Training the happiness muscles

Positive psychologist Miriam Akhtar says that around 40% of our happiness can be controlled by ourselves. The most important thing she has learnt during the years, is that happiness is like a muscle we can train. People who want to be happy have to focus on what they want (instead of what they don't want). Just like successful athletes: they focus on winning (instead of losing). When we focus on what we want, there is space to think about ways to reach those goals.

Miriams research has led to 12 practical steps to be more happy. Read more about this here

A funny and at the same time informative read...

The 'Hector-novels' of French psychiatrist Francois Lelord are so entertaining and informative! These books are about the character Hector, a young psychiatrist, who travels the world to search for answers on the question: what makes people happy? They are written in such an easy, funny way that it's hard to stop reading!

Positive Psychology

Martin Seligman, founder of the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, found that the following circumstances attribute to happiness:

1. to live in a prosperous, democratic country
2. to have an extensive social network
3. to be married
4. to be religious
5. to avoid negative emotions

However, the circumstances of earning more money, living in a sunny country, staying healthy and following the best possible education, proved not to have any effect on our level of happiness on the long term, even though most of us believe so...