10 Keys to Happier Living

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Aknin, L. B., & Whillans, A. V. (2021). Helping and happiness: A review and guide for public policy.Social Issues and Policy Review,15(1), 3-34.; Helliwell, J. F., Aknin, L. B., Shiplett, H., Huang, H., &; Wang, S. (2017). Social capital and prosocial behaviour as sources of well-being. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 23761 Character, 10(4) in Niemiec, R. M. (2019). Finding the golden mean: the overuse, underuse, and optimal An early study showed that a group that received a happiness enhancement programme along with meditation instruction showed increased happiness compared to those receiving the happiness programme alone [17]. Likewise, studies with people experiencing depression, found that receiving Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (a well-designed and researched programme, derived from MBSR, especially for people with recurrent depression) were less likely to have a relapse than those receiving standard treatment. It may also complement the effects of maintenance anti-depressant medication [18]. Today the skill and practice of mindfulness matters more than ever. As a result of our devices and social media, there’s a lot more competing for our attention than ever before. More than the human brain evolved for. As useful as this technology is, it’s designed to capture and keep hold of our attention. We can lose hours scrolling on our phone without realising it. It can also create information overload and fuel social comparison, adding to our stress levels or even causing distress. Baumeister, R.F. & Leary, M.R. (1995). The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529

In 2011, global not-for-profit Action for Happiness launched, with the aim of reducing mental ill health. They led the development of the evidence-based 10 Keys to or Happier Living, the acronym for which is GREAT DREAM.

The 10 keys to happier living describe the areas in which scientific research suggests we can take practical action to boost our wellbeing. They are based on a review of research from psychology and related fields by Vanessa King and Action for Happiness. The first five keys GREAT are based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing and are about how we interact with the outside world in our daily activities, the second five keys DREAM come from inside us and are influenced by our attitude to life. We might try this for a few minutes at a time (set a gentle timer) and build it up. Studies show that practicing this for just 10 minutes a day boosts wellbeing [4]. However bigger boosts for wellbeing come from regularly practicing for 20 minutes or more per day [5]. Many people find that setting aside a regular time to practice really helps – e.g. before you shower in the morning or when you’ve finished work. Chow CM. Sleep and Wellbeing, Now and in the Future.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(8):2883.

It is also suggested that mindfulness training may have benefits for our moral, ethical and altruistic behaviour. It increases our sensitivity to the thoughts and feelings of others, and our levels of empathy and compassion. In turn, this increases our sensitivity to the impact of unethical acts and orientates us to help others [30]. For example, people who practice mindfulness have been found to have reduced unconscious bias towards people from other ethnicities and the homeless [31] and enhanced moral reasoning. Interestingly the latter study found that mindfulness training increased moral reasoning [32] through increasing compassion and reducing ego-bias. Recent research shows that regularly experiencing positive emotions – like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration, and pride – creates an ‘upward spiral’, helping to build our resources. So try to focus on the good aspects of any situation – the glass half full rather than the glass half empty. ACCEPTANCE: Be comfortable with who you are Resilience – although we can’t always choose what happens to us, we can often choose our own response to what happens When you are doing something pleasurable such as taking a warm shower or bath, petting your dog or cat, stroking your child's hair or sitting down for a moment of peace, be really present. Really notice what it is you find pleasurable about the experience and how it makes you feel.Taking action to maintain and improve our well-being has never been more important. One of the classic positive psychology experiments asks people to write down “three good things” and why you think those three good things happen to you each night for a week. After six months they found people were happier but also noticed a decrease in depressive symptoms. Mental Health First Aid England suggests that the strategies contained within the 10 keys for happier living are: How we respond to stress, loss, failure or trauma has a big impact on our well-being. We often cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to what happens. Resilience is a life skill that can be learned. EMOTIONS: Look for what’s good Huppert,F.A. (2018) Living Life Well: the role of mindfulness and compassion. In Eds Forgas, J. & Baumeister, R. (2018) The Social Psychology of Living Well. Routledge Try it:What would a wise, kind and helpful friend say to you when you mess up or fall short of your own expectations? How would they say it? How will you remember this the next time you make a mistake or fail?

Learning affects our well-being in many positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay curious and engaged. It also gives us a sense of accomplishment, helps boost self-confidence and resilience. There are many ways to learn new things: join a club, learn to sing, play a new sport and more. DIRECTION: Have goals to look forward to

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Share your dreams. Tell three people about an aspiration that is really important to you this year and listen to theirs too. Reitz, M., & Chaskalson, M. (2016). Mindfulness works but only if you work at it. Harvard Business Review. Retreived from https://hbr.org/2016/11/mindfulness-works-but-only-if-you-work-at-it Aknin, L. B., & Whillans, A. V. (2021). Helping and happiness: A review and guide for public policy.Social Issues and Policy Review,15(1), 3-34. Being outside, in the daylight, in or near greenery or water - spaces that we find pleasing - can help us feel happier, reduce stress and boost our sense of vitality [10]. Exercising outdoors in urban or natural settings each had positive benefits for mood and stress levels, but natural environments were associated with greater mental restoration [11]. Other studies have shown that we generally feel happier in natural environments than indoors or in those that are built up [12].

Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E.D. (2001) On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141-66 Studies,20(4), 1179-1196.; Ghielen, S. T. S., van Woerkom, M., & Christina Meyers, M. (2018). Promoting Regular exercise can lift you out of depression, but even if you’re healthy a burst of activity will boost your mood. In essence, mindfulness is the process of openly paying attention, with awareness, to our experience in the present moment [2]. It’s not something new. Forms of it have been practiced in different cultures and faiths for millennia and can be found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam as well as Buddhism. However, it’s a capacity we’ve somewhat lost since fewer of us practice a religion, the speed of life has become faster and the amount of information we process in our daily lives has increased.definitions, principles, and exploration of what’s soaring, emerging, and ripe with potential in science and Positive emotions – like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration and pride – don’t just feel good when we experience them. They also help us perform better, broaden our perception, increase our resilience and improve our physical health. So although we need to be realistic about life’s ups and downs, it helps to focus on the good aspects of any situation – the glass half full rather than the glass half empty. Notice and appreciate good things around you every day, big or small. Trees, birdsong, the smell of coffee, laughter perhaps?