Psychologists Say Doing These 7 Activities Will Make You Happier

Happiness is good for you.

Psychology research shows that happy people $4 than everyone else.

But the causes of happiness are elusive - $4

Over the past few decades psychological science has found a few consistent trends in what makes people happy. As $4, happiness have than the things you do.>$4

Here are a few of the top happiness-inducing behaviors:

Committing to goals

Like chocolate and peanut butter, $4. The process is simple enough: Happy people have lots of energy, and that energy can be put toward pursuing their latest quest.

Psychologists say that the more we see a goal as a part of ourselves, the more it's self-concordant - meaning we'll bring more energy toward tackling it. University of Zurich psychologist Bettina Wiese $4 that "empirical research has repeatedly shown that striving toward self-concordant goals strengthens the link between goal progress and well-being."

Finding meaning in your work

In 1997, $4. There were three ways of thinking about your work:

A job: "Focus on financial rewards and necessity rather than pleasure or fulfillment; not a major positive part of life"

A career: "Focus on advancement"

A calling: "Focus on enjoyment of fulfilling, socially useful work"

Their finding: The people who found meaning in their work were happiest.

Spending time with people you care about

While it may sound like a Hallmark card, $4. Interestingly, being $4.

Cultivating a long-term relationship

The $4 "being married makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who remain single - particularly during the most stressful periods, like midlife crises."

The reason? Two people $4 than one.

Eating the fresh stuff

A 2013 study titled "$4" found that eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables had a positive correlation with happiness.

Specifically, the young people who ate seven to eight servings of fruits or vegetables reported higher happiness levels than their less-nourished peers.

Getting in exercise

A $4 of people between 16 and 65 years old made some very strong claims about the virtues of exercise. "Exercisers were more satisfied with their life and happier than non-exercisers at all ages," the authors concluded. If you're trying to work out more but can't quite find the time, $4.

Buying experiences

According to Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, $4. Chief among $4 is the insight that you should buy experiences instead of things.

In a survey of over 1,000 Americans, 57% of respondents said that they derived greater happiness from an experiential purchase, like a trip, concert, or other life event, over a material purchase, like a car, appliance, or other object. We like experiences more because we get to anticipate and remember them, the research says, and we appreciate them longer.

"After devoting days to selecting the perfect hardwood floor to install in a new condo, homebuyers find their once beloved Brazilian cherry floors quickly become nothing more than the unnoticed ground beneath their feet," Gilbert and his colleagues say. "In contrast, their memory of seeing a baby cheetah at dawn on an African safari continues to provide delight."