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How to Be Happy
Article

How to Be Happy

Tara Parker-Pope
The New York Times, 2017
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Do you want to feel happier but don’t know where to start? The good news is that you can begin small. Editor and author Tara Parker-Pope offers simple suggestions backed by science. Many of her tips are quick to do, and quite a few cost nothing. She offers activities for working with negative thoughts and for improving your sense of well-being at home and at work. As a bonus, many of them will make other people happy, too. getAbstract recommends this article to anyone who would like to be more joyful.

Summary

Scientists have spent extensive time studying what makes people happy. They have identified concrete steps you can take to encourage happiness in your life:

  • “Mind” – Acknowledge and work with negative thoughts. Try Socratic questioning. Make a note of what the thought is, and ask yourself: Is there any proof?  Have you come to it through facts or emotions? How might you view the situation if it was happening to someone else? How might others view it? Alternatively, write a short statement about the issue, and then rewrite it as an objective outsider or the way you would talk to a friend...

About the Author

Tara Parker-Pope is the founding editor of Well. She is the author of For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage.

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