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Give Yourself a Happiness

Makeover

JØRN HEMMINGSEN OSTENSIBLY had everything a man could want: a high-paying career as a successful lawyer, invitations to elite social events, a Mercedes-Benz. So when he tendered his resignation and took a job as a warehouse worker, his former law partner offered to get him help from a psychiatrist. “I simply wasn’t happy,” says Hemmingsen, now 68, who lives in Aarhus, Denmark. He traded his car for a bike, started working half days at less than half his previous pay and spent his evenings meditating and reading history.

I met Hemmingsen while researching my book Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way. Technically, he fi t the profi le of the happiest man living in the world’s happiest city. He was married, educated, had a large network of family and friends, and spent time every day pursu-ing his passions. Indeed, when I asked him how happy he really was on a scale of 1 to 10, he said “9.” While few of us would alter our lives as dramatically as Hemmingsen did, we certainly can take other steps to improve our happiness. Read on for 10 of the most important ones.

Longevity expert Dan Buettner traveled the globe to discover what makes people happiest.

Here’s what he found

Illustrations by Brian Cronin // Photographs by Tom Schierlitz

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1 Nestle in the Right NeighborhoodWhere you choose to live is one of the most important determinants of your happiness. “We have seen that people who move from unhappy countries to happier countries report higher levels of happiness,” says Ruut Veenhoven, Ph.D., who presides over the World Database of Happiness, a compilation of all the available research on the subject. (See a full list of nations and their happiness scores at www1.eur.nl/fsw/happiness.) Of course, not everyone can move to another country, or even another city. But if you’re looking for a retirement destination, here are some things to keep in mind: People are generally happiest in sunny areas, in the Pacifi c Northwest and on the water. (Check out the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index at well-beingindex.com to fi nd America’s happiest cities.) Look for neighborhoods with sidewalks, meeting places and other characteristics that nudge you into social interaction. Easy access to green spaces and recreation also favors well-being.

We tend to think of happiness as getting more joy from life. But just as important is minimizing worry. Research shows that fi nancial security brings much more happi-ness over time than buying things does. Why? Within about a year the thrill of a new item wears off, while fi nancial security has no expiration date. Indeed, older people’s less mate-rialistic spending habits may explain much of their increasing happiness with age. So pay down your mortgage, invest in ad-equate health insurance, save money for a rainy day, and start paying for pur-chases with cash. You’re much less likely to spend frivolously if you’re actually counting out those bills.

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TRIM YOUR TV TIME The happiest people watch less than one hour of television a day, according to a study of 40,000 people who took National Geographic’s True Happiness Test. Why? We get more au-thentic happiness from being with family and friends, reading or engaging in a hobby. What’s more, TV—both advertising and programming—is designed to make us want things, so we feel less satisfi ed with what we have. Pare down to one TV, placed in an out-of-the-way room (ide-ally in a cabinet and never in the kitchen, where it can promote mindless watching—and eating).

3 Make the Most of Your MorningWhile a good night’s sleep is critical to long-term happiness—a University of North Texas study found that people with insom-nia are 10 times more likely to develop depression and 17 times more likely to have anxiety than are people who sleep well—our morning routine is just as important. Eating breakfast every day can boost energy, and 30 minutes of walking or other exercise raises well-being for up to 12 hours. Not to mention that fi t and normal-weight people have much higher well-being levels than those who are overweight or unfi t.

5 Get a Daily Dose of Friends“A strong social network is foundational,” says Jim Harter, Ph.D., a chief sci-entist at Gallup and co-author of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. His research shows that America’s happiest people purposefully plan for social times and get at least six hours a day of interac-tion with friends or family.

Furthermore, research by Harvard University’s Nicholas Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., shows that if you proactively choose the right social network, bliss can be contagious. His research found that with each happy friend we add to our social circle, our own happiness grows by 9 percent. For each unhappy friend, our happiness declines by 7 percent. So fi nd people you like, and commit to routines that put you in contact with them regularly. If you don’t have healthy, trustworthy friends, expand your social networks—you’ll get a big happiness boost.4444

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MEET, PRAY, LOVEWhile we’re not sure whether churchgoing makes you happy or whether happy people tend to be religious, research shows that people who belong to a faith-based com-munity—regardless of religion—and attend services more than once a week live as many as seven years longer than people who don’t. Plus, churchgoers are less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, are satisfi ed with less money and have less stress and a built-in social network. If you belong to a faith community, you’ll benefi t even more if you volunteer. If you don’t belong to one, seek new places of wor-ship that suit your current values and beliefs.

6 Find Your Soul MatePeople in long-term committed relationships su� er less stress and live longer with fewer diseases. Another bonus: Multiple studies have shown that married people are two times more likely to be happy than nonmarried people. This is not to say that marriage assures bliss,

though. Research reveals that both health and happiness decline if you’re in an un-happy relationship. The upshot? If you’re in a long-term relationship and you’re happy, work hard to stay that way. If you’re unhappy, it might be time to move on—even if it’s painful at fi rst.

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8 Create a Sunny SanctuaryBy decorating a well-traffi cked place in your home with things you’re proud of (favorite pic-tures, awards and me-mentos), you’ll experience a twinge of pleasure every time you walk by. “We know that when peo-ple pick up a piece of per-sonal memorabilia, they report higher happiness than a control group,” says Robert Biswas-Diener, Ph.D., managing direc-tor of Positive Acorn, a company that specializes in positive-psychology coaching. You can also increase happiness by creating a room at home where you can play an instrument, enjoy a hobby, read a book or spend time with family. Ideally, the room will be full of light, which can increase mood-enhancing serotonin levels. Other proven contentment boosters: live plants and soft music.

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Pet owners have been found to have lower blood pressure and fewer stress hormones circulating in their blood. When Karen Allen, Ph.D., of the State University of New York at Buffalo, studied 240 married couples, she discovered that the presence of a pet was more effective than a spouse or a friend in easing the effects of stress. Allen McConnell, Ph.D., profes-sor of psychology at Miami University in Ohio, coauthored a study published in 2011 showing that pets foster self-esteem, calmness, soothing and a feeling of acceptance. So if your lifestyle and budget can accommodate a pet, visit your local animal shelter and consider adopting one.

Giving feels good, and several studies have shown that givers tend to be happier people. In one experiment, one group of people were given money to spend on themselves, and a second group were given money to spend on oth-ers. At the end of the day, those who gave their mon-ey away reported being hap-pier than those who spent it on them-selves. Jorge Moll, M.D., Ph.D., head of the D’Or Insti-tute for Research and Education in Brazil, showed in his research that altruism stimulates the same pleasure cen-ters in the brain as sugar and cocaine do. Of course, you don’t have to dole out dollars to reap the benefi ts. Sign up to help out at your grandchild’s school, or volunteer at the local cancer center. �

9 Gain Peace With a Pooch

Dan Buettner is the New York Times best-selling author of ��The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest and Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way.

Find out by taking a quiz at apps.bluezones.com/happiness.HOW HAPPY ARE YOU? 37

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