What happiness strategies can improve my mood?

A few surprisingly easy changes in your habits can have a big effect on your mood and level of contentment. Sociologist and happiness expert Christine Carter, PhD, discusses easy steps toward happiness.

Transcript

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Can you make your bed? Can you pay all those bills on your desk? Can you clear your kitchen sink of dishes? Those things seem really small.

00:06

But those small behaviors can lead to a cascade of other changes in our lives, bigger improvements.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:20

My favorite happiness strategy is actually the conscious practice of gratitude. So a simple expression of gratitude or simply counting

00:30

our blessings research shows will really lastingly improve our health and life satisfaction.

00:38

So just simply looking around and expressing gratitude to somebody can really boost your happiness.

00:46

Another great happiness booster is to think about ways that you can declutter your environment. So I really think that there's a ton of truth to the old adage

00:56

that the state of your bed is the state of your head. And so to just think about really small things like that-- can you make your bed?

01:03

Can you pay all those bills on your desk? Can you clear your kitchen sink of dishes? Those things seem really small.

01:09

But those small behaviors can lead to a cascade of other changes in our lives, bigger improvements

01:16

that amount to small wins in the willpower department. Those small wins give us more strength

01:22

to be more productive to have more ease in our life. And a lot of times ease equals happiness.