You probably have happiness as one of your life goals, whether it’s explicit or not. After all, everyone wants to be happy, right? It’s up there with being healthy, wealthy, and wise! There are some solidly good reasons why it’s important to be satisfied, and some of them will surprise you.
- Happiness feels great!
Happiness is wonderful purely for its own sake. When you’re happy, you feel energetic and content. All is right with your world, and you naturally want to spread your good vibes.
- Being happy is good for your health
When you’re happy, you flood your brain with endorphins and other positive hormones like dopamine and serotonin. Your stress levels go down, along with your blood pressure and your heart rate.
Happy people are more resilient in the face of life stressor; they tend to be better able to roll with the punches and come up smiling. If you’re happy, you’re less likely to suffer from heart disease, inflammation, and chronic disease. You’ll age better and even live longer!
- Success is meaningless without happiness
Every day you can read about successful, wealthy people whose lives are out of control due to the pressures of celebrity, drug addiction, or alcoholism. Success hasn’t automatically meant happiness for them. So, if you think that being rich or having a new car or being famous will make you happy, think again. If you hate your life, no amount of success will bring you joy.
- Happy people have better relationships
Happiness is contagious and attractive. We see happy people as more trustworthy and stronger leaders. They are also likely to have a wider circle of friends, have better interpersonal relationships, and are more likely to have a romantic partner.
- Being happy makes you a nicer person
It seems that happiness and empathy are linked. Happy people are more likely to share their good fortune and help others.
Happy people are also less violent and more peaceful. Researchers think that positive emotions make us more likely to seek a win/win solution and change the way we think. The chemicals set off by your mindset influence the way you react to a situation and can change your behavior and thought patterns. Negative thoughts can lead to a fight or flight response whereas positive emotions are more likely to lead to a less heated negotiation and a focus on problem-solving.
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