"Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a neurotransmitter that makes your brain feel soothed and keeps you in control of your impulses. Happy people schedule regular exercise and follow through on it because they know it pays huge dividends for their mood."

-Travis Bradberry

"A variety of research suggests that self-esteem is bound to external success can be a fickle beast — certain students who tied their self-esteem to their grades experienced small boosts when they received an acceptance letter (grad school), but harsh drops in self-esteem when they were rejected.

Indeed, similar findings were reported for those who base their self-esteem on career success and appearance. Conversely, those who do not tie their self-esteem as strongly to external motivators tend to have less of a “roller coaster” of emotions to the things that happen to them, and are generally more happy as a result." 

-Assosiatoin for Phycological Science 

"By nature, we fall into routines. In some ways, this is a good thing. It saves precious brainpower and creates comfort. However, sometimes you get so caught up in your routine that you fail to appreciate the little things in life. Happy people know how important it is to savor the taste of their meal, revel in the amazing conversation they just had, or even just step outside to take a deep breath of fresh air."

-Travis Bradberry

"The meaningful relationships, strong bonds, and social connections are one of the biggest happiness indicators that play an enormous part of who we are and how we feel. They shape our mind frame and wellbeing and contribute to our mood and life attitude, efficiency, creativity, and overall contentment.

Happy people invest their time, energy, and attention into building and nurturing relationships that matter. They have friends of different ages, they do their best to make and spend quality time with their loved ones, and are committed to build their romantic relationships on strong pillars.

While knowing how to spend time alone is very important, it’s also important to understand that humans are social animals and we need to develop emotional intelligence skills to ensure our connections remain strong and authentic."

-Intelligent Change

"Happy people know that happiness and substance go hand-in-hand. They avoid gossip, small talk, and judging others. Instead they focus on meaningful interactions. They engage with other people on a deeper level, because they know that doing so feels good, builds an emotional connection, and is an interesting way to learn."

-Travis Bradberry

"According to the National Sleep Foundation, 7-9 hours of sleep per night is ideal for most healthy adults. Of course, some would need a bit more, some less––either way, we all have our personal threshold for what we consider a good quality sleep.

Proper sleep is necessary for achieving balance in our lives, being in a good mood, as well as for maintaining proper mental and physical health. If, however, sleep deprivation takes over someone’s life, there can be some very negative consequences. People who are sleep-deprived usually experience drops in productivity due to a lack of focus, cognitive speed, and flexibility. Lack of sleep also hinders our mood and makes us cranky, nervous, or anxious.."

-Intelligent Change

"How we eat has a lot to do with how we feel and live. Fast food, sugar, and irregular meals are all harmful to our health if consumed on a daily basis.

You’ve probably seen many celebrities promoting healthy whole foods that help them maintain their energy levels and improve their health. Maybe this isn’t the source of their happiness, but it is an important contribution to resilience and emotional balance.

Having breakfast every day, regular, healthy meals (mostly plant-based), and drinking enough water, while limiting sugar, dairy, white wheat, and alcohol intake will help us detox our body, and, with that, clear our minds."

-Intelligent Change

Instead of running away from life's problems, they should be accepted and viewed as a challenge that allows for an opportunity for growth. To achieve success, problems should not be feared. Viewing problems as challenges allows us to learn from them instead of fearing them.

"How you spend your free time is a matter of choice, but, at this point, we need to emphasize that life is a constant learning process that leads to happiness. If you want to stay connected to your purpose, grow, develop your worldview, skills, and your personality, unleash your full potential, and be the best version of yourself, then choose a growth mindset approach to what you do over making excuses, doom scrolling, or procrastinating.

Blogs, books, poetry, podcasts, documentaries, music, foreign languages, software, workshops, university courses, creative activities––it’s all good, as long as you challenge yourself to leave a comfort zone, keep your mind engaged, explore new things, and allow your creativity to bloom."

-Intelligent Change