Boosting & Maintaining Genuine Happiness

We can try to make the most of life; to be as happy as possible in spite of the rainy spells that can come our way. Still sometimes, we can be stumped. During these difficult times, we can stop looking forward to life, our sleep is strained, our work efficiency suffers and our creativity goes down.

What does it really mean to be happy? How can we make joy last? And how do "they" do it? You know, those people who seem to be able to laugh and play and remain effusive and creative in the most stressful of times.

Is there a method to their merriment?

Well, yes. Mysterious and sometimes elusive as it may seem, genuine lasting happiness can be developed.

Accepting and embracing yourself, as usual, is your top strategy. Without the Self, there is nothing. So get over it, if you haven't already. This is the only body and mind you are ever going to get, so you might as well make the most of them. Also, you're not perfect, but you can continually improve yourself. So keep learning, keep absorbing information, and you will feel increasingly in control and empowered.

Practice contentment and you will discover the key to lasting happiness and peace of mind. This doesn't mean that you should accept what's not working in your life, but rather this kind of contentment relates to appreciating what you already have, and not yearning for what you don't. Remember, not wanting it is as good as possessing it.

If the consistently-happy people you know are also sociable and extroverted, it's no coincidence. A recent study found that extroverts have more of the so-called "happiness chemical" dopamine. This chemical also consequently makes these people more creative thinkers. Dopamine occurs naturally in the brain and affects a range of behaviour including mood, sleep, reward, learning and movement.

Researchers also found that "extroverts are likely to be more successful because of higher than average level of the chemical floods the brain at even higher does when a person is in a good mood. The more outgoing a person is, the more active their dopamine system is and a positive mood increases dopamine activity even further in may parts of the brain."

Also, if you closely observe genuinely happy people, they're able to not only laugh at what life throws at them, they're also good at laughing at themselves. They don't take themselves too seriously. They're not over-sensitive about how people see them or how others talk about them. They're too busy having fun!

So practice these keys to true joy - love yourself, practice contentment, get out more, and learn to take life and yourself more lightly.

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Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd