Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College notes that we’re never satisfied.Money certainly matters – but it does not increase happiness after a certain point. Life Rule #7: Forget About The Money (Well, Sort of ) Call your parents – research shows happiness for both children and parents is strongly linked to this relationship.Friendship has a much bigger effect on average on happiness than income itself.Our brains control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible for disease.Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship and happiness can have a protective effect. Well, for starters you’ll (hopefully) enjoy their company. Life Rule #6: Spend Time With Your Friends and Family Singing with a group is even more beneficial due to the social interaction it provides – and truth be told, some of my happiest memories are the days I spent playing music with the bands I was in. That’s not the only benefit though, you may also experience: If you’re like me, you enjoy singing just for the sake of singing. Is linked to healthy function of blood vessels.It may reduce food cravings (who hasn’t eaten just because they’re bored?).Not only is it enjoyable and a way to socially bond (which has its own benefits), research shows laughter has a number of direct health benefits: Need a reminder? Check out this start page: Be Grateful Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress.According to Robert Emmons, Ph.D., psychology professor and researcher, University of California, Davis “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations.”.You could pay coaches hundreds of dollars for the same lessons. Not sure of your purpose? Searching for meaning? You should pick up a copy, free, of personal development 101 – it’s the first thing you’ll learn. And while we’re on the subject, write down your goals.

When pursuing self-concordant goals our sense of satisfaction (happiness) increases.

Live working towards goals that are aligned with our needs, values and identity (self-concordant goals).

People are happier with they have meaning in their life: a belief in something bigger than themselves – from religion, spirituality or a philosophy of life.

Why not? In addition to the good experiences (as well as the ups and downs!) that come with love, research shows that individuals involved in loving relationships have additional benefits such as:ĭon’t just exist – really live your life with purpose because research shows:

Without further delay, here they are 7 Life Rules for Living Your Best Life So, these aren’t just my rules – these are rules that research also shows can improve your life.Īnd, perhaps unsurprisingly, it starts with love. I then wondered – were there any studies on the subject? I was happy to find that there was. I thought a lot about my own life and wrote down the principles I use to guide everything I do. What really matters in life? What really makes you happy? I’ve been getting a lot of emails on the subject lately, and I’ve struggled to answer the question myself. If I asked you to tell me what you’ve learned so far to have the best, happiest, most successful life, what advice would you give me? What are the rules (or rules of thumb) you’ve learned in your 20,30,50, 80 years of life? “Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules.”

Rules for the game of life