6 simple things that will make you happier

Have you ever thought about what makes us happy? More precisely, that our brains need to feel as comfortable as possible. The answer to this question have neurologists. It turns out that it is so simple and clear things that can be compared with a gain in the instant lottery.

Alex Korb (Alex Korb)

Doctor of Psychological Science, a neuroscientist, is engaged in research in the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). It identified six simple things that will help us feel a little happier every day.

1. Listen to the music, which is associated with happy moments of your life

Music It has an interesting effect on the brain: it can remind us of the circumstances in which we have heard it before. Do you have fond memories associated with a particular event or time? Listen to music that you like then. This will help to awaken emotions of the time, and you briefly transported back to the happy past.

One of the most powerful effects of music is considered to be the ability to remind us about the situation in which we once heard her for the first time. It is responsible for this small area of ​​the brain called the hippocampus. It was he involved in the mechanisms of formation of context-dependent memory. Suppose that the university time to remember you as the best years of your life. If you start to listen to music that you like then it will help you to feel connected with the wonderful time.

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Alex Korb

2. Smile and wearing sunglasses

Central nervous system - a system with feedback. Biofeedback is responsible for the supply of signals to our brain about how we feel, based on what happens with our body. For example, if you happy, you are smiling. But there is an inverse relationship: if you smile, you are happy. You feel that the mood brings you? Smile! Pretend, until it becomes true. In fact, a smile gives the brain as much fun as 2000 bars of chocolate or 25 000 dollars.

The strategy of "pretend, until it becomes the truth" really works. When you frown, your brain perceives it like this: "I frown, and therefore I should not experience positive emotions." Conversely, when you start to smile, the brain perceives it like this: "Oh, I'm smiling. So, I'm happy. " It is therefore very important to be able to generate positive emotions to achieve a beneficial effect and well-being.

Alex Korb

By the way, where do the same here sunglasses? Everyone knows that the bright sunlight we start to squint. When we schurimsya, our brain perceives it as a sign of anxiety or frustration. Once we put on sunglasses, relax the muscles around the eyes, the eyes widely disclosed. And this is a sign of good health. That is how to practice and works biofeedback (biofeedback).

When you look at a bright light, narrowed eyes - it is a natural reaction to the body. For it meets a special facial muscles, called corrugator supercilii (corrugator supercilii muscle). Once you put on sunglasses, this muscle ceases to contract, which means that the brain has nothing to worry about. Here's a simple explanation for the feedback.

Alex Korb

So you already listen to music, smiling at you - incredibly cool sunglasses, but some things you still worried. How can finally get rid of them and become truly happy?

3. Think about the goals and not the means of achieving them

Scientists conducted an interesting experiment, the essence of which was as follows: on the test screen showing a few laps. Half of the focus group was given a special assignment: "Find the biggest of all circles," or "Find the brightest among the rest of the circle." The second half simply offered to find a circle that would be something different from all others. What specifically - are not specified. It was noted in the course of the experiment the following: if people say that circles are different in size or color, then it was much easier to identify the correct one. The presence of a specific purpose is significantly simplifies the search process.

So it is with long-term goals. Thinking about what a long way to go in order to finally get closer to a global goal, we inevitably begin to talk about the challenges that are sure to meet in our way. When we focus on small routine tasks, or short-term plans to achieve them, you always feel the stress and discomfort.

Therefore, if you feel confusion or uncertainty in their own abilities, think about the long-term goals. This will give your brain a sense of control and help to release dopamine. He will give you the opportunity to feel better and add motivation.

4. Get enough sleep

Bad sleep and depression are interrelated. Depression affects the way people sleep. But it is worth remembering that this is a two way street: poor sleep also causes depression.

The researchers for several years have seen a group of people suffering from insomnia. It turned out that those who suffer from it chronically, the most heavily exposed to various kinds of psychological disorders.

Alex Korb

So how do you improve your sleep? Alex advises the following:

1. In the middle of the day are necessary in bright sunlight, but closer to the night, try to stay indoors slaboosveschonnom.
2. Create yourself a comfortable and cozy place to sleep.
3. Get in the habit to perform special rituals before going to sleep: read a book or listen to relaxing music.
4. Follow Mode: go to bed at the same time each day.

These basic rules will certainly help to cope with insomnia.

5. Deal with procrastination by performing small tasks

All of us to some degree subject to procrastination. Someone is more, and someone less. If this condition overtakes us, then force yourself to do something impossible. When it comes to choosing to do something or not, you should keep in mind what are the three areas of the brain involved in decision-making:

1. prefrontal cortex (Prefrontal cortex) allows us to very clearly understand their long-term goals. "I have to prepare this report exactly three months!"
2. Striatum, the striatum (Corpus striatum) - this part of the brain responsible for some behavioral responses and reflexes. It is because of it we are doing some repetitive actions that develop into habits. "It is necessary to plan the day so the morning to check the mail, then have breakfast and do some work, and then - go for a walk."
3. the nucleus accumbens (Nucleus accumbens) - area of ​​the brain responsible for positive emotions. "Correspondence, Facebook and serials. Job? What job?"

When you make an effort to achieve the desired goal, the prefrontal cortex begins to dominate over the other two areas of the brain. Repeat several times the action that would like to turn into a habit, and thus you prostimuliruete striatum. Often, however, the acquisition of habits accompanied by stress.

Stress weakens the prefrontal cortex. We can not be eternally vigilant and therefore many signals, served us our brains simply do not pay attention. That is why the striatum tells us, "darling, let's eat cookies. And maybe, come and drink beer? "So he was trying to send us a signal that it is time to reduce stress.

Alex Korb

Thus, if you want to learn good habits and stop postponing everything until later, the first thing you need to do - is to reduce stress. Procrastination - it is a vicious circle, because you kept putting it off forever and this you have less time to implement the plans. Because of this stress accumulates, you prokrastiniruete even more, and here you already in half the time and twice the stress... It's like a snowball.

When the prefrontal cortex is practically put out of operation voltage, we switch to the things that usually bring us joy. Rather than delay the execution of tasks and feel overwhelmed, try to ask yourself the following question: "Is there some kind of small, it is easy, but a very useful task that would help me get closer to what I'm trying to accomplish? "One small step towards the larger goal will help you feel confident.

Alex Korb

Once you have a little bit to reduce stress, try to find some little thing that will help activate the prefrontal cortex.

6. walk every day

You may ask how such an elementary thing as walkCan help to become happier? Nevertheless, there is nothing easier to achieve happiness, than to go for a walk every morning. Under the influence of sunlight the body produces a hormone, serotonin. But its second name is known, the hormone of happiness. In addition, if you are walking on a daily basis, you begins to produce useful habit.

To summarize all that told us Alex Korb:

1. Listen to the music, which is associated with happy moments of your life. We hope that in the days when you were happy, you had a good taste in music.
2. Smile and wearing sunglasses. Just do not put them in a room: it is at least strange.
3. Think about the long-term objectives rather than the means of achieving them. And you will see how the world changes around you.
4. Get enough sleep. Poor sleep and depression interrelated.
5. Stop prokrastinirovat: Start with simple tasks that will help you get closer to the goal.
6. Walk every day. It would be nice and friends to take with you.

Here they are - those six incredibly simple things that make you feel happier. Try to turn them into habits.