You ever hear of people who claim that they “fake it until they make it” in terms of happiness? Well, it turns out that you can turn a frown upside down–regardless of what you’re feeling–and walk away from a situation in a better mood.

The mood you portray from your facial expressions affects the way others interact with you, and if you’re walking around with a furrowed brow, you can expect others to do the same back. Smile, though, and others will perceive you in a more positive light. The result? You’ll feel happier, too.

What exactly brings out true happiness, though? For one thing, high self-esteem. Not to sound mushy-gushy, but if you hate yourself, chances are you’re not taking a gig as the Wal-Mart smiley face mascot any time soon. Optimism, extroversion, and agreeableness are all characteristics happy people posses as well.

Close relationships–whether it be a strong friendship of a supporting marriage–also contribute to happiness. Have a job that you love and allows you to engage your skills and talents? Even better. Those with religion also tend to be happier. And, of course, proper sleep and regular exercise can make for happier people; obviously waking up fatigued from three hours of sleep isn’t as satisfying as a full night’s.

There are a lot of misconceptions, however, about what supposedly leads to happiness. Age, for instance, bears no correlation. People can be just as happy at 20 and they are at 50. Gender really doesn’t really impact happiness either, because although women are more likely to experience depression, they are also more likely to be joyful often.

Education is another factor that plays little role in determining one’s happiness. The same goes for whether or not one has children. What about physical attractiveness? Have you ever thought that if you were gorgeous, you’d be a tad happier? Not so. Beautiful people tend to attribute compliments they receive to their looks, not their achievements; therefore, attractiveness has little bearing on self-esteem.

So, what can you do to be happier, besides manipulating yourself into believing you are by smiling?

First, recognize that money won’t solve problems. Obviously, one can’t be happy without the basic necessities–food and shelter, for example. Otherwise, however, income doesn’t play much of a role into happiness, so try to accept what you have. Life will not necessarily be better in a bigger house.

Happiness also has a lot to do with control, so learn to manage and control your time effectively. Try not to overestimate what you can do in one day, but instead set manageable goals that you can feel good about breaking.

If there’s an activity you enjoy that engages a skill or talent you have, go for it. Leisurely activities such as sunbathing on a yacht aren’t as satisfying as, say, painting a beautiful picture or writing a story and then receiving praise for it. We need some level of stimulation and even stress to be at our most content.

Exercise. Aerobic exercise is such a boost to mood that it’s even used to help alleviate symptoms of mild depression. A tough workout will release endorphins, increasing serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a direct affect on happiness. So lace up your shoes and get out there!

(I basically reworded my Psychology book because I can.)

But, you know… this is insightful so many people think they have a terrible life when really – one has to remember. There will always be someone out there who has it worse. So the best thing to do is to seek out those people and be there. Be a friend. Because for a small moment you can help them relieve themselves from all that stress form the real world. Knowing you’re a good person to care about someone else in need.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 8:43 AM and is filed under Change, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.