Scholars, social scientists and experts have been debating the meaning of happiness. Most of them agree that happiness is not about acquiring wealth, it is about our attitude and resilience. Vanessa King, a leading campaigner for happiness and author of "Ten Keys to Happier Living", has come up with few suggestions you can follow to boost your happiness.
Giving and helping
Giving connects us to others. It helps in building a happier society for everyone. Helping others is not only a good thing to do, it also makes us happier and healthier. It's not all about money - we can also give our time, ideas and energy. If you want to feel good, do good.
Networking
Relationships are the most important overall contributor to happiness. People with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer. Creating new connections is essential for happiness.
Stay active
Our body and our mind are connected. Being active makes us happier. It is good for our physical health. It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression.
Learning new skills
Learning affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay engaged. We can share a skill with friends, join a club, learn to sing and play a new sport.
Resilience
Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. All of us have times of stress, loss, failure or trauma in our lives. But how we respond to these has a big impact on our well-being. We often cannot choose what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to what happens.
Have a purpose
People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier, feel more in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression.
Set your goals
Feeling good about the future is important for our happiness. We all need goals to motivate us. Choosing ambitious but realistic goals gives our lives direction and brings a sense of satisfaction when we achieve them.
Be positive
Positive emotions - like joy, gratitude, contentment and inspiration, play important role in our well-being.They help us in focusing on the good aspects of any situation.