What makes residents of a City Happy? NEW BRITISH NEWS!

The British have been in the news lately. This does not particulary interest me ( sorry) however, this study from a team of British specialists who span a variety of disciplines from psychology, psychotherapy to economics who took on  an unusual social experiment does.


What makes residents of a city happy?

During the British experiment in Slough, which is a commuter belt town, 22 miles from the center of London, they discovered  what they called the 10 “seeds of happiness”. 

Ten things which when you do them all regularly will not only improve your life in your community but will make you happy and content .

What are they you ask?


•    Plant something outside and nurture it.  When you water and fertilize plants they grow. When you water and feed the seeds of your interest- they grow. 

•    At the end of each day stop and think how fortunate you are. Think of five things in your life that you are grateful for.

•    Take the time to talk to your partner. Every week sit down for at least an hour and talk with your partner or someone you love. That’s one hour without answering the ‘phone or watching TV or listening to music. One undisrupted hour with your loved one. Break it up to 10 minutes a day if time is short.

                                   

•    Make the phone call that you keep promising yourself you will make. Contact the friend with whom you haven’t spoken for a while. In other words NO REGRETS.
      


•    Treat yourself. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it. Be good to yourself. This could be just the gift of time. This simple act breeds; self confidence and positivity and happiness.  

•    Laugh at least once a day. Laughter helps to stimulate your immune system. 

•    Exercise. Make the effort to walk, run, yoga class, lift weights, DANCE, for half an hour three times a week. Guaranteed to reduce stress and make you feel good.

•    Every day smile at and say hello to a stranger. Smiling is good for both of you! It is Contagious!

•   Turn off the TV!  Research show that too much TV actually causes unhappiness. So make an effort to cut your viewing time by half. Especially now the weather is better.

•    Every Day do something for someone! Doing for others makes you feel good!

THINK ON THIS!