People who find meaning in their work have more fulfilled, happy lives—especially as they age.

If we just pursue pleasure, we miss half the fun. According to researchers, how much we enjoy our work depends on whether we view the experience as “a job, a career, or calling.”[3-1] If we have a job, we're just working for a pay cheque. If we have a career, we're working for external rewards like title promotions, advancements, or salary increases. If we have a calling, we experience our work as the end itself. We bet you guessed it—the latter is likely to bring us the most happiness.

Finding the right work involves an in-depth self-discovery process. Focus on what brings your life purpose and fun, not just the talents you've developed. The more overlap you can find between your talents, activities that you find fun, and activities that give you purpose, the happier you'll be.

Taking just a few minutes to get truly present can have an amazing effect on how you think, feel, and act.

Let's get quiet. Chronic stress, anxiety, and anger can screw with your happiness levels, your judgment, and your health. There's hope—five minutes of daily meditation can help reduce stress, improve your well-being, and decrease aches and pains.[1-1]Whether you meditate on your walk, before you go to bed, during a bath or on your lunch break, find a way to get present that works for you.
 

EXPRESSING GRATITUDE DAILY CAN CREATE A POWERFUL SHIFT IN HOW WE SEE THE WORLD.

Word on the street is there's nothing as simple as gratitude to shift our levels of happiness, and positive psychologists are making a convincing case. One study found that participants who wrote down something they were grateful for every day for 21 days were happier than others who simply took the time to write about anything in a daily journal.[4-1] The best part? The effects can last up to six months.[4-2] Now that's bang for your buck! Another study found that sharing a gratitude with someone can amplify the effects.[4-3] We think this means it's time to make gratitude a habit.

The biggest predictor of happiness is the number of people you feel like you can count on.

Sometimes when we're stressed out, we have the urge to go it alone. Researchers are learning that we really need to be doing the opposite.[5-1] It seems so obvious but we truly need social relationships to thrive. And it's like clockwork: the more people you can count on, the happier you are. So who do you need to take out for coffee?

WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH, ACCESSING WAYS THAT WILL RELIABLY BOOST YOUR MOOD CAN ALTER YOUR PERCEPTION OF HOW HAPPY YOU ARE.

Research has consistently shown that smiling makes us happier, at least in the short term.[7-1] C'mon, who doesn't love Amy Schumer, an epic mountaintop view, giggling to animal videos, or having a laugh with friends during a squat challenge? Fun looks different for everyone. So if you can identify two or three things that reliably put a smile on your face, even when you're having a shitty day, you're more likely to be happy.

It's not rocket science—the more we scan the world for positive outcomes and opportunities, the better we feel.

Our minds are like a spam filter for what's going on around us. This means we need to train our brain to get it right. So, think of the happiest day of your life. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing? What did you eat, smell or see around you? Got it in your head? Perfect. Research shows if we gave you a math test now it's likely you'd outperform your peers.[2-2] Positivity doesn't just make you happier—it actually improves your performance. Sounds like a win-win to us.

SO YOU WANT TO BE HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER? GIVING BACK, BEING KIND OR LENDING A HAND MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Generosity feels good, you guys—damn good. Research shows that we feel better giving money away than we do receiving it.[6-1] This means the choice to be kind, to be of service, to give your time, or to lend a hand makes a difference—for yourself and your community. It doesn't have to be an entire career change or a crazy investment you can't manage. We've learned that as little as two hours a week spent giving back can help boost your happiness levels and life satisfaction.[6-2] Wild right?