Here are five things you can do today to get happier. The list comes from best-selling author Dan Buettner. His latest book “Thrive – Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way” offers lessons from the world’s happiest people.
1. Say something nice to your partner or family member — Research shows that when the ratio of unkind to kind remarks exceeds 4:1, relationships begin to erode.
2. Eat a plant-based breakfast — A meaty, saturated fat breakfast will inhibit blood circulation to the brain and muscles, sapping both energy and mental sharpness for hours.
3. Move before noon — Just 20 minutes of physical activity–even a walk!–will boost your well-being for 12 hours. Get your workout in before lunch to reap a full day of happiness benefits.
4. Socialize six hours — It sounds like a lot but results from a Healthways-Gallup survey of more than a million people show that America’s happiest people socialize six hours a day. Eat lunch with a friend, organize a happy hour, host a dinner party, join a club.
5. Get a good night’s sleep —He says iIf you’re sleeping less than six hours, you’re likely to be as much as 30% less happy than those sleeping a full night. 7.5-8.5 hours is optimal for most people. I’ll have more on the findings in this book in the weeks ahead.