I attended the Happiness and its Causes conference this week and here’s what I have learned during the latest research and intellectual and philosophical debate:
- Practice compassion, for others and especially for yourself. Connect with other people. Help them. This was mentioned several times and a scientific research has shown that helping other people actually changes the gene and cell expression in the body. It can improve the health of the cells. Everyone was unanimous that connecting with people and helping others is the number one predictor of health and longevity.
- It is important to get enough sleep. 7 to 9 hours of sleep is needed. Research has shown that people who have 7 hours or less of sleep function less effectively and are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
- Disconnect from technology whenever and wherever possible. Smartphones and increasingly digital lives have made people feel more lonely, over stimulated, and distracted. On average, people check their phones every four minutes. With this, we are losing precious moments of just being quiet, self reflection and peace.
- As much as possible, practice mindfulness. In small moments of being fully attentive to what we are doing or in mindfulness practices of ten minutes or more. The research is overwhelming and its impact helps shape neuroscience, business and personal health in the most dramatic way!
- Accept all emotions and do not try to fix, avoid, or numb them out. Human beings are supposed to experience a full range of emotions such as joy, sadness, anger, pain, and loneliness. Emotions are part of living a full life. Accept them; they are cues to better understand ourselves and part of the human experience. If things get out of perspective then definitely get help. Otherwise, give yourself a break, be kind to yourself, and learn from the difficult and challenging times and experiences.
- Fulfillment in life is considered a balance between pleasure in the moment and satisfaction through goals and achievement. Ask yourself if you need to "do more or be more", "speed up or slow down", "look around or look ahead", or "loosen up or tighten up". (Chris Skellet)
- Dancing is one of the best brain exercises you can do. Do the things that make you enjoy life; sounds obvious but a lot of people have lost the time doing what they love and giving them pleasure. Read, sing, walk, paint, talk… whatever it is, make it a priority, do not wait until you have more time, money, or friends. It makes everything else easier and worth every effort.
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