Simply Hack for Instant Happiness

A Simple Hack for Instant Happiness

Happiness in todays world can be challenging and yet, happiness is so important to our health and longevity. In order to experience more happiness, we need to be intentional. Here´s is a simple hack that you can do that will increase your happiness over time.

This hack is given to students taking the Science of Happiness course at UC Berkley. They call it, “Three Good Things.”

The benefits of this practice help´s an individual to become aware of all the good that is present in their life and makes it possible for them to create an expectation of good things in their future. Because you´re taking the time to become aware of the goodness that is present, you then start to look for goodness in every day.

You start shifting away from focusing on the negative and become more sensitive to the positive, leading to more increased levels of happiness.

You will need a journal or note book and something to write with. Committing it to paper is important. Something magical happens when we write. Things that are ethereal in our minds become real on the paper and we often gain more clarity.

The following steps are taken from an article by Greater Good In Action (Three Good Things | Practice | Greater Good in Action (berkeley.edu)

1. Give the event a title (e.g., “co-worker complimented my work on a project”)

2. Write down exactly what happened in as much detail as possible, including what you did or said and, if others were involved, what they did or said.

3. Include how this event made you feel at the time and how this event made you feel later (including now, as you remember it).

4. Explain what you think caused this event—why it came to pass.

5. Use whatever writing style you please, and do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling. Use as much detail as you'd like.

6. If you find yourself focusing on negative feelings, refocus your mind on the good event and the positive feelings that came with it. This can take effort but gets easier with practice and can make a real difference in how you feel.

By remembering to write down three good things that happened in your day and identifying the things that caused them, it´s possible to experience an immediate sense of happiness.

Try it for 10-days and discover a happier and healthier you!