Capcanele mintii umane: Cele 12 feste pe care ti le joaca creierul

Mintea umana este complexa si de multe ori ne poate fi cel mai mare dusman, atunci cand vine vorba de fericire. Propriile creiere ne pot face sa credem ca un lucru este corect, cand de fapt el este total gresit, ca suntem nefericiti cand de fapt suntem, etc. Sa inveti sa recunosti si sa depasesti aceste capcane este un lucru esential, daca vrei sa obtii fericirea de durata, relatii mai puternice si succes in cariera. 1. As fi mai fericit daca as avea mai putine de facut Mintile noastre adesea incearca sa ne faca sa credem ca am fi mai fericiti daca nu ar trebui sa muncim. Ne imaginam viata ca o vacanta continua si avem impresia (gresita) ca o astfel de viata ne-ar face fericiti. Totusi, adevarul este ca lipsa de activitate duce adesea la plictiseala si depresie. Suntem fiinte creative si active. Avem nevoie de provocari si realizari pentru a fi fericiti. Incepe sa faci ceva important pentru tine si vei vedea cum indicatorul fericirii incepe sa creasca. 2. Nu e vina mea, e vina ta De multe ori creierul ne face sa credem ca suntem nefericiti din cauza partenerului, a parintilor sau a altor persoane din viata noastra. Aruncam vina pe oricine din jurul nostru. Desigur, in orice relatie, responsabilitatea este a amandurora. Dar, in general, suntem la fel sau poate mai vinovati decat ceilalti din jur. Trebuie sa ne asumam responsabilitatea pentru situatia noastra si sa facem tot posibilul pentru a ne bucura la maxim de ea. A ne asuma responsabilitatea pentru actiunile noastre este inceputul fericirii adevarate. 3. Trebuie doar sa descopar secretul succesului pentru a fi fericit Nu exista "secrete" ale fericirii sau succesului. Desi multi scriitori, si chiar propriile noastre creiere, ar vrea sa ne convinga de existenta acestor scurtaturi, ele nu sunt reale. Sa ai o viata plina de succes este destul de simplu. Iti creezi o viziune pentru viitor, apoi un plan si apoi muncesti din greu pentru a ajunge acolo unde ti-ai propus. Nu exista secrete sau scurtaturi in aceasta formula. Daca accepti asta, vei inainta foarte mult pe calea spre fericire. 4. Daca as avea... Mintea noastra ne face sa credem ca vom fi fericiti cand vom avea slujba potrivita sau casa potrivita sau masina potrivita sau orice altceva. Nu este nimic gresit in a-ti dori lucruri mai bune, dar acestea nu garanteaza fericirea. Poate doar pentru o scurta perioada de timp, care va trece insa foarte repede. Cei care isi doresc fericirea de durata trebuie sa inteleaga ca aceasta este ca un gol pe care nu il vor putea umple niciodata. 5. Imi plac lucrurile asa cum sunt si nu vreau sa se schimbe niciodata Sa crezi asta inseamna sa fii pe un drum sigur spre esec. Viata presupune schimbari continue. Unele sunt sub controlul nostru, altele nu. Sa te opui schimbarii sau sa incerci sa o controlezi este in dezavantajul tau. Este un proces care te va epuiza si iti va rapi fericirea la care speri. Schimbarea este inevitabila. Trebuie sa accepti asta si sa inveti sa te lasi purtat de val. A putea sa te adaptezi este foarte important pentru fericirea ta. 6. Daca nu mi s-a intamplat inca, nu mi se va intampla niciodata Mintea noastra adesea se descurajeaza chiar atunci cand succesul este la un pas. Colonelul Sanders a atins succesul cu restaurantele KFC abia la varsta de 65 de ani, la 40 de ani dupa ce a inceput sa vanda produse din pui. Perseverenta este foarte importanta in drumul spre fericire. Nu-ti lasa mintea sa te pacaleasca sa renunti. Nu stii ce te asteapta maine. Inca o zi poate fi tot ce te desparte de visul tau! 7. Voi evita lucrurile care nu imi plac De obicei, mintea noastra vrea sa ne pacaleasca sa evitam sarcinile cele mai dificile. Insa, din pacate, acestea ne-ar aduce si cele mai mari recompense. Ce amani sa faci? De ce? Amanarea si evitarea sarcinilor importante sau enervante doar iti intarzie marsul spre fericire. Rezolva aceste probleme mai intai si implinirea pe care o vei simti iti va alimenta fericirea. 8. Lumea este infricosatoare si ceva rau mi s-ar putea intampla Creierul ne spune ca sunt multe lucruri pe care nu le putem controla. De exemplu, modul in care este "promovata" criminalitatea si teroarea la televizor, ne-ar putea da impresia ca agresorii ne pandesc la orice colt. Insa rata criminalitatii a scazut in ultimii ani. Conform statisticilor FBI, crimele violente sunt mai putin numeroase acum decat in urma cu 20 de ani. Teama ne poate motiva, dar nu intr-un fel pozitiv. Trebuie sa incercam sa avem incredere pentru a ne elibera si a fi fericiti. 9. Voi decide atunci cand voi fi sigur ce sa fac Sa te gandesti prea mult la orice decizie, oricat de minora, nu iti face bine. Este important sa cantaresti lucrurile, sa analizezi posibilitatile si sa faci planuri, insa nimic nu se intampla pana ce nu iei o decizie si actionezi. Rareori avem toate datele necesare atunci cand trebuie sa facem o alegere. Asa ca nu te mai gandi atat! Esecul nu este sfarstul lumii. Napoleon Hill scria: "Orice obstacol, orice esec, orice inima franta aduce si un beneficiu". Nu-ti lasa creierul sa te pacaleasca sa analizezi totul prea mult! 10. Stiu ca nu ar trebui, dar... Mintile noastre incearca sa ne faca sa negam efectele obiceiurilor proaste si sa gasesasca tot felul de scuze pentru acestea. Asta se intampla deseori cand vine vorba de sanatate. De exemplu, am auzit pe cineva spunand: "Stiu ca nu ar trebui sa fumez, dar ma ajuta sa-mi mentin silueta." sau "Stiu ca nu ar trebui sa mananc asta, dar viata pur si simplu nu merita traita fara asta." O problema grava de sanatate precum cancerul, boli ale inimii sau diabet cu siguranta nu te-ar face fericit. Nu-ti lasa creierul sa te pacaleasca in felul acesta! 11. Visele se implinesc numai pentru cei norocosi Thomas Jefferson spunea: "Cred cu tarie in noroc, si cu cat muncesc mai mult, cu atat sunt mai norocos." Mintea noastra ne va pacali uneori ca suntem victime ale destinului. Ne va face sa credem ca "nimic bun nu ni se intampla niciodata". Ceea ce creierul nostru pune pe seama norocului altora, este de fapt rezultatul a multi ani de practica, munca asidua si pregatire intensa. Urmeaza-ti visul din toata inima si s-ar putea sa fii surprins cum "norocul" iti va iesi in cale. 12. N-as putea niciodata... Creierul adesea ne face sa credem ca nu vom reusi. De exemplu, sunt persoane care spun "Nu as putea sa ma intorc la scoala, nu am bani" sau "Nu pot invata asta, sunt prea batran". Nu te lasa pacalit! Mintea este foarte persuasiva cand foloseste acest truc. Ai mult potential si chiar daca circumstantele sunt nefavorabile, cu perseverenta si multa munca poti depasi orice obstacol. Henry Ford spunea: "Daca crezi ca poti sau daca crezi ca nu poti, ai dreptate!" Nu lasa aceste trucuri sa te impiedice sa fii fericit!

How to Deal With Your Paranoia

It's a tough world out there, huh? When you feel like people are constantly out to trick or harm you, going about the day-to-day is plain exhausting. It's even worse when you know you're your worst enemy. How do you grab your paranoia and wrestle it into submission? How do you take control of how you see the world? Living paranoid isn't living. Read on. Part 1 of 3: Knowing Yourself and Your Mind Deal With Your Paranoia Step 1.jpg 1Get a jury. It may be hard to believe, but a certain level of paranoia is pretty common.[1] All of us have insecurities and all of us know what embarrassment feels like. Before you jump to conclusions and assume you're paranoid, get 4 or 5 friends together and ask them if your thought processes are understandable or, well, delusional. It's the only way to know. There are five levels to paranoia. Most of us have general feelings of vulnerability and suspicious thoughts ("I could get murdered down this dark alley!" or "They're talking about me behind my back, aren't they?"). But when you hit mild ("They're tapping their foot to annoy me"), moderate ("My phone calls are being tracked"), or severe ("The FBI is in my TV, watching me") personal threat, it's a sign you may be paranoid.[2] Deal With Your Paranoia Step 2.jpg 2Know that it could be due to drugs or alcohol. If you're doing drugs, taking prescription drugs, drinking, or even getting high on caffeine, you don't really have an accurate perception of "you." These drugs (uppers, specifically -- why caffeine counts!) alter your thought processes and put your mind on hyper mode. When it goes crazy with all the energy, you're much more likely to find something to freak out about. So get off 'em. If you're on prescription drugs and your paranoia seems to have onset when taking them, switch! You need to be yourself. You need to be yourself in order to know what you're actually up against. The drugs certainly don't help. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 3.jpg 3Think about your situation. Another thing to think about before we start tackling true, chronic paranoia, is your situation. If you've lost someone recently or you're going through a particularly stressful situation, give yourself some slack. This could be your mind's way of coping. Yeah, it sucks. It does. Life can do that. But it also passes. And quickly at that. If your paranoia seems to stem from a fairly recent situation (at least within the past six months), it's probably not chronic. It still deserves your attention and you should still deal with it proactively (like you are by reading this page!), but take solace in the fact that this too will pass. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 4.jpg 4Recognize your patterns. Once drugs, alcohol, and the situation are taken out of the equation, it's time to look at your patterns. All of us have mood swings of some sort, but not all of us are aware of when and why. Take a moment to think about when you feel most paranoid. Here's a few questions to jog your brain: Am I paranoid more in the morning, afternoon, or at night? Could it be because I'm tired? Am I paranoid more due to hormonal fluctuations? Might it have anything to do with the season? Does it happen more in specific environments? Work, school, at home? Once you've recognized your patterns, it'll be easier to recognize and deal with your paranoia. You can't deal with it until you've parsed out what's real and logical and what's not! Deal With Your Paranoia Step 5.jpg 5Know what paranoia really is. A lot of us use the term "paranoia" quite loosely. In fact, paranoid personality disorder (or PPD) is quite serious. However, there are several other, similar variations. PPD isn't that common, could it be anything else? PPD affects somewhere between .5% and 2.5% of the population. Its symptoms include:[3] Suspicion, without sufficient reason, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving you (especially with a faithful significant other) Preoccupation with unjustified doubts about the loyalty/trustworthiness of friends, family, etc. Reluctance to confide in others because of fear that it'll be used against you Reading hidden or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events Commonly bears grudges with ease Perceives personal attacks that are not apparent to others Quick to react angrily or to counterattack Paranoid schizophrenia involves hearing voices that can often mislead you. This person is often convinced they're very powerful or important and thus everyone revolves around them.[4] Delusional disorder is the belief in one very specific paranoia ("The FBI is in my TV watching my every move"). It's pinpointed and not necessarily global.[4] Deal With Your Paranoia Step 6.jpg 6Know if you have anxiety. It's similar to paranoia, sure, but the details are quite different. People with anxiety are serious worriers. They might think "My parents will die in a car crash." People with PPD think, "Someone will kill my parents to hurt me."[5] If you think anxiety might be your issue, consider reading wikiHow's How to Deal With Anxiety article to start. Anxiety is much more common than PPD. The average age of onset is 31, though it's most common among the 18 and older crowd. The symptoms of anxiety, or GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) mainly involve the inability to relax, startling easily, and having difficulty concentrating, amongst a plethora of physical symptoms. The good news is that it's highly treatable.[6] Deal With Your Paranoia Step 7.jpg 7See a psychiatrist. This is perhaps the most important point of all. A psychiatrist can help find the cause of the paranoia and talk you through how you're feeling. You can try to help yourself, sure, but you have a better chance of treating the paranoia if you see a medical professional. Seeing a psychiatrist is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. People do it all the time. Not people who are sick, but people who want to get better and improve their lives. Feel free to switch psychiatrists! Many people feel stuck with whichever one they start with. If you're not jiving, find a new one. Find one that makes you feel comfortable and that you can see yourself trusting. It'll be the quickest path to progress. People with paranoia tend to be afraid to share their problems. That aspect of paranoia is understandable because people who live with constant irrational fear think that their secrets will be leaked once they are heard. Remember that psychiatrists are trained to help you and will keep your secrets safe unless absolutely necessary. Part 2 of 3: Rewiring Your Brain Deal With Your Paranoia Step 8.jpg 1Think about how narcissistic paranoia really is. Consider this quote: "You'd worry less what others thought of you when you realize how seldom they do."[7] Part of being paranoid involves some pretty narcissistic thinking. C'mon, admit it. That's pretty self-aggrandizing, to think that everyone is wasting their energy on you. Do you waste your energy on them? Nope. So why would they? Sad as it may be, when you realize that you're just another human and you're not all that special (despite what mom may have told you), it's a little more difficult to be paranoid. People are wayyyy too concerned with how they look and are coming off to even give you a second thought. In this case, that's a GREAT thing. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 9.jpg 2Force yourself to think of a positive for every negative. Instead of telling you, "Think positively!" let's get a little more real: thinking positive is impossible to just start doing. You can stop negative thoughts, but you can't really create positive thoughts organically. So instead, every time you find yourself thinking a negative, think, "Crap. Now I gotta think of a positive." And force that positive one to come up. Just one. The idea here is that when "work" comes after the negative thought, eventually that negative thought won't come up to avoid the work! It acts as a deterrent. Best case scenario? The positive thinking starts becoming habit! Deal With Your Paranoia Step 10.jpg 3Tackle your insecurities. A large part of paranoia comes from not being comfortable with something about ourselves. If you know you're beautiful, you're not worried about people making fun of how you look, you know? Tackling your paranoia would sort of be like tackling the symptom -- the insecurity is the actual problem. A lot of it has to do with being confident. When you're confident, you're less likely to imagine that other people are speaking ill of you or looking to do you harm. Because you're awesome! You just gotta think that you are. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 11.jpg 4Get a larger focus. When we see a group of people laughing and we're convinced they're laughing about us, we're focusing on the very narrow picture. In fact, whatever these people are sniggering about is no big deal. Your day is much more important than that, the work that you and your team is doing is much more important than that, heck, world peace is a billion times more important than that. Think about widening your focus when you zero in on something small. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 12.jpg 5Focus on the concrete. Apart from widening your focus, try focusing on what's actually tangible. When you're paranoid, you're swept up in a world of unwarranted emotion. That world doesn't actually exist! Try to get out of that world and into the one of concrete things -- food, vacations, music, books -- a world that can't even be construed as being out to get you. If nothing else, focus on others. Not on what they're doing to you, but on their well-being. How can you be more empathetic? More sympathetic? Kind, caring, compassionate? Part 3 of 3: Rewiring Your Life Deal With Your Paranoia Step 13.jpg 1Don't act on it. Since you're on this page, you know you have paranoid tendencies. If nothing else, try hard not to act on your emotions. At least the ones you know are paranoid! Asking someone why they keep laughing at you when they're not just exacerbates the problem of feeling alienated and alone, you know? If you must act on your paranoia, be frank with people. Let them know that you have these tendencies. Instead of not knowing how to respond when the issue does come up, they'll be able to understand the reason behind your words. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 14.jpg 2Have a schedule. For those with paranoid tendencies, it's a good idea to have a set schedule. Even if it's just you and your life, you know what's coming up, what to expect, and what you have to tackle for that day. It's a form of solace, really. When you have a routine, feeling stable is a lot easier. This is good advice for most people. Humans in general find structure quite comforting. But if you have that extra bit of being obsessed with the unknown it's doubly important! Deal With Your Paranoia Step 15.jpg 3Meditate. Being paranoid all the time is exhausting and stressful. It's imperative that you take some time out of your day to relax and recenter. So start meditating! It won't happen the first day, it may not happen the first few days, but once you get into it, the calming effects of 20 minutes of meditation in the morning can take over your entire day. Deal With Your Paranoia Step 16.jpg 4Keep a diary. Sometimes paranoia can stop you from trusting people you've known all your life. And you can feel a lot of emotions about that -- guilt, anger and resentment, to name a few. When you really need an outlet for your emotions and you can't talk to anyone, write them in a diary. Diaries are a great way to let out your emotions in a calm way and as long as you keep your diary hidden, your secrets will always be safe. Know another method for How to Deal With Your Paranoia? Add it here... Add Method Tips Paranoia is not illegal and is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't blame yourself for having fear. You are a victim of this. If you think you should, get help. Just because you suffer from paranoia, it doesn't make you "insane." When you begin to label yourself, your self-esteem really sinks which doesn't help your overall problem. You are a person with some difficulties. That's all. Exercise and eat healthily. Learn how to meditate so that you can relax when the paranoid thoughts hit you. Learn to live with it. Paranoia is a long-term illness which can take years to treat and, even then, you still can't guarantee you will be paranoia-free for the rest of your life. If so, learn how to deal with it. You'll be able to live your life a little bit easier. Concentrate on your breathing and think of relaxing things, happy memories perhaps. If these fail, try mid level mental arithmetic.. for example, think to yourself 13 x 4, then work it out. Stay away from drugs and alcohol. You may feel that it helps. It doesn't. It only makes your paranoia worse. Keep in mind people for the most part are good. And they are not conspiring against you. Remember that no matter what happens, it will be okay in the end. Warnings Try to keep your suspicions about people between yourself and your psychiatrist. Also don't hurt them because of what you suspect them of doing. If you begin to have delusional beliefs (e.g. that the C.I.A. is watching you), seek help immediately. Don't keep all your emotions to yourself. It will only make it worse. If you bottle up your feelings, eventually they will all come out at once. Talk to someone you trust.

Iti miroase respiratia a urina, peste sau acetona? Bolile au miros. Vezi dacă ai vreo problemă de sănătate!

Când mirosul pielii sau al respirației devine neplăcut, e semn că organismul se confruntă cu o afecțiune. Cu siguranţă ţi s-a întâmplat să simţi, fie pe stradă, fie, la locul de muncă, fie în locuri aglomerate, anumite mirosuri neplăcute, venind dinspre persoane ce nu păreau să aibă probleme de igienă. Înţepător, puternic, special sau suav şi nu întotdeauna neplăcut, mirosul răspândit în jur poate spune foarte multe despre starea noastră de sănătate. De aceea, este bine să nu ignorăm niciun iz ciudat emanat de propriul corp, căci poate fi semn de boală. Sănătatea miroase a prospeţime Înainte de toate, trebuie menţionat că transpiraţia unui om sănătos şi curat nu are miros. Bacteriile de la suprafaţa pielii, care intră în contact cu transpiraţia, sunt cele care dau un iz specific fiecăruia dintre noi. Este şi motivul pentru care anumite părţi ale corpului, precum picioarele, regiunea inghinală, axilele sau pliurile de sub sâni, la femei, miros mai accentuat decât altele şi necesită o îngrijire aparte. Când, în ciuda curăţeniei corporale şi a igienei orale corecte, se simt mirosuri specifice, e cazul să tragem un semnal de alarmă şi să dăm fuga la medic. Trupul anunţă când suferă Dacă ştii că urmezi un tratament anume sau că ai consumat anumite alimente, nu e cazul să intri în panică atunci când transpiraţia capătă un miros urât. Unele medicamente, precum cele folosite în tratamentul cancerului, ori antibioticele pot modifica mirosul natural al pielii. La fel se întâmplă şi când mâncăm ceapă sau usturoi. În general, izurile deranjante se emană prin piele, prin glandele sudoripare şi din gură. Or, îmbrăcămintea şi încălţămintea din materiale sintetice nu lasă transpiraţia să se evapore, iar părul de pe corp în exces contribuie la reţinerea transpiraţiei şi a bacteriilor, ceea ce duce la accentuarea mirosului. Totuşi, când mirosul e diferit de cel cunoscut, de transpiraţie, semnalează o boală. Diabeticii, spre exemplu, au un miros specific de acetonă, în vreme ce un iz de amoniac îi caracterizează pe cei ce suferă de o afecţiune a ficatului. TRANSPIRAŢIA URÂT MIROSITOARE ANUNŢĂ CHISTURI ŞI TUMORI! Sistemul endocrin pare să fie responsabil de toate relele, mai ales în cazul femeilor. O disfuncţie a glandei tiroide, precum hipertiroidia, se manifestă prin transpiraţie excesivă, urât mirositoare. Dar acelaşi lucru se întâmplă şi în caz de sindrom al ovarului polichistic, de tumori ovariene sau de disfuncţii ale glandelor suprarenale. Abundentă şi neplăcută nărilor, sudoarea îi caracterizează pe bărbaţii cu surplus de testosteron, pe femeile cu exces de hormoni masculini, pe cei cu dereglări ale hipofizei. Fiecare afecţiune e cu mirosul ei - Simţi un iz de mere stricate sau de acetonă? Diabetul e de vină. Prin transformarea grăsimilor şi proteinelor în glucoză se formează corpi cetonici, care sunt toxici şi pot să ducă până la comă diabetică. Corpii cetonici se elimină sub formă de acetonă prin urină şi prin respiraţie, dând mirosul caracteristic. - Mirosul neplăcut de peşte indică afecţiuni digestive şi, în special, faptul că omul nu digeră complet alimentele îngurgitate. De obicei, se întâmplă asta din cauza lipsei unei enzime. Dar şi o substanţă conţinută de pilulele contraceptive duce la acest iz deranjant. - Urina miroase a sirop de arţar? Vorbim despre leucinoză, o boală ereditară ce duce la tulburări de metabolizare a acizilor din organism, care se manifestă prin mişcări anormale ale corpului şi ale globilor oculari, alterarea conştienţei, până la comă, şi întârziere mintală. -Izul de amoniac, cunoscut ca foetor hepatic, le este caracteristic celor ce suferă de ciroză. -Respiraţia miroase a urină? Este din cauza uremiei, adică a nivelului crescut al ureei din sânge. -Insuficienţa hepatică e anunţată de mirosul de sânge stricat sau de ridichi de pământ. -Când organismul uman e intoxicat cu fosfor, emană iz de usturoi. -Mirosul aldehidic, puternic, înţepător, sufocant, de mere verzi, e des întâlnit la alcoolici. -Când respiraţia miroase a materii fecale, poate fi vorba de ocluzie intestinală, de supuraţii pulmonare sau de paraziţi intestinali la copii. -Difteria dă un iz dulceag, special. -Dacă ai renunţat la pâine şi la carbohidraţi, să nu te miri că trupul capătă treptat un miros ciudat, nu prea plăcut, o combinaţie de fructe exotice şi lac de unghii. -Acidoza metabolică profundă, adică şocul scăderii nivelului glucozei din sânge, duce la instalarea comei rapide şi la respiraţia cu miros de migdale amare, la fel ca în cazul intoxicării cu cianură de potasiu.

How to Trick Your Brain to Produce Energy Naturally

When you do something that you greatly enjoy, hormones flow throughout your body. Hormones are released that affect your heart, your brain and your nervous system. Glucose stored in your body is released into your blood and flows to your muscles. Oxygen increases in your body and you have more energy. You can be lying on the couch so tired you can hardly move and suddenly this person calls on the cell phone and you talk to them for 6 hours. Laughing, with abundant energy, it’s like you could build a house with this sudden burst of energy. So the trick here is how we tap into this if we don't have someone lighting us up like a Christmas tree. EditSteps 1Spend time with friends that you enjoy. Your best friends from college can stir energy. It does not have to be a sexual interest, just someone you enjoy spending time with. Become happy, this brings high energy to your body. 2Find things that light your fire. Dance classes, art classes any thing that gets you excited about life. 3Change your life and actions. Keep it new and not boring. This keeps the excitement up. For instance, if you are an art student plan an exciting trip to Paris to study the masters. You may never go but keep the dream alive with pictures of what you will do when you go. 4Tell yourself good things. Such as when my ship comes in and I have money I will build my dream house. Plan it all in your head, the rooms, the colors, and where the furniture will go. 5 Motivate others by listening to their dreams. Help them keep their dreams alive. If you have a friend that says one day I will sail across the world, ask him about each city. 6Look for things to invent or improve. Determine how to make a better cookie or how to make a better dog leash. These activities help to keep us interested and alive with energy. It is like a puzzle that motivates our brain. 7Be a social person. An attachment to other people seems to produce this energy. Keep a group of friends that stimulates your brain and those who do not bore you. 8Reward yourself, why wait for others to make you happy. Take yourself out to eat, buy yourself flowers if you want them. Trick your brain and tell yourself, after I do my work I will take myself out for an ice cream cone. To sum this up when you are depressed you do not want to move but like everything else in life, the answer is always, the opposite. You have to have job experience to get a job, you have to have money to borrow some, you have to be a successful agent to sell, and so do what you must do. Fake it until you make it. Tell yourself what you want to hear and dare to dream big.

How to Stay Awake at Work

Whether you partied all night, stayed up with a newborn, or lost sleep while finishing up a project, now you're at work and you're having a difficult time staying awake. You promise yourself that you'll get more sleep, if you can just make it through the day without being discovered by your boss with your eyes closed. Falling asleep on the job can risk your employment, and may signal a larger problem with your sleep habits. EditPart 1 of 3: Quick Tips For Staying Alert

1Listen to music. Perk yourself up by listening to music. Music triggers emotional responses in humans, helping us engage many parts of the brain. Listen to music that's energizing to you. If possible, dance or sing along, even if you just bob your head or hum. Music that's irritating or jarring may keep you awake better than music that's familiar. Just do your co-workers a favor and remember to use headphones! Listen quietly instead of loudly. It's a common misconception that blasting music loud will help keep you awake. Actually, turning the music down to a very low level is more effective. It forces you to try to listen closely in order to hear the instruments, lyrics, and percussion. If you're having difficulty discerning the lyrics, then the volume is just right, because this means your mind's working. 2Get interested! Getting interested can work as a distraction. If you are interested in something, your brain is focusing.You can get interested in your work or something that is happening in your surroundings. 3Expose yourself to bright light. Preferably, natural daylight. Your body's internal clock (its circadian rhythms) are regulated by your exposure to sunlight. This means you can trick your body into believing it should be awake even when it feels tired. Step outside, even just for a bit. If you can step outside (even on a cloudy day) or look out the window for a full minute, you'll be more alert. Work the artificial lights. Even if you're in an environment where there's artificial light, brighter is better. Wherever you work, see if you can replace the light fixture or add a lamp that will brighten your workspace.

4Chew ice. If you chew ice, it's almost impossible to fall asleep. The chilling temperature keeps the brain on its toes, even while you are driving late at night, exhausted, and what you really want to do is fall asleep. Chewing anything, even if it's just your pen or pencil, causes your body to think you are about to eat. Your body will prepare for food intake by releasing insulin, which will make you more alert. 5Splash cold water on your face. If it's a little cold, take off your sweater or jacket so you stay on the chilly side. Open a window or put on a small fan, pointed at your face. The reason your body responds the way it does to cold is that it's prepping itself to work to keep you warm. Your body needs to regulate your internal temperature to keep all of its organs functioning. So if it detects ice or extreme cold, it will work to keep itself awake longer. 6Use your sense of smell. A pungent scent — good or bad — can make you more alert very quickly. Aromatherapists often recommend essential oils of the following plants to stimulate the nervous system and reduce fatigue. Open the bottle and take a big whiff of the following when you're feeling drowsy: Rosemary. Eucalyptus blue gum. Peppermint. Coffee. Beans or brewed, both work: a study has shown that simply smelling coffee can awaken a person.[1] Of course, not all of us have essential oils stored in our file cabinets. Using hand lotions or burning candles with these same scents could help. Herbs like rosemary and peppermint can often be found fresh or dried at a grocery store; for a little pick-me-up, take a pinch and roll it between your fingertips and smell it. 7Eat healthy. Eating can help you stay awake, as long as you avoid a full stomach. As most of us know, eating to excess often makes us sleepy, so don't eat a full pizza or that 12 oz. steak during lunch. Munch on snacks all day rather than having a big meal. The key is to not get a spike of sugar intake (followed by the inevitable crash). Predictably, the same goes for caffeine: break your coffee, soda, or energy drink consumption down into small doses. Avoid breakfast that are high in carbs (muffins, toast, pastries, bagels, etc.). You're giving your body a reason to crash at about 11 AM because it gets a sugar spike early on. Put a small handful of sunflower seeds in your cheek and crack them open one at a time, using only your teeth and tongue; this will require just enough active thought and tongue movement to prevent you from dozing off, and the salt of the sunflower seeds is invigorating and stimulating; spit out the sunflower husks into a paper cup as you go, as quietly as possible so as to not disturb others around you. EditPart 2 of 3: Exercising To Stay Awake

1Try stretching. Stretching and twisting your body can help improve blood circulation, which helps keep you awake. Rolling your head/neck for about 20 seconds can help as well. 2Use acupressure. Massaging any of the following points will improve circulation and ease fatigue[2]: The top of your head. Lightly tap it with your fingertip or use a scalp massager. The back of your neck. Back of your hands. Right between the thumb and index finger is best. Just below the knees. Earlobes. 3Exercise in the office. Just because you're sitting down doesn't mean you can't use your muscles. So exercise at your computer, or get up every once in a while and stimulate some blood flow to keep you alert. Try simple exercises like jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, and squats. Don't push yourself like you do in the gym; instead, just exercise enough to get your blood flowing and keep your coworkers from noticing your strange behavior! Stay on your feet as much as possible. If you're sitting most of the time, get yourself up every 20-30 minutes. If you need any motivation to stand more of the time, consider this: people who stay seated for less than three hours a day add almost two years to their life expectancy.[3] If you have to sit down, get the most uncomfortable chair you can find. Try not to sit in anything that will make you sore if you stay there. Make sure the back is upright, forcing you to sit up very straight. Don't allow your head to rest on anything — your hands, the desk, the wall. 4Take a short walk. Some people take a short walk to re-energize themselves. It's generally thought to be a good distraction, especially if you're sitting in front of a computer screen all day long. Any paperwork that may be pending which you have to carry to your colleagues or a manager (like signing a cheque or documents), keep aside. When you feel sleepy, take it to the person for actioning. Upon returning to your desk, you'll feel more awake again and you'll have been active. Studies show that taking short breaks from work actually helps your productivity.[4] So if you're worried about missing that deadline, don't stress! Walking breaks will help you. (You can let your boss know.) EditPart 3 of 3: Other Strategies

1Take a power nap. If you have the time, sleeping for just 15-20 minutes can increase your alertness by leaps and bounds if you have a cup of coffee (or any other form of caffeine) right before you fall asleep. The caffeine will take about 20 minutes to begin working, so you shouldn't have any trouble falling asleep right away, and you'll wake up refreshed. Sleeping just 20 minutes helps activate the right hemisphere of the brain[5], which is responsible for processing and storing acquired information. 2Have a regular bedtime and a healthy diet. Brains benefit greatly from schedules. If you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even the weekends, your brain know when it's time to sleep and fall into a pattern. Getting proper nutrition will also ensure that your body has the proper energy throughout the day without having to resort to naps for extra strength. How much should you sleep to ensure that you're properly rested? Adults need anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep per night.[6] If you are pregnant or older, you may need even more sleep, anywhere from 10-11 hours. Some recommend[7] going to sleep with your curtains halfway open. The early morning sunlight will send signals to your body to slow production of melatonin and start production of adrenaline, making it easier to wake up. 3Focus your mental powers. It sounds hard, but don't let your mind go into the "fuzzy stage." When your mind starts to go blank, think about something, whether it's a joke, a movie, or anything else to keep your mind working. Even thinking about something that makes you mad can be extremely helpful. Unless they're drinking, you typically don't see an angry person abruptly fall asleep. EditTips Stay hydrated. Being dehydrated can make you sleepy or dizzy and drinking cold water can help wake you up. Distract yourself, instead of focusing on how tired you are, intensify your focus on your work or focus on something entirely different. Realize that you may not be as tired as you think you are. Often times you'll find that throughout the day, you are fantasizing about going to sleep as soon as you get home. Does this actually happen? For many of us, when we're off work and enjoying the rest of the day we are always wide awake even without sleep. Notice this psychological contribution that your mind is making. Run cold water on your wrists. Go to bed early. More time asleep in bed equals less chances of falling asleep at work. Take a nap before driving anywhere if you are sleepy or tired. Go to the bathroom and splash a bit of water on your face. Don't drink too many caffeinated drinks. They will only give you a small burst of awareness, but after a few hours it will wear off. You will be left feeling ten times more tired. You can drink cold water or take a cold shower. What you can do to stay awake is you can eat a little of sugar or salt Show 1 more tip + Plan your day what to do when to do it and you'll be okay plan extra naps EditWarnings No matter how awake you think you are, if you're feeling sleepy while driving, pull over and take a 20 minute nap. Limit caffeine intake to 300 mg or less a day (about 4-8 cups of tea) to avoid counterproductive side effects. Some people may be allergic to essential oils and the smells they produce. Be considerate to your coworkers and make sure they are OK with you having smells emanating from your cubicle/office. Have always 8 hours a sleep during the night. The best time to sleep is from 10pm to 6am. Many of the things that you do to stay awake also interfere with concentrating. What you'll really need, ultimately, is good sleep in order to perform optimally.

Câteva lucruri mai puţin ştiute despre japonezi

Câteva lucruri mai puţin ştiute despre japonezi Vă prezentăm câteva aspecte mai puţin ştiute, ale unui popor care se remarcă printr-o cultură foarte diferită de cea vestică. 1. Ştiaţi că în Japonia copiii fac curat în şcoli în fiecare zi, timp de un sfert de oră, alături de profesori, ceea ce a condus la apariţia unei generaţii caracterizată de modestie şi pasionată de curăţenie? Igiena şi dorinţa lor de a menţine curăţenia, reprezintă o parte a eticii japoneze. 2. Ştiaţi că un angajat japonez din domeniul igienei este numit "inginer de sănătate" şi poate avea un salariu cuprins între 5.000 şi 8.000 de dolari pe lună, iar un om de serviciu este supus unor teste scrise şi orale? 3. Ştiaţi că Japonia nu are resurse naturale şi este expusă la mii de cutremure pe an, dar toate acestea nu au împiedicat-o să devină una dintre cele mai dezvoltate ţări din lume? 4. Ştiaţi că, în doar 10 ani, oraşul Hiroshima a revenit la ceea ce a fost, din punct de vedere economic, înainte de căderea bombei atomice? 5. Ştiaţi că rata de alfabetizare a Japoniei se apropie de 100%? 6. Ştiaţi că în Japonia, elevii de la clasa întâi până la clasa a şasea trebuie să înveţe etica în relaţiile cu ceilalţi oameni? 7. Ştiaţi că japonezii, deşi sunt unii dintre cei mai bogaţi oameni din lume, nu au servitori? Părinţii sunt responsabili pentru casă şi copii. 8. Ştiaţi că nu există nicio examinare de la clasa întâi până la clasa a treia, pentru că, în opinia japonezilor, scopul educaţiei este de a insufla concepte şi formarea caracterului, nu doar de examinare şi îndoctrinare. 9. Ştiaţi că, dacă te duci la un restaurant de tip bufet suedez în Japonia, veţi observa că oamenii mănâncă doar cât au nevoie, fără a lăsa resturi în urma? Ei nu risipesc mâncarea. 10. Ştiaţi că durata de întârziere a trenurilor din Japonia este de câteva secunde pe an? Ei apreciază valoarea timpului şi sunt foarte punctuali. 11. Ştiaţi că elevi au la dispoziţie o jumătate de oră pentru a servi masa, astfel încât să li se asigure o digestie corectă. Când cei responsabili au fost întrebaţi despre această problemă, au răspuns: aceşti elevi sunt viitorul Japoniei. 12. Ştiaţi că în Japonia sunt peste 50.000 de oameni care au peste 100 de ani? 13. Ştiaţi că în Japonia au loc aproximativ 2 crime comise cu arme de foc pe an? 14. Ştiaţi că în Japonia este acceptabil să adormi la serviciu pentru că se consideră că somnul este determinat de munca grea? 15. Ştiaţi că trenurile sunt atât de aglomerate încât a fost angajat personal care se ocupă cu împingerea pasagerilor în interiorul acestora?

10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science

Happiness is so interesting, because we all have different ideas about what it is and how to get it. It’s also no surprise that it’s the Nr.1 value for Buffer’s culture, if you see our slidedeck about it. So naturally we are obsessed with it. I would love to be happier, as I’m sure most people would, so I thought it would be interesting to find some ways to become a happier person that are actually backed up by science. Here are ten of the best ones I found.

1. Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough You might have seen some talk recently about the scientific 7 minute workout mentioned in The New York Times. So if you thought exercise was something you didn’t have time for, maybe you can fit it in after all. Exercise has such a profound effect on our happiness and well-being that it’s actually been proven to be an effective strategy for overcoming depression. In a study cited in Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, three groups of patients treated their depression with either medication, exercise, or a combination of the two. The results of this study really surprised me. Although all three groups experienced similar improvements in their happiness levels to begin with, the follow up assessments proved to be radically different: The groups were then tested six months later to assess their relapse rate. Of those who had taken the medication alone, 38 percent had slipped back into depression. Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better, with a 31 percent relapse rate. The biggest shock, though, came from the exercise group: Their relapse rate was only 9 percent! You don’t have to be depressed to gain benefit from exercise, though. It can help you to relax, increase your brain power and even improve your body image, even if you don’t lose any weight. A study in the Journal of Health Psychology found that people who exercised felt better about their bodies, even when they saw no physical changes: Body weight, shape and body image were assessed in 16 males and 18 females before and after both 6 × 40 mins exercise and 6 × 40 mins reading. Over both conditions, body weight and shape did not change. Various aspects of body image, however, improved after exercise compared to before. We’ve explored exercise in depth before, and looked at what it does to our brains, such as releasing proteins and endorphins that make us feel happier, as you can see in the image below. make yourself happier - exercise

2. Sleep more – you’ll be less sensitive to negative emotions We know that sleep helps our bodies to recover from the day and repair themselves, and that it helps us focus and be more productive. It turns out, it’s also important for our happiness. In NutureShock, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explain how sleep affects our positivity: Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories, yet recall gloomy memories just fine. In one experiment by Walker, sleep-deprived college students tried to memorize a list of words. They could remember 81% of the words with a negative connotation, like “cancer.” But they could remember only 31% of the words with a positive or neutral connotation, like “sunshine” or “basket.” The BPS Research Digest explores another study that proves sleep affects our sensitivity to negative emotions. Using a facial recognition task over the course of a day, the researchers studied how sensitive participants were to positive and negative emotions. Those who worked through the afternoon without taking a nap became more sensitive late in the day to negative emotions like fear and anger. Using a face recognition task, here we demonstrate an amplified reactivity to anger and fear emotions across the day, without sleep. However, an intervening nap blocked and even reversed this negative emotional reactivity to anger and fear while conversely enhancing ratings of positive (happy) expressions. Of course, how well (and how long) you sleep will probably affect how you feel when you wake up, which can make a difference to your whole day. Especially this graph showing how your brain activity decreases is a great insight about how important enough sleep is for productivity and happiness: make yourself happier

Another study tested how employees’ moods when they started work in the morning affected their work day. Researchers found that employees’ moods when they clocked in tended to affect how they felt the rest of the day. Early mood was linked to their perceptions of customers and to how they reacted to customers’ moods. And most importantly to managers, employee mood had a clear impact on performance, including both how much work employees did and how well they did it. Sleep is another topic we’ve looked into before, exploring how much sleep we really need to be productive. 3. Move closer to work – a short commute is worth more than a big house Our commute to the office can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our happiness. The fact that we tend to do this twice a day, five days a week, makes it unsurprising that its effect would build up over time and make us less and less happy. According to The Art of Manliness, having a long commute is something we often fail to realize will affect us so dramatically: … while many voluntary conditions don’t affect our happiness in the long term because we acclimate to them, people never get accustomed to their daily slog to work because sometimes the traffic is awful and sometimes it’s not. Or as Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert put it, “Driving in traffic is a different kind of hell every day.” We tend to try to compensate for this by having a bigger house or a better job, but these compensations just don’t work: Two Swiss economists who studied the effect of commuting on happiness found that such factors could not make up for the misery created by a long commute. 4. Spend time with friends and family – don’t regret it on your deathbed Staying in touch with friends and family is one of the top five regrets of the dying. If you want more evidence that it’s beneficial for you, I’ve found some research that proves it can make you happier right now. Social time is highly valuable when it comes to improving our happiness, even for introverts. Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference to how happy we feel, generally. I love the way Harvard happiness expert Daniel Gilbert explains it: We are happy when we have family, we are happy when we have friends and almost all the other things we think make us happy are actually just ways of getting more family and friends. George Vaillant is the director of a 72-year study of the lives of 268 men. In an interview in the March 2008 newsletter to the Grant Study subjects, Vaillant was asked, “What have you learned from the Grant Study men?” Vaillant’s response: “That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” He shared insights of the study with Joshua Wolf Shenk at The Atlantic on how the men’s social connections made a difference to their overall happiness: The men’s relationships at age 47, he found, predicted late-life adjustment better than any other variable, except defenses. Good sibling relationships seem especially powerful: 93 percent of the men who were thriving at age 65 had been close to a brother or sister when younger. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Socio-Economics states than your relationships are worth more than $100,000: Using the British Household Panel Survey, I find that an increase in the level of social involvements is worth up to an extra £85,000 a year in terms of life satisfaction. Actual changes in income, on the other hand, buy very little happiness. I think that last line is especially fascinating: Actual changes in income, on the other hand, buy very little happiness. So we could increase our annual income by hundreds of thousands of dollars and still not be as happy as if we increased the strength of our social relationships. The Terman study, which is covered in The Longevity Project, found that relationships and how we help others were important factors in living long, happy lives: We figured that if a Terman participant sincerely felt that he or she had friends and relatives to count on when having a hard time then that person would be healthier. Those who felt very loved and cared for, we predicted, would live the longest. Surprise: our prediction was wrong… Beyond social network size, the clearest benefit of social relationships came from helping others. Those who helped their friends and neighbors, advising and caring for others, tended to live to old age. 5. Go outside – happiness is maximized at 13.9°C In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor recommends spending time in the fresh air to improve your happiness: Making time to go outside on a nice day also delivers a huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory… This is pretty good news for those of us who are worried about fitting new habits into our already-busy schedules. Twenty minutes is a short enough time to spend outside that you could fit it into your commute or even your lunch break. A UK study from the University of Sussex also found that being outdoors made people happier: Being outdoors, near the sea, on a warm, sunny weekend afternoon is the perfect spot for most. In fact, participants were found to be substantially happier outdoors in all natural environments than they were in urban environments. The American Meteorological Society published research in 2011 that found current temperature has a bigger effect on our happiness than variables like wind speed and humidity, or even the average temperature over the course of a day. It also found that happiness is maximized at 13.9°C, so keep an eye on the weather forecast before heading outside for your 20 minutes of fresh air. The connection between productivity and temperature is another topic we’ve talked about more here. It’s fascinating what a small change in temperature can do. 6. Help others – 100 hours a year is the magical number One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice I found is that to make yourself feel happier, you should help others. In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives. If we go back to Shawn Achor’s book again, he says this about helping others: …when researchers interviewed more than 150 people about their recent purchases, they found that money spent on activities—such as concerts and group dinners out—brought far more pleasure than material purchases like shoes, televisions, or expensive watches. Spending money on other people, called “prosocial spending,” also boosts happiness. The Journal of Happiness Studies published a study that explored this very topic: Participants recalled a previous purchase made for either themselves or someone else and then reported their happiness. Afterward, participants chose whether to spend a monetary windfall on themselves or someone else. Participants assigned to recall a purchase made for someone else reported feeling significantly happier immediately after this recollection; most importantly, the happier participants felt, the more likely they were to choose to spend a windfall on someone else in the near future. So spending money on other people makes us happier than buying stuff for ourselves. What about spending our time on other people? A study of volunteering in Germany explored how volunteers were affected when their opportunities to help others were taken away: Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall but before the German reunion, the first wave of data of the GSOEP was collected in East Germany. Volunteering was still widespread. Due to the shock of the reunion, a large portion of the infrastructure of volunteering (e.g. sports clubs associated with firms) collapsed and people randomly lost their opportunities for volunteering. Based on a comparison of the change in subjective well-being of these people and of people from the control group who had no change in their volunteer status, the hypothesis is supported that volunteering is rewarding in terms of higher life satisfaction. In his book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman explains that helping others can improve our own lives: …we scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested. 7. Practice smiling – it can alleviate pain Smiling itself can make us feel better, but it’s more effective when we back it up with positive thoughts, according to this study: A new study led by a Michigan State University business scholar suggests customer-service workers who fake smile throughout the day worsen their mood and withdraw from work, affecting productivity. But workers who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts – such as a tropical vacation or a child’s recital – improve their mood and withdraw less. Of course it’s important to practice “real smiles” where you use your eye sockets. It’s very easy to spot the difference: make yourself happier smiling

According to PsyBlog, smiling can improve our attention and help us perform better on cognitive tasks: Smiling makes us feel good which also increases our attentional flexibility and our ability to think holistically. When this idea was tested by Johnson et al. (2010), the results showed that participants who smiled performed better on attentional tasks which required seeing the whole forest rather than just the trees. A smile is also a good way to alleviate some of the pain we feel in troubling circumstances: Smiling is one way to reduce the distress caused by an upsetting situation. Psychologists call this the facial feedback hypothesis. Even forcing a smile when we don’t feel like it is enough to lift our mood slightly (this is one example of embodied cognition). One of our previous posts goes into even more detail about the science of smiling. 8. Plan a trip – but don’t take one As opposed to actually taking a holiday, it seems that planning a vacation or just a break from work can improve our happiness. A study published in the journal, Applied Research in Quality of Life showed that the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage of a vacation as employees enjoyed the sense of anticipation: In the study, the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks. After the vacation, happiness quickly dropped back to baseline levels for most people. Shawn Achor has some info for us on this point, as well: One study found that people who just thought about watching their favorite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27 percent. If you can’t take the time for a vacation right now, or even a night out with friends, put something on the calendar—even if it’s a month or a year down the road. Then whenever you need a boost of happiness, remind yourself about it. 9. Meditate – rewire your brain for happiness Meditation is often touted as an important habit for improving focus, clarity and attention span, as well as helping to keep you calm. It turns out it’s also useful for improving your happiness: In one study, a research team from Massachusetts General Hospital looked at the brain scans of 16 people before and after they participated in an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation. The study, published in the January issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, concluded that after completing the course, parts of the participants’ brains associated with compassion and self-awareness grew, and parts associated with stress shrank. Meditation literally clears your mind and calms you down, it’s been often proven to be the single most effective way to live a happier life. I believe that this graphic explains it the best:

calming-mind-brain-waves make yourself happier According to Shawn Achor, meditation can actually make you happier long-term: Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness. The fact that we can actually alter our brain structure through mediation is most surprising to me and somewhat reassuring that however we feel and think today isn’t permanent. We’ve explored the topic of meditation and it’s effects on the brain in-depth before. It’s definitely mind-blowing what this can do to us. 10. Practice gratitude – increase both happiness and life satisfaction This is a seemingly simple strategy, but I’ve personally found it to make a huge difference to my outlook. There are lots of ways to practice gratitude, from keeping a journal of things you’re grateful for, sharing three good things that happen each day with a friend or your partner, and going out of your way to show gratitude when others help you. In an experiment where some participants took note of things they were grateful for each day, their moods were improved just from this simple practice: The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits. The Journal of Happiness studies published a study that used letters of gratitude to test how being grateful can affect our levels of happiness: Participants included 219 men and women who wrote three letters of gratitude over a 3 week period. Results indicated that writing letters of gratitude increased participants’ happiness and life satisfaction, while decreasing depressive symptoms. For further reading, check out 7 Simple productivity tips you can apply today, backed by science, which goes even deeper into what we can do to be more grateful. Quick last fact: Getting older will make yourself happier As a final point, it’s interesting to note that as we get older, particularly past middle age, we tend to grow happier naturally. There’s still some debate over why this happens, but scientists have got a few ideas: Researchers, including the authors, have found that older people shown pictures of faces or situations tend to focus on and remember the happier ones more and the negative ones less. Other studies have discovered that as people age, they seek out situations that will lift their moods — for instance, pruning social circles of friends or acquaintances who might bring them down. Still other work finds that older adults learn to let go of loss and disappointment over unachieved goals, and hew their goals toward greater wellbeing. So if you thought being old would make you miserable, rest assured that it’s likely you’ll develop a more positive outlook than you probably have now.