Build hope
Hopefulness is mainly learned and is one of the key strengths that contribute to happiness. A hopeful person has the belief that future good events will outweigh bad ones. Yet pessimism is often the preferred thinking style. People claim that, if you don’t hope, then...
Cope with corrosive cynicism
Doubting the sincerity of everyone’s motives, negativity and disbelief, sneering sarcasm and condescension are all elements of cynicism that have become institutionalised in our society. People often confuse cynicism with intellectual rigour, and happiness with...
Bounce back
Think back to a difficult event in your life. How did you find your way through? What gave you the strength to carry on? Some of the factors that decide how easily you will overcome adversity and bounce back afterwards are having a strong support system, building an...
Build resilience
Life can be a challenge – long hours, multiple demands, lots of stresses. We often love it that way but it can dent your happiness. In order to keep up the intense life you want, you need to build yourself up. Start by constructing a personal model of resilience. Who...
Stop predicting feelings
People say, “I’d be so happy if x happens” or “I would be devastated if y happened”. Actually we are very bad predicting both how you will feel and for how long (affective forecasting). People think winning the lottery will make them very happy for a long time. In...
Director’s cut
Life is often a blur as we move fast through activities, hardly noticing where we’ve been. Hurry sickness leads to stress, depression or feeling dislocated from life because of all the ‘busyness’. Even moving at speed, make the effort to connect with the world. See...
Choose your sensations
Wherever you are, make choices. Don’t waste happiness on trivial irritations. So, you have to wait in a queue? Why get yourself worked up? What a great opportunity to escape to a desert island (in your head at least). Imagine the waves lapping, the birds singing and...
Count your blessing
At the end of every day, as you go home from work or put your head on the pillow, your thoughts are likely to be full of what you didn’t do or haven’t achieved. Scientists call this the Zeigarnick Effect. It may have evolutionary value, making sure you complete...
Pay it forward
Benjamin Franklin talked about this idea, books have been written about it and the film with this name stars Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. The concept is easy to describe. Help three people. Do something for them that they cannot do for themselves....
Carry out random kindness
In our busy lives it is easy to become detached from people – except those we know already. Competitiveness and isolation can make the world an unkind place. Rediscover your capacity for kindness. Commit random acts of kindness every day. People might think you...