptom of social withdrawal reinforces the worry that if a person experience fun or happy feelings during an event, it will only follow with disappointment, loneliness or other negative letdown. Cherophobia and memory link The fact that our brain is hardwired to focus on the negative rather than the positive also comes into play when exploring aversion to happiness. That’s because people living with cherophobia may have previously experienced life events in which happy times were swiftly followed by a negative or upsetting event. Indeed, those with an aversion to happiness have often filtered their perceptions to remember only the bad thing that happened after a happy time, rather than the joyful experience itself. Painful events, be they physical or emotional, can often create such a strong memory that they overshadow other important or happy times. And if these strong emotional memories develop around happiness being somehow linked to disappointment or pain, this can lead to people avoiding opportunities for happiness due to the fear that something bad is bound to follow. Fear of happiness and culture link Of course, happiness is evaluated completely differently depending on the respective cultural background. For example, in a 2013 study, 'Cross-Cultural Validation of Fear of Happiness Scale Across 14 National Groups', Joshanloo, Weijers and other researchers identified four key reasons for fear of happiness: a belief that happiness will cause bad things to happen a belief that happiness will cause you to become a bad person a belief that expressing happiness is somehow bad for you a belief that pursuing happiness is bad for you and others Interestingly, on this last point, the authors wrote: “Some people – in Western and Eastern cultures – are wary of happiness because they believe that bad things, such as unhappiness, suffering and death, tend to happen to happy people.” In another study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, US-Americans and Chinese participants predicted the expected course of their curve of happiness over their entire life span. While the Americans believed in a continuous course of happiness, the Chinese proceeded more in waves, back and forth, believing in happiness fluctuations. RELATED: Happiness across different cultures The reason for this might be found in Taoism, because according to Taoist philosophy, one is supposed to accept that everything is constantly in flux. Indeed, the pursuit of happiness in countries pronounced by Taoism is less common than in Western countries. The aforementioned Joshanloo, a scientist from Chungbuk National University in South Korea, also carried out a global study about fear of happiness in 2014. The study was made up of 2,700 students from different countries, including Iran, Russia, Japan, USA, Netherlands and ten others. Don't suffer in silence: cherophobia can be treated The results showed that except for participants from Kenya and India, those people in all the other countries did exhibit some fear of happiness. However, there were no major differences in this among the countries themselves. It turned out, however, that in cultures which are more in line with conformity, the fear of envy is bigger than in compared countries. Hence, people in Eastern Asia have more inhibition to show their happiness than, for example, Americans. Happiness aversion: solutions? Studies show that, for the most part, the ability to be happy is innate. While there are people who are threatened to become broken by bad strokes of fate, others overcome them with amazing strength. But not every person missing the happiness gene has to surrender to this fate. Experts talk about so-called ‘happy habits’, the small routine ways we can learn how to increase happiness. For those with cherophobia, this is a great way to expand their personal perception of happiness. Attentiveness and mindfulness are the magic words in this context. That’s because it’s not the big feelings of happiness from, say, falling in love or when a child is born, but rather the little daily things which nourish us psychologically. Things such as the first warm sunbeams on the skin after a long winter, the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, or just-cut grass: all of these can make us happy, if we just allow it. For those living with cherophobia or the fear of happiness, the learning experience from enjoying these small, regular moments of happiness is key. That’s because such moments can usually only be positive – there can be no negative result – no disappointment, envy, punishment – or other negative emotion attached to them. “Those with an aversion to happiness have filtered their perceptions to remember only the bad thing that happened after a happy time.” Some therapists assume that the fear of being happy should be treated like other phobias: with a gradual approach to the fear-triggering moment. Psychologists in this case talk about exposure as it is applied in treating the fear of flying. Little by little the patients face their fear until finally, and in the best case scenario, they can even master an entire flight fearless. The fact remains there is no one-size-fits-all solution for those affected by cherophobia. However, there are sources for happiness from which everyone can draw. First of all, self-knowledge is important: knowing what you like or want in life and and how you can achieve it. Also, the benefits of gratitude include boosting our well-being. Those of us who learn to appreciate what we have got tend to be living a more satisfied life. Cherophobia: conclusions If you have an aversion to happiness or generally having problems finding happiness, consider talking about it with a therapist. Likewise, it’s important to question your own perception of happiness more accurately and ask yourself some basic but important questions: what is happiness for me? Who or what helps me to be happy? How do I handle my feelings of happiness? How do I want to find happiness? All of these are exciting questions, and knowing or just considering the answers can lead you on your way to escaping cherophobia and your fear of happiness and experiencing joy on a day-to-day basis – because everyone deserves to be happy. ● Main image: shutterstock/ESB Professional happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practice, share Are you a happiness.com member yet? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine with practical life tips ■ share and support others in our happiness forum ■ self-develop with free online classes in our happiness Academy Gratitude | Compassion | Resilience Written by Calvin Holbrook Calvin edits the happiness magazine, as well being an artist and lover of swimming, yoga, dancing to house/techno, and all things vintage! Find out more.

Wenn der Winter in den Frühling übergeht, kann auf allen möglichen Wegen neue Hoffnung entstehen. Und diesen März gab es in den Medien jede Menge gute Nachrichten. Ed Gould teilt seine Top Ten. 1. Sehtest kann im Kampf gegen die Alzheimer-Krankheit helfen Ein Artikel in The Daily Express schaffte Aufmerksamkeit für einen potentiellen Test zur Frühdiagnose der Alzheimer Krankheit. Eine sofortige Intervention kann für die Behandlung dieser letztlich unheilbaren Krankheit von entscheidender Bedeutung sein und würde vielen Menschen helfen, den Fortschritt der Krankheit zu verlangsamen oder zu stoppen. In dem Bericht der Zeitung werden zwei Auffälligkeiten einer beginnenden Alzheimer-Krankheit genannt: Einmal, dass Farben nicht deutlich erkannt werden und zum anderen dass sie nicht voneinander unterschieden werden können. Eine Erkenntnis, die zu einem einfachen Test umgesetzt werden könnte. Er könnte Optikern und Augenärzten bei der Frühdiagnose helfen. 2. Neue Studie zeigt die Vorteile von Achtsamkeit auf Es sind bereits einige Studien zu den Vorteilen der Achtsamkeitspraxis erschiedenen. Infolge von Forschungen an wurde im März dieses Jahres auch eine Studie der University of Bristol veröffentlicht. 57 Medizinstudenten wurden gebeten, sich über einen Zeitraum von vier Jahren zwei Stunden pro Woche mit Achtsamkeit zu beschäftigen und eine zusätzliche halbe Stunde täglich eine persönliche Achtsamkeitsroutine durchzuführen. Die Teilnehmer berichteten fast einheitlich über bessere Bewältigungsstrategien für Stress und emotionale Probleme. Sie sagten auch, dass sie infolge der Teilnahme an dem Programm weniger Vorurteile getroffen hätten, und sich auch ein höheres Maß an Empathie bemerkbar machte. 3. Babys unterrichten Schulkinder in Empathie Einem Bericht der Zeitung The Daily Record zufolge werden Schulkinder von ihren Lehrern mit Babys zusammengebracht, um ihnen dabei zu helfen, Empathie zu verstehen. Eine schottische Grundschullehrerin brachte ihr Kleinkind zusammen mit zwei anderen Babys in die Klassen und erlaubte den Schülern, alle paar Wochen mit ihnen zu interagieren. Charlene McClusky, die Lehrerin, die an den Empathiestunden beteiligt war, sagte, dass diese ihren Schülern dabei helfe, unterschiedliche Emotionen zu verstehen und die unterschiedlichen familiären Situationen der jeweils anderen zu schätzen. Während ihres Mutterschaftsurlaubs besuchte sie regelmäßig den Unterricht zusammen mit ihrem Sohn Calvin und wies darauf hin, dass diese Erfahrung auch für ihn von Vorteil sei. Kinderleicht: Babies bringen Schulkindern Empathie näher 4. Klimawandelfonds zur Unterstützung Afrikas eingerichtet Neben einem Fonds in Höhe von 200 Milliarden US-Dollar, der zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels eingerichtet wurde, hat die Weltbank Geld bereitgestellt, um insbesondere afrikanische Länder bei der Bewältigung dieses dringenden Problems zu unterstützen. Mehreren Presseberichten zufolge, wurden weitere 22,5 Milliarden US-Dollar speziell für den Kontinent bereitgestellt, die für verschiedene Projekte ausgegeben werden. Bewerbungen um das Geld werden zwischen 2021 und 2025 angenommen. Die Weltbank arbeitet derzeit mit den Regierungen von Mali, Namibia, Uganda, Simbabwe, Mosambik, Elfenbeinküste, Kenia und Ruanda zusammen, um die globale Erwärmung zu bekämpfen. 5. Globale Schuhmarke fördert Kunststoff aus recyceltem Plastik Der weltbekannte Sportartikelhersteller Adidas brachte vor einigen Jahren eine neue Schuhlinie auf den Markt, die ausschließlich aus recyceltem Material gewonnenem Kunststoff bestand. Im März gab die Sportmarke bekannt, dass sie das Programm aufgrund seines Erfolgs signifikant aufgestockt habe. Tatsächlich verkaufte Adidas im vergangenen Jahr rund fünf Millionen Paar Turnschuhe aus recyceltem Material. Nun heißt es von Seiten des Herstellers, er wolle die Produktion verdoppeln und hofft, in diesem Jahr mindestens 11 Millionen Turnschuhe umzusetzen. Das trägt dazu bei, dass Kunststoff nicht in Mülldeponien oder in die Weltmeere gerät. 6. Pilze helfen Demenz zu verhindern Der Rückgang kognitiver Fähigkeiten kann verhindert werden, wenn man genügend Pilze isst. Dies hat eine neue Studie ergeben. Fox News berichtete, dass die Erkrankung an leichter kognitiver Beeinträchtigung (mild cognitive impairment, MCI), die ein Vorläufer bestimmter Arten von Demenz ist, bei Menschen, die zwei Portionen Pilze pro Woche essen, weniger wahrscheinlich ist. Laut den Forschern der NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine leiden Menschen, die Pilze konsumieren, halb so häufig an MCI wie diejenigen, die dies nicht tun. Pilze als Wundermittel: Zwei Portionen Pilze pro Woche verringern Demenz-Wahrscheinlichkeit 7. Krebsmedikamente in Indien jetzt günstiger In Indien sind die Preise von über 40 verschiedenen Krebsmedikamenten gesunken. Das gibt denjenigen, die dort mit der Krankheit im leben müssen, große Hoffnung. Die Nationale Pharmazeutische Preisbehörde Indiens entschied sich für Maßnahmen, bei denen die Preise um durchschnittlich ein Viertel gesenkt werden. Menschen mit Gebärmutterhalskrebs, Brustkrebs, Lungenkrebs und Leukämie sollen ab März davon profitieren. Wissenswert: Auf der Sonnenseite - Positive Nachrichten im Februar 8. HIV Patient möglicherweise „geheilt“ Nach Angaben des Senders BBC und anderer Nachrichtenagenturen könnte ein mit HIV lebender Mann "geheilt" worden sein. Der in London ansässige Patient hatte nach einer bahnbrechenden Stammzellbehandlung ein nicht nachweisbares Virusniveau. Die Behandlung des Patienten wurde im Jahr 2003 als HIV-positiv diagnostiziert. Jetzt hat sich die Behandlung des Patienten als erfolgreich erwiesen. Eine Nachricht, die Millionen von mit HIV lebenden Menschen auf der ganzen Welt Hoffnung geben wird. Dank antiretroviraler Medikamente können HIV-positive Menschen eine gesündere und nahezu normale Lebensdauer erreichen. 9. Erneuerbare Energien bringen in Großbritannien mehr Leistung als je zuvor Einem Bericht der Zeitung The Guardian zufolge übertrafen Wind- und Sonnenenergie - sogenannte grüne Stromquellen - in den letzten beiden Sommern die Leistung der Kohleenergie im Vereinigten Königreich. In den Sommermonaten, in denen der Energiebedarf geringer ist als im Winter, wurden die in Großbritannien noch verbliebenen Braunkohlekraftwerke kaum genutzt. Die Neuigkeiten ergaben sich aufgrund von Daten, die von einer australischen Organisation veröffentlicht wurden, die den Energiemarkt auf der ganzen Welt erfasst. Darüber hinaus wurden durch das britische Stromnetz aus Erneuerbaren Energie im vergangenen Sommer mehr Megawattstunden Strom erzeugt als durch die Verbrennung von Erdgas. Wind des Wandels: Windkraftanlagen bringen mehr Energie 10. Hirnstimulationen können dabei helfen, Depressionen zu bekämpfen Obwohl chronische Depressionen auf verschiedene Weise behandelt werden können (einschließlich medikamentöser Therapien) ist körperliche Aktivität eine häufige Empfehlung um sie zu bekämpfen. Außerdem hat sich in einer neuen Studie des King's College gezeigt, dass eine nicht-invasive Hirnstimulation hilfreich ist. Laut Berichten der Zeitung Medical News Today können niedrige Dosen elektrischer Stimulation des Cortex Menschen helfen, die auf andere Behandlungen nicht ansprechen. Die verwendete Technik wird als transkranielle Wechselstromstimulation bezeichnet. Die Studie, die über 6.750 Teilnehmer umfasste, stellte sich aus Daten aus über 100 klinischen Studien zusammen. ● Geschrieben von Ed Gould Ed Gould ist ein britischer Journalist und praktiziert Reiki.

As winter turns to spring, new hope can start to emerge in all sorts of ways. And in March there were plenty of feel good news stories in the media. Ed Gould shares his Top Ten. 1. Eye test may help in the fight against Alzheimer's An article in The Daily Express raised awareness of a potential early diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease. Prompt intervention can be crucial in controlling this ultimately incurable condition and would help many people to slow down or halt its progression. The newspaper's report stated that not being able to see colours clearly and distinguishing them from one another were two of the tell tale signs of the condition, something which could be made into a simple test that opticians could check for. 2. New study points out the benefits of mindfulness There have been multiple studies into the advantages of practising mindfulness. Another, published this March, came out following research at the University of Bristol. Conducted over four years, 57 medical students were asked to engage in mindfulness for two hours a week plus a daily personal routine of half an hour. Those who took part almost uniformly reported better coping strategies for stress and emotional problems. They also said that they made fewer snap judgements as a result of taking part in the programme, with greater levels of empathy being noticeable, too. RELATED: The Bright Side - positive news from February 3. Babies teach school children about empathy According to a report in The Daily Record, school kids are being exposed to babies by their teachers in an effort to help them understand empathy. One Scottish primary school teacher has been taking her infant, along with two other babies, into classes and allowing pupils to interact with them every couple of weeks. Charlene McClusky, the teacher involved in the empathy sessions, said it helps her pupils to understand different emotions and to appreciate each other's different family situations. While on maternity leave, she has regularly attended the lessons with her son, Calvin, pointing out that the experience is beneficial for her toddler, too. Kids' stuff: babies can help teach empathy to school children 4. Climate change fund set up to help Africa In addition to a $200 billion fund it has set up to combat climate change, The World Bank has set aside money specifically to help African countries deal with this pressing issue. According to several reports in the press, there's been a further $22.5 billion set aside specifically for the continent which will be spent on various projects. Bids for the money will be accepted between 2021 and 2025. The World Bank is currently working with the governments of Mali, Namibia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya and Rwanda to help fight global warming. 5. Global shoemaker boosts recycled plastic The world-renowned trainer manufacturer, Adidas, launched a new line of footwear a couple of years ago which featured a plastic derived entirely from recycled material. In March, the sports brands announced that it was significantly upscaling the scheme due to its success. Indeed, last year, Adidas sold around five million pairs of trainers made from the recycled material. It now says it plans to double production and hopes to shift at least 11 million trainers this year, thereby doing its bit to prevent plastic from going into landfill or the world's oceans. 6. Mushrooms help to prevent dementia Cognitive decline can be staved off if you eat sufficient mushrooms, a new study has found. Fox News reported that the condition of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is a forerunner of certain types of dementia, is less likely to occur in people who eat two portions of mushrooms per week. In fact, according to researchers at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, people who consume fungi are half as likely to suffer from MCI as those who don't. Mushroom for improvement: funghi could fight dementia 7. Drugs for cancer made cheaper in India The prices of over 40 different anti-cancer have been slashed in India, bringing a great deal of hope to those living with the illness in the country. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority of India decided to take steps which will see an average price reduction of over a quarter. People with cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and leukaemia should all benefit from March onwards. RELATED: The Bright Side – positive news from January 8. Renewable energy performing better than ever in the UK According to a report in The Guardian, wind and solar energy – so-called green sources of electricity – outperformed coal in the United Kingdom over the last two summers. During those months, when demand for energy is lower than in winter, the UK's remaining brown coal-burning power stations were barely used. The news story came as a result of data published by an Australian organisation that monitors the energy market around the world. Additionally, the UK's green power network also made more megawatt hours of electricity than were produced by burning natural gas last summer, too. Wind of change: alternative power boost in the UK 9. Man living with HIV potentially 'cured' According to the BBC and many other news outlets, a man living with HIV may have been 'cured'. The London-based patient has an undetectable level of the virus following ground-breaking stem cell treatment. Having been diagnosed as HIV positive in 2003, the patient's treatment has proven itself to be successful, something that will offer further hope to millions of people living with HIV around the world. Thanks to antiretroviral medications, people living with HIV can now live a healthy and near-normal lifespan. 10. Brain stimulation can help fight off depression Although chronic depression can be treated in a number of ways including drug therapies, physical activity is often recommended as a way of combatting it. In addition, non-invasive brain stimulation has been shown to help in a new study from King's College London. According to reports in Medical News Today, low doses of electrical stimulation to the cortex can help people who fail to respond to other treatments. The technique used is called trans-cranial alternating current stimulation. Over 6,750 patients comprised the study which drew together data from over 100 clinical trials. ● Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and practitioner of Reiki.

The World Happiness Report 2019 has just been released. Calvin Holbrook reports on the findings of the report which ranks the happiest countries in the world to live in. And there are some shocks in store. The seventh World Happiness Report has just been published to coincide with International Day of Happiness on March 20, 2019. The main purpose of the report remains the same since it first appeared in 2012: to provide a survey of the scientific data being collected that measures the often subjective matter of human well-being and happiness. What are some of the changes in 2019 compared with previous years? World Happiness Report: 2019 key findings Although a number of facts that have been established in the 2019 edition of the World Happiness Report do little more than reiterate what we already knew about global happiness, there are some surprises to take account of, too. It seems the Nords are the biggest winners when it comes to happiness levels. Indeed, Finland has been crowned the happiest country in the world – for the second year in a row – leading a Top Ten that is made up of an incredible five Nordic nations. The Scandinavian countries of Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden hogged the top positions, with the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and Austria also making the Top Ten. Here's the list in full: World Happiness Report 2019: Top 10 happiest places 1. Finland 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Iceland 5. Netherlands 6. Switzerland 7. Sweden 8. New Zealand 9. Canada 10. Austria Tellingly, four of these countries – Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Finland – have now held Top Ten spots in the five most recent World Happiness Reports. All these top countries tend to have high values for each of the six key variables that are used to measure well-being: income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity. With views like this, no wonder people in Norway are so happy! As the Daily Mail reported, according to Meik Wiking, CEO of the Copenhagen-based Happiness Research Institute, the five Nordic countries that reliably rank high “are doing something right in terms of creating good conditions for good lives.” He added that the happiness levels shows in these results is as a result of healthy amounts of both personal freedom and social security that outweigh residents having to pay “some of the highest taxes in the world. Briefly put, (Nordic countries) are good at converting wealth into well-being,” Wiking said. “Tellingly, four of these countries – Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and Finland – have now held Top Ten spots in the five most recent World Happiness Reports.” Despite the current Brexit dilemma causing misery throughout the United Kingdom, the UK managed to climb four places to be ranked 15th in the 2019 report, although it was trailing behind Australia (11), Costa Rica (12), Israel (13) and Luxembourg (14). World Happiness Report 2019: the losers While President Donald Trump seems to be happy to blow his own trumpet about his supposed achievements in the USA, his people clearly don't share his joy. That's because the United States – one of the wealthiest countries on the planet – slipped one more place this year in the World Happiness Report. Indeed, while the country may be getting wealthier, it's certainly not getting happier, perhaps confirming what we know that money does not buy happiness. It's now ranked in 19th place by the report's authors. Incredibly, the USA has never been in the Top Ten since the UN began publishing the report. In fact, the 2019 placing marks an all time low for the country. The North African nation of South Sudan was at the bottom of the happiness index. Understandably, countries touch by war and poverty – Afghanistan, Rwanda, Yemen and Syria – were all inside the Top Ten of the least happy places in the world. World Happiness Report: how it works One of the key things to take into consideration with the World Happiness Report, which is published annually by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, is that its findings are worked out using established scientific data. Essentially, the index of happiness that the network figures out is based on questioning people in each of the 156 countries in the world. Respondents to the survey are asked to imagine a ladder of life well-being, ranked from zero to ten, and to place themselves on that ladder. Levels of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, healthy life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom to make life choices and corruption are then taken into consideration to provide a score for each country. The most recent surveys that are undertaken are combined with previous ones, which helps the authors to take into account differences between the relative sample sizes and frequency of surveys in different countries.● Written by Calvin Holbrook Calvin edits the happiness.com magazine, as well being an artist and lover of swimming, yoga, dancing to house/techno, and all things vintage! Find out more.

Are you overthinking about past mistakes? Rumination, an element of OCD, is an unhealthy form of worrying that can lead to depression. If you're stuck in the past, learn how to stop ruminating thoughts with these three techniques from Dee Marques. Rumination is a dangerous habit that has been linked to serious psychological conditions such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and acute anxiety. But it's never to late to break away from this damaging (and common) habit and take control of your thinking patterns. Indeed, there are ways to stop ruminating and restore your well-being, peace of mind and happiness. Ruminating and overthinking: why it's unhealthy People have ruminating thoughts for a variety of reasons. Some of the common explanations for rumination, according to the American Psychological Association, include: belief that by ruminating, you’ll gain insight into your problem/life a history of physical or emotional trauma dealing with ongoing stressors that can’t be controlled Overthinking negative thoughts is also common in those of us who possess certain personality traits such as neuroticism and perfectionism. Indeed, for most of us, it's completely normal to replay or go over past events in an attempt to understand where we went wrong: the lessons we can learn from past mistakes. In fact, according to research by Matt Killingsworth, incredibly we spend almost half our waking hours thinking about something other than what we're doing! This includes contemplating on what happened in the past (positive or negative). Stop rumination: unhealthy worrying can lead to depression When taken to the extreme, this leads to rumination, which is the compulsive overthinking or dwelling on the negative aspects of one's past or future. This type of over-thinking is associated with obsessive tendencies and has very elevated cognitive and emotional costs. For instance, psychological research has shown that there's a link between rumination and negative psychological states, like anxiety and depression. Sooner or later, ruminators fall into an obsessive cycle of negative thoughts, which in turn lead to feelings on helplessness, guilt, anger, or regret, as well as to heightened stress and anxiety levels. A link between rumination and depression has also been suggested: a study in the US found that ruminators were more likely to become and remain clinically depressed after traumatic life events, such as the loss of a loved one. So, it appears that rumination and depressive states reinforce each other. In fact, they can send individuals into a spiral of uncontrolled negativity. Rumination and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) In clinical psychology, rumination or brooding is classified as an element of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). The intrusive and distressing thoughts brought about by rumination soon become impossible to stop. It's precisely this loss of control over one's thoughts that has led many psychologists to make a connection between this condition and OCD. “Rumination is the obsessive overthinking or dwelling on the negative aspects of one's past or future. This type of thinking has very elevated cognitive and emotional costs.” Researchers have also found a connection between rumination and harmful behaviour, such as binge drinking and binge eating. A study published in 2014 suggested that rumination may cause binge eating or increase its severity in cases where this behaviour already exists. • JOIN US! Need support? Sign-up to happiness.com and join a community that cares • In the case of binge drinking, a longitudinal study carried out among US university students found a causal link between rumination, depression, and heavy drinking. It appears that rumination leads to this type of uncontrolled behaviours. They become a coping mechanism, a figurative escape valve, and a way to regulate the negative emotions that are exacerbated by rumination. Rumination: negative interpersonal effects Eventually, rumination causes an inability to handle basic tasks in daily life. Since ruminators are so absorbed in unhealthy thoughts, these interfere with their ability to perform a job and to handle personal or professional relationships. RELATED: What is NLP? These 4 techniques could change how you think In addition to mental health consequences, rumination has serious interpersonal effects, as ongoing brooding may erode support from friends and relatives and cause a frustration and withdrawal cycle that becomes a cause for further rumination. Rumination: impaired brain function More importantly, rumination and overthinking is harmful because those who suffer from it focus exclusively on the minute details of a problem instead of finding a solution. Much like it happens in clinically depressed patients, brain function in ruminators is impaired in that it hinders their problem-solving ability. Instead, negative neural networks cause an unrealistic sense of despair: they doom along with the belief that there's no solution in sight. See the light: free your mind and stop rumination How to stop ruminating: three great techniques There's no doubt that rumination is a psychological burden. If you suffer from negative overthinking, you need to know that others in the same situation have managed to put a stop to unproductive thoughts. In fact, there are many strategies available to help you out in the struggle of breaking a thinking pattern that has become a habit. Here are three techniques that can teach you how to stop ruminating and take a step forward towards a healthier existence marked by happiness and appreciation, instead of worry and anxiety. 1. Mindfulness training Recently, psychologists have developed cognitive therapies that help patients stop ruminating by incorporating elements of mindfulness practice. This is effective because mindfulness requires us to think about how we think, instead of simply jumping into a spiral of negative thoughts. RELATED: 7 mindfulness tips for staying engaged Mindfulness also brings an increased awareness into your own thinking patterns and reinforces your ability to identify triggers or to realise when negative intrusive thoughts reach a point of no return. “Rumination and overthinking is harmful because those who suffer from it focus exclusively on the minute details of a problem instead of finding a solution.” Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy often involves psychological intervention and educational sessions, as well as training in yoga and breathing techniques. The objective is to help ruminators gain insights into how their own brain functions, and by making individuals focus on their present state. They help suppress the impulse of obsessively focusing on past events. 2. Problem solving techniques Rumination has been sometimes described as “problem solving gone wrong”, so it only makes sense that one of the key ways in which you can stop ruminating is learning problem-solving techniques so you can address and reverse the paralysing effects of rumination. The first step is to ask the right questions: for example, instead of asking “why did that happen?”, you should choose an action-focused question such as “what can I do about it?”. Then move onto the basic steps of problem solving: identifying the problem deciding on your objective listing the resources that will help you tackle your goals tracing a step-by-step action plan putting it into writing if necessary 3. Distraction The third technique involves not giving your mind time or space to engage in harmful brooding. Instead, keep your mind occupied with something that you find interesting or motivating. This could be anything from singing, volunteering, or exercising. The important thing is to choose a constructive distraction instead of falling into unhealthy distractions like drinking or over-eating. Don't dwell: distract your mind from rumination Admittedly, keeping your mind occupied with something else can be hard. It's all too easy to unconsciously drift into rumination. But do your best to replace thinking patterns and it will get easier the better your get at mindfulness practice. Another suggestion is to only allow yourself to ruminate for a short period of time, setting a time limit or “scheduled rumination” sessions (but keep them short and stick to the schedule). Stop ruminating and overthinking: the benefits If you've decided to stop ruminating and focus on replacing this habit with positive thinking patterns, you can look forward to many physical and psychological benefits. Overcoming rumination will give your freedom from harmful and unproductive thoughts and have a positive effect on your overall well-being. Just like rumination, depression, anxiety, and other destructive behaviours reinforce each other. So, breaking away from this circle can reinforce confidence in yourself and in your ability to take the reins of your own life. Interestingly enough, ruminators are often on a never-ending quest for insight (asking questions that rarely have an answer), but only those who manage to break away from this habit can look forward to finally achieving a sharper awareness and a better understanding of themselves. With effort, practice, and support, you can conquer the heavy burden of rumination, overthinking and worry. You can move from a vicious circle of inaction to a position where you're in control of your thoughts and future. If you can learn how to stop ruminating thoughts then you will be on your way to enjoying a more balanced view of your past, present, and future. • Main image: colourbox.com happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up free to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ develop with free online Academy courses Compassion | Friendship | Charity Written by Dee Marques A social sciences graduate with a keen interest in languages, communication, and personal development strategies. Dee loves exercising, being out in nature, and discovering warm and sunny places where she can escape the winter.

February may be the shortest month, but it wasn't short of positive news stories. From a smart new way to reuse plastic bags to mindfulness classes in schools, here's the Top 10 happy news round-up from Ed Gould. 1. New use for plastic bags You might think that single-use plastic bags offered no hope, but according to reports in the USA, they may soon be used to help power gadgets, such as mobile phones. A team from Purdue University in the States and the Universidad Tecnológica de Querétaro in Mexico have developed a way to collect the carbon from the polythene such bags are usually made from. By harvesting it rather than binning it, they can be made into electrical components used in the sort of batteries found in smartphones. Who would have though it possible? 2. New patch system can fight tumours The battle against cancer takes many forms. In a new approach, medics in Boston have developed a patch which will work to destroy tumours in certain situations. The patch can be applied onto a patient’s skin – close to the affected area – which doctors hope will reduce the levels of discomfort patients feel from conventional treatments. Dr Manijeh Goldberg worked on the idea to try and help patients with ailments like oral cancer, which often results in intrusive surgery. Her use of nano-technology tries to target chemicals just where they are needed in a more targeted approach. Trials are ongoing according to reports by CBS. 3. Reptile back from extension In news that will bring happiness to all animal lovers, a species of tortoise that was long thought to be extinct has been spotted again. Last seen at the start of the 20th century, the Galapagos tortoise has been seen on the archipelago. The announcement came from Ecuador's Environment Ministry and was welcomed around the globe. Shell shocked: the Galapagos tortoise is back! 4. New technique to store solar energy developed It’s long been the hope of engineers to find a way to store electrical power derived from renewable sources without using conventional batteries (which have their own environmental issues). In positive news from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, a group of researchers have developed a new liquid which can store energy from the sun. The so-called Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage will be able to run through many cycles before it stops functioning effectively. Stored at room temperature, all that’s needed is for a catalyst to be added to release the energy-giving power of the liquid. One variant of the fluid has been found to be very effective. Indeed, it can store around 250 watt-hours of energy per kilo, the researchers claim. RELATED: The Bright Side – positive news from January 5. Ecological breakthrough in textile dyeing One of the big problems with dyeing fabrics for clothes and linen is that it takes a lot of chemicals and water. In order to come up with a greener solution, a Dutch company, DyeCoo, has developed a commercial system which, instead, harnesses carbon dioxide. According to GreenBiz, by pressurising it, the cleantech company has been able to fix colours to textiles without using so much of the world's resources. What's more, the carbon dioxide is recycled and doesn't escape to the atmosphere. Smart stuff! 6. Mindfulness classes to be taught in English schools The Department for Education in the UK announced that English schools will take part in a trial of mindfulness and relaxation, which will run until 2021. The techniques that children will learn include deep breathing and emotion regulation. It’s hoped this will lead to some positive news concerning the country's mental health crisis among teenagers, as youngsters become better equipped to handle the pressures of growing up and school life. According to ITV, over 350 primary and junior schools will take place in the trial over nine different educational authorities. Class act: kids in England will get mindfulness classes 7. Acupuncture could help women in menopause A Professor at the University of Exeter, Edzard Ernst, has claimed that symptoms caused by the menopause have been scientifically proven to improve with acupuncture treatments. The academic was reported in The Times as saying that sweating, hot flushes and mood swings – among other symptoms – were all less severe following treatments. The study involved a trial of 70 women going through the menopause. 8. Floating bins used to clean up the seas As widely reported, a group of Australian surfers have come up with a novel approach to keep the ocean clear of rubbish. In positive news for marine life everywhere, they’ve developed a bin that floats on the surface and captures rubbish, much like a lobster pot. The prototype Seabin – as they call their device – has been tested in a marina. In little over a week, more than a dozen types of plastic were captured. Cleverly, the Seabin makes a noise as it floats in the water, deterring fish and other creatures from going inside. Many hope the system can be upscaled to provide the marine environment with a chance of being rid of the rubbish that currently pollutes it. RELATED: The Bright Side – positive news from December 9. The world is getting greener If you think the planet is becoming more and more deforested you’re not alone. However, NASA has brought a little happiness to this gloomy view. Its satellite imagery has shown that there are more trees, not fewer, than a few years ago. As reported by CNN, the US space agency has noted that both India and China have been planting trees and agricultural crops that have created more vegetation overall. Since 2000, it’s estimated that leaf-covered spaces of the planet have risen by some 2,000,000 square miles. Green is go: there are more trees than ever before 10. Science shows self-kindness has mental and physical benefits In an announcement made in February, a team of researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Oxford, UK, said that being kind to yourself not only helps your mental well-being but aids your physical state. According to Dr Hans Kirschner, who led the study in Exeter, being kind allows the mind to relax which, in turn, puts the body into a state where it can heal itself better. It’s even thought that kindness may lead to an improved auto-immune response in people who show more self-compassion. The scientists trialled their ideas with a group who were given audio recordings to listen to, some of which suggested greater self-compassion and others of which did not. Those who were not in the control group responded favourably. ● Main image: shutterstock/Pavle Bugarski Written by Ed Gould Ed Gould is a UK-based journalist and practitioner of Reiki.

The three so-called ‘happiness hormones’ are serotonin, dopamin and oxytocin. But how do they influence your mood and how can you boost them naturally to increase your happiness levels? Rae Bathgate investigates. Everybody who’s gone through puberty – especially those in the midst of it – can tell you that hormones play a large part in how we feel. Most women, for one, are particularly aware of this, some even tracking the subtleties caused by the ebb and the flow of oestrogen and progesterone. However, not as much conversation exists about how so-called 'happiness hormones', and neurotransmitters affect everyone’s mood and well-being. And yes, we do mean everyone, including animals, men, children, your next door neighbour, and especially you. RELATED: Happiness Is A Choice: 8 Ways To Choose It Today Hormones and neurotransmitters are molecules that act as chemical messengers. The main difference between the two is that hormones are released by the endocrine system as chemical impulses, while neurotransmitters are released by the central nervous system as electrical impulses. The two systems work together, so the line between the two becomes blurred, some molecules even acting as both (oxytocin, for example). Happiness hormones: what exactly are they? Human hormones tally at about 50, while known neurotransmitters have been estimated to be at around 100. The main ones associated with feelings of happiness are: Serotonin Dopamine Oxytocin Other influential factors are adrenalin and cortisol, melatonin, GABA, endorphins and norepinephrine. Researchers also agree that many other factors influence happiness, such as economic stability and relationships, to name just two. It's important to remember then that while the effects of increasing happiness hormones and neurotransmitters are being researched, no neurochemical alone is a quick fix for happiness, as they act in lockstep with each other. So, let's take a closer look at the three main happiness hormones: 1. Serotonin: happiness and satisfaction Also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), serotonin is a complex neurotransmitter. Serotonin could be thought of, simply, as bringing about feelings of confidence and self-esteem. For example, serotonin has been shown to be at higher levels when you feel significant and like you're part of a group. Conversely, feelings of loneliness and depression are usually associated with low serotonin levels. You may recognize the name from Serotonin-Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (or SSRIs), a popular type of medication taken against depression, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, PTSD and eating disorders. While a breakthrough in mental health medicine, depression has been associated with various potential causes – not only low levels of serotonin. • JOIN US! Sign-up to get support from our caring community • Still, even if the key to a sunny outlook isn't simply just more of the neurotransmitter, research seems to indicate that to feel happier, it's good to try and avoid the happiness hormone serotonin dipping too low. Luckily, there's a wide variety of ways to give yourself a boost, now and then. Higher serotonin activity allows people to put themselves in situations that will bolster self-esteem and increase one’s self-worth and sense of belonging; in turn, this ups your serotonin levels. “While the effects of increasing happiness hormones are being researched, no neurochemical is a quick fix for happiness.” To get this serotonin positive feedback loop going, challenge yourself as much as you can to accomplish activities that will reinforce your sense of self-worth, purpose and belonging. For example, try volunteering (which has also shown to strengthen social ties and to make you even happier), becoming involved in a cause you believe in or joining a sports team. RELATED: Why is volunteering important? How to increase serotonin levels naturally Studies have shown that athletes have higher levels of serotonin. Indeed, exercise – such as riding a bike or mindful running – has been shown to increase serotonin, along with getting some sun, or a well-deserved massage. Another way to up your serotonin is by reflecting on what you have in your life, for example, experiences, people, and things that make you feel grateful, loved and important. Your brain will produce serotonin regardless of whether a situation is imagined or is recalled as a memory. Focusing on the positive – while it may not solve your problems – may help you feel better (and also help you to stop ruminating). Some ways to do this include taking the time to do positive affirmations, reflect, or writing a gratitude journal about all the things you appreciate – even looking back through old pictures of a great night out will make you smile and get that serotonin going. Bike yourself better: cycling boosts serotonin, a happiness hormone 2. Dopamine: love and passion Like serotonin, dopamine is a neurotransmitter. Often painted as the neurochemical most strongly associated with happiness, it might be more precise to say that dopamine is responsible for reward-driven behaviour and pleasure-seeking activities. You get a rush of it when you feel proud of yourself, when you eat comfort food, when it's pay day, and, of course, when you win. Some studies indicate that those with more extroverted and outgoing personality types may have higher levels of dopamine than their introverted counterparts, and it could be one of the main driving forces behind pursuing goals, as procrastination and self-doubt have been linked to low levels of dopamine. As with serotonin, this neurotransmitter's success in regulating our emotions hangs in a delicate balance: if too few dopamine molecules are released, Parkinson’s disease may develop (incidentally, dopamine levels also play a large part in motor reactions), defined by a slow loss of motor skills and mood and sleep disorders. On the other hand, too high of a dopamine level can lead to symptoms like mania, hallucinations, and it also appears to increase impulsive behaviour. How to increase dopamine levels While many highly addictive substances act on the dopamine system, by feeling success (however you may define it), you can increase your dopamine activity. For example, set a goal and achieve it. For overachievers, this may sound stressful, but there are healthy ways to organize goal setting. For example, break down one big goal into several smaller ones, and pause to acknowledge each success. Then, you can try to set a new (realistic) goal while you're still working on your current objective. In short, more dopamine rewards beget more motivation to seek more dopamine, so, without going overboard, nurture that feedback loop. Also, listen to music: music that makes you feel good, music that moves you, music that gives you chills! One study analysed levels of dopamine when participants listened to music that gave them these musical sense and concluded that, when it did, dopamine transmission was higher: music is inextricably linked with our deepest reward systems. Feeling sound: listening to music boosts dopamine Yet another study showed that exercise may also increase dopamine, as do tangible rewards, like food or money. So, find that one physical activity that motivates you to exercise regularly, try saving money (having money left at the end of the month is the reward!), and learning how to cook food that's delicious and healthy. 3. Oxytocin: intimacy and bonding Oxytocin is a peptide hormone composed of nine amino acids, released from the pituitary gland, most notably controlling uterine spasms and breastfeeding stimulus. It's active during childbirth and physical contact, and it's been found to cause behavioural and physiological effects “such as maternal, sexual and social behaviours.” • JOIN US! Sign up today and make new friends at happiness.com • In other words, it facilitates social interaction and is (mostly) associated with positive social behaviour. Due to the significant correlation between social bonding and life satisfaction, then indeed, oxytocin levels could lead to a happier life. Because oxytocin levels go up with breastfeeding between mother and child, hugging, intercourse, orgasm and skin-to-skin contact, it's often referred to as the 'hug hormone' or the 'bonding hormone.' Indeed, some studies have shown that an increase in oxytocin also increases trust. “Exercise, like riding a bike or running has been shown to increase serotonin, along with getting some sun, or a well-deserved massage.” However, this happiness hormone has other, more complicated effects. According to Ed Yong on Slate, oxytocin "fosters trust and generosity in some situations, but envy and bias in others.” Indeed, one study found that oxytocin uptake increased feelings of envy and schadenfreude (the pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune), while another suggested that while it increased a sense of closeness in one’s clique, in some individuals, it increased mistrust in strangers. In other words, the trust and bonding that it offers may only extend to those that you trust and feel open to bonding with, to begin with (and there may be deep seated evolutionary origins in this reaction). The hug drug: skin contact boosts oxytocin, a hormone of happiness Be that as it may, while oxytocin may not be solely responsible for positive human bonding, it still plays a large part in how we interact with others. Oxytocin is released during moments of shared intimacy: be it familial, platonic, romantic or sexual. How to increase oxytocin levels There are a few ways you can naturally boost your levels of this hormone of happiness: Take part in group activities (and if they’re physical, even better!) Make sure to take the time to cuddle your loved ones Get a dog (or another pet) In fact, if you own a dog, chances are your oxytocin levels (and his, or hers, for that matter) are the last thing you need to worry about. Studies have shown that not only does petting and spending time with your dog raise oxytocin levels in both, but simply gazing at each other sends oxytocin levels soaring. The other neurochemicals of happiness • Endorphins The name translates as "self-produced morphine" for a reason: it's widely known for its analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. This neurotransmitter is present in large quantities during high-intensity cardio, strength training, sexual intercourse, orgasm, and most strenuous physical exertion. Exercise will increase your endorphins, as does acupuncture and laughter (even the anticipation of laughter raises endorphin levels). • GABA This is an inhibitory molecule that slows down the firing of neurons, making you calmer. You can increase GABA by doing meditative activities, like gardening, knitting, mandala colouring, different types of yoga (such as gratitude yoga), and, of course, meditation. The benefits of meditation are many and proven. • Adrenalin (Epinephrine) and cortisol A hormone/neurotransmitter and a glucocorticoid respectively, these two are released from the adrenal glands: they regulate stress (think of an adrenalin rush). Through more studies are needed, it appears that subjects with lower levels of salivary cortisol and urinary adrenaline levels report higher levels of happiness; while the results could be correlative and not causative, it's never a bad idea to try to reduce your stress levels. • Melatonin Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland as is most commonly associated with regulating sleep. However, it's also been shown to affect our overall well-being and feelings of happiness (sleep patterns are often disrupted as a symptom of a larger mood disorder). To keep your melatonin balanced, get a good night's rest, and make sure to turn off your electronic devices well before you head to bed. Norepinephrine Similar to dopamine, low norepinephrine (AKA noradrenaline) levels have been linked to depression, while further research has indicated that selective norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor antidepressants "induce a positive emotional, perceptual bias in healthy subjects.” There are many ways to increase your norepinephrine levels, for example, taking a cold shower or a quick nap. Win with a grin: laughter boosts happiness hormones All in all, happiness hormones and neurotransmitters aren't as simple as we sometimes wish they were. One neurochemical isn't responsible for a single function, and a happier life isn't as simple as raising each level as much as we can. Indeed, like most things in life, it relies on a delicate balance. The good news is that the more you take care of yourself, the better the balance will be, and the happier you will feel. After all, "our brain has evolved to make things that are necessary for our survival feel good," as one Guinness World Record holder speculated: spend time with friends get enough sleep avoid stress (perhaps through the benefits of MBSR) laugh often cuddle your loved ones get a dog work towards your goals practise gratitude exercise often. Luckily, many of these tips to boost our happiness hormones and neurotransmitters are relatively easy to put into place with just a little effort from ourselves! ● Main picture: colourbox.com happiness.com | The fine art of being: learn, practise, share Are you a happiness.com member? Sign up for free now to: ■ enjoy our happiness magazine ■ share and support in our happiness forum ■ Develop with free online Academy classes Learning | Nature | Meditation Written by Rae Bathgate Rae Bathgate is an American journalist based in Barcelona, where she enjoys sunlight, yoga, and bookbinding.