Is happiness something to work hard towards and accumulate over time or is it something transient and fleeting that should be savored in the moment? Past research has examined who, when and why some people favor feeling happy now versus later, but those studies don’t address how this preference for immediate versus delayed happiness relates to behavior and well-being.

A large study in South Korea exploring the relationship between age and well-being revealed that whether well-being improves in advanced age or not depends on the personality traits of agreeableness and neuroticism. Notably, well-being did not increase in advanced age in people with low agreeableness and high neuroticism. The study was published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being.

What do people who want to be millionaires and people who want to be just a little bit happier have in common? They can both call a friend. A new study published in Communication Research sought to find out what types of conversations people need to have, and how often they should have them, in order to improve their well-being. The researchers found that having at least one conversation with a friend can increase happiness and lower stress levels by the end of each day.

People who have participated in intermittent fasting in the past might be at heightened risk of binge eating, according to new research published in the journal Appetite. Binge eating disorder is a serious condition that can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, is a popular diet trend that may offer health benefits such as weight loss and improved blood sugar control.

For many people life is rough and presents itself with a plethora everyday challenges. For some, many of those challenges could be overcome just with a little bit of extra money. It could help you fix the broken down car, it could let you quit that job you hate, or maybe make you afford that one gift your child so deeply wished for.

Many of us spend our lives chasing "happiness," a state of contentment that is more difficult for some to achieve than others. Research published in Psychological Science suggests that one reason happiness can seem so elusive is that our current feelings can interfere with memories of our past well-being.

Nostalgia, or the good feeling one gets when thinking about the past, may not be getting the respect it deserves. A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology concludes that the more nostalgic one is, the more authentic one feels, which has positive consequences for psychological well-being. The research team found correlational and experimental support for their hypothesis. Moreover, the effect was cross-cultural; subjects from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom were included in the study.

It won’t bring sunshine to the darkest days, but those in need of a little cheer may want to extend the corners of their lips towards their ears and lift their cheeks towards their eyes – using only their facial muscles, mind. After decades of argument and counter-argument, psychologists have apparently agreed that arranging one’s features into the shape of a smile helps brighten the mood. In other words, if you want to feel a little happier, try looking a little happier first.

If you’re looking for morning routine ideas, you’ve come to the right place! There are 62 examples in this post for you to put into your morning routines. Find ideas to help you become more productive, happier, more spiritual or to add a little intellectual curiosity into your mornings. All the best morning routine ideas in one big list!

The year 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report! The report measures happiness on three main factors—life evaluations, positive emotions, and negative emotions.Let’s checkout the top 10 happiest nations in the world in 2022.

A massive new study of soldiers underlines why focusing on your happiness is so valuable.

The secret to happiness may lie in doing things to make other people happy, rather than ourselves, according to a series of five studies published in the Journal of Positive Psychology. The findings suggest that doing things for others enhances well-being by fulfilling a psychological need for connection with others — even if that person is a stranger.

From your mood to your stress level, if you've noticed that curling up with a book makes everything seem, well, better, you're not alone. The idea that books can improve a person's emotional well-being goes all the way back to the Ancient Greeks. In fact, a library in Thebes reportedly bore the inscription ‘healing place for the soul'" above its entrance.

Born into slavery, then crippled by his master and exiled by the Emperor Domitian, Epictetus (c.60-135 CE) has become arguably the central figure in today’s global revival of Stoicism. A straight-talking advocate of the idea philosophy should help people flourish even in hard times, Epictetus has much to offer as we wrestle with pandemic lockdowns and uncertainty. Here are four tips from perhaps the most stoic of the Stoics:

More than ever, workers want to work fewer hours, saying they can be just as effective in less time – and happier, too. They may be on to something.

An alternative moral outlook to utilitarianism, would be a better starting point during the pandemic. One that doesn’t lead us to treating others as means towards a greater good, argues Amna Whiston.

Everyone from Silicon Valley billionaires to self-help enthusiasts is repurposing Stoicism for our modern age, with results that are good, bad, and highly indifferent.

You don’t need to be an angel of altruism to get into volunteer work. It’s totally fine if you’re helping others in part for selfish reasons – you’re still doing some good. And a major reason to help others – as selfish as it may seem – is that doing so is proven to make you happier. When we do good for others, it does us good right back, basically.

Is it possible to learn to be happier? Well, it seems it is. At least according to a scientific study coordinated by the University of Trento and carried out in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome that has been recently published in Frontiers in Psychology. In this study, researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of an integrated mental training program in which the participants on the one hand practiced meditation exercises and, on the other, explored topics related to philosophy, psychology and neuroscience in depth.

The idea that materialistic values can obstruct our path to happiness dates back hundreds of years. The Buddha encouraged a balance between asceticism and pleasure; early Christian monasticism preached spiritual transformation through simple living; philosopher Lao Tzu warned that if you chase after money, “your heart will never unclench.”