"What is happiness?" is a question whose answer depends on the subject being asked. Freud, for example, believed that this state of mind is "the result of satisfying accumulated needs that have reached a high level of tension," while, much earlier, Aristotle considered that it was entirely possible to achieve it by combining the external goods of the body and of the soul.
For Cliff Arnall, a psychologist attached to Cardiff University, happiness can be summarized in a formula that takes into account temperatures, socialization, contact with nature and holidays, among other things. And although Arnall is not entirely wrong, science has gone further and he has shown that emotions have their origin in stimuli that cause chemical reactions in our brain and, therefore, can be managed despite external conditions.
Without falling into toxic positivity, which does a disservice to our mental health, there are certain habits and daily actions that we can carry out to secrete the hormones that make us feel happy - serotonin, endorphin, dopamine and oxytocin -, or to, at the same time, least, calm the destructive thoughts that appear in our mind. Here are 5 of them.
1. Name emotions
A study published by the National Library of Medicine shows that labeling feelings slows down the activity of the amygdala, the area of ??the brain that activates when we get emotional. For this reason, psychologists recommend writing or talking about what happens to us. Furthermore, this habit can help us distance ourselves from some problems, look at them in perspective and manage them better.
Journaling, which has become a trend, is a technique for recording thoughts, experiences, reflections and habits in a notebook, agenda or computer.
An example: after the death of her daughter, the writer Isabel Allende wrote Paula (1994), and in a subsequent interview, she stated that working on that publication helped her deal with grief and saved her life. Which shows that naming our emotions and writing down what happens to us on paper has positive effects on the mind.
2. Socialize
Humans are social animals by nature. We cannot evolve correctly without a social environment that supports us. That is why dedicating a few hours a day, or even minutes, to socializing is one of the keys to going to sleep happier. And there are two theories that prove it.
A recent investigation published by Harvard analyzed in detail the lives of more than 700 young people - with different socio-affective contexts - from 1938 to the present and concluded that the common denominator among those individuals who were classified as happy was the quality of their relationships. Experts detected that people who are closer to their friends and family live longer, achieve their life goals to a greater extent, and are physically healthier.
On the other hand, sociologist Mark S. Granovetter developed a theory in the 1970s in which he maintained that weak ties stimulate our brain, making us more creative and more adaptable to change. That is why, for example, having a small conversation with the doorman of our building or with the cashier at the supermarket we go to every week can bring us happiness and well-being.
3. Do physical exercise
Sport has always been associated with a better quality of life. And the Latin quote mens sana in corpore sana has already been corroborated by science today. A study by Oxford and Yale universities published in The Lancet shows that exercising provides more happiness than wealth.
Long-distance sports, such as running, swimming or rowing, are the ones that produce the most endorphins. This hormone is responsible for relieving the sensation of pain and canceling out negative emotions.
Researchers analyzed the effects of sport on 1.2 million people in the US between 2011 and 2015 and concluded that those who exercised had 43.2% fewer days of poor mental health in the past month than those who exercised people who did not exercise. And the results were even better for those who did it in a group. However, they detected that excessive sports could be counterproductive for mental health: those who practiced more sports than recommended felt as unhappy as those who did not do any type of physical activity.
4. Hug
Physical contact reduces the secretion of cortisol in our brain and this allows oxytocin and serotonin to be released. An article published in the journal PLOS ONE reveals that receiving or giving a hug is associated with attenuating the negative mood that appears when we experience a personal conflict.
Furthermore, the professor of neuroscience and behavior at Liverpool John Moores University, Susannah Walker, explains in her theory that as babies we are predisposed to hug to guarantee our survival. Which, as adults, conditions us to associate this manifestation of affection with a feeling of protection that leads us to reduce stress and, in this way, be much happier.
5. Talk to yourself positively
In the same way that relationships with others are essential to developing a happy life, the bond with oneself is also fundamental. Frequently, and even more so when we find ourselves in situations in which we do not meet our own expectations, we send ourselves negative messages: "I am a disaster", "I am very clumsy" or "I always make mistakes", among others.
How we treat ourselves directly influences the narrative we create about ourselves and conditions our future behavior. This is demonstrated by a study from the University of Michigan, led by Ethan Kross, which states that when our internal dialogue is established in the first person, we tend to pronounce negative phrases like the previous ones. However, when we address ourselves in the second person ("this mistake does not represent you", "you can overcome this" or "you are doing great") we take greater distance from emotions and are more rational, and even more optimistic. (National Geographic) (Photo: Internet)
