THE FIVE HABITS
OF HAPPINESS
“Over the past five years, I’ve researched
happiness in 49 countries,” says Shawn Achor,
author of The Happiness Advantage. “We
found, throughout the world, that there are five
habits that affect success outcomes and health.”
1. The three gratitudes. Every day, make a list of
three new things that you are grateful for.
2. Two-minute journaling. Take two minutes to
write about a positive experience, no matter
how small.
3. Fifteen minutes of fun. Set aside 15 minutes
each day for a fun, mindful activity, such as
taking a walk with a loved one.
4. Make time to meditate. Practice meditation
for two minutes each day. Focus on your
breath. (Don’t worry if your mind wanders!)
5. Reach out. Write a two-minute positive email
praising or thanking someone in your social
circle.
successful in addressing the challenges you face
with your MS and with life in general.”
In fact, practicing positive psychology can lead to
better adherence to treatment programs, which
may lead to better outcomes, says Dr. Barak,
citing a study published in Health Psychology
in 2008, which reported that for 127 people with
MS, positive psychology therapies significantly
improved depression and increased optimism,
promoting increased resilience in managing MS
symptoms. The end result: a greater sense of
emotional and physical well-being.
Dr. Kalb warns, however, that the more serious
problems that can accompany MS, such as major
depression, may require therapy or medication
to control.
“I know positive psychology won’t take the place
of my treatment plan,” says Adams. “But the
things I do mentally to empower myself keep
me active on my program, which helps my
outlook on life and leads to a cascade of other
good things.”
Habits of happiness
Cultivating this positive outlook is easier than you
might think, says Shawn Achor, author of The
Happiness Advantage (2010). “We normally
think, ‘If I felt better, I’d be happier,’ but it turns
out that if you can raise your happiness level first,
you can actually feel better and become more
successful,” he says. “You then want to take better
care of yourself and exercise more.”
Achor, a psychology researcher at Harvard
University, and his team found that people
demonstrated significantly improved levels
of positivity after adopting several “habits” of
happiness (see “The Five Habits of Happiness,”
at left). While some of Lyubomirsky’s strategies
may require overarching lifestyle changes, all of the
habits Achor outlines are easy enough to perform
every day for three weeks—the average time it
takes most people to develop a habit. “We found
that, if done each day for 21 days in a row, these
habits rewire the brain for optimism and create the
capacity for success that can make you healthier
and happier,” says Achor.
The most effective habit, he says, is also the most
selfless: writing a two-minute positive email every
day, praising or thanking someone. “You reach
out to 21 people in your social network, which
also makes them feel better, and then they often
give you more social support in return.” And good
social networks matter: Achor’s team discovered
a strong statistical correlation between feeling
socially connected and happiness.
