Increase Happiness Within Yourself

Measuring Happiness and increasing happiness of a group is all well and good but can't be done if an individual themselves doesn't feel happy!

The Happy Planet Index recommends the following five ways to increase your overall happiness:

1. Connect - Your Social Relationships are very important in your life. Try to build strong relationships with your family and friends! Your brain loves being social! (This doesn't mean Facebook, it means face to face interaction)
2. Be Active - Being Active turns a bad mood into a positive mood quickly! Try to go for a walk or just turn on the radio and dance.
3. Take Notice - Be aware of the things going on around the world! Try to remember that the negative news from the media tends to be exaggerated and that the positive news is more popular than you think.
4. Keep Learning - Be curious about things outside of just school or your career. Can be as simple as learning a new dish or learning an instrument not some formal learning.
5. Give - Be Generous! Donate Money or Give Your Time and Volunteer or Try to Spread Positive Messages!

These ways are very simple and there is strong evidence that proves that they are very helpful in bettering a person's mood.