Scientifically Happier in 5 Minutes a Day

Jeffrey Lam
Jul 21, 2017 · 5 min read

Your controllable happiness is not a product of your external events, but rather your internal reaction to them. In my last article, I made the argument that science confirms what we have known for decades: Happiness is in your mind.

The above article is theory. Please read it before reading this one! This article will be practical.

There is a lot of crap about how to be happy on the internet. Some of it may work, some of it may not. Here are some of my favorite exercises validated by research. You can even do them in under 5 minutes a day! Big claim, I know.

Source

Exercise #1: Three Good Things

Write down three positive events in your day before you go to bed at night.

It will be easy to think about the highlight of your day. For me, this usually is having an interesting conversation, eating something good, or finishing some kind of task. However, finding the next 1–2 smaller “good things” might be much harder.

  1. Obvious — My coworkers threw me a going-away party complete with cake, fruit, and presents.
  2. Not so obvious —I got to use the exercise equipment in the gym without waiting, allowing me to complete my workout in under an hour.
  3. Had to think pretty hard — My photography skills are getting better, and I’m learning how to adjust the camera settings quicker.

Doing this exercise will train you to see the smaller good things in life.

Tip: Try not to use events that you are generally grateful for (ex. I have good friends, I have a nice house, I am alive). The more specific you are about that particular day, the better.

Thinking positively is a skill that can be developed with practice. After doing this exercise for awhile, you will begin to notice the good things throughout your day, instead of recalling them at the end of each day.

Click for the full research article. The black bars (Three Good Things group) and white bars (control) start at the same level. Immediately after completing the exercises for a week, participants in the Three Good Things group are found to be significantly less depressed than the control participants.

Scientists wanted to see if completing this exercise would boost happiness and reduce negativity. They designed an experiment and had half of the participants write down early memories (placebo) and half of the participants to do the Three Good Things exercise. After a week of doing the exercise, the Three Good Things group became immediately less depressed. This effect lasted 6 months when compared to the control group.

Exercise #2: The Gratitude Letter

Think about someone you appreciate or someone you have never had the chance to appropriately thank. Send a letter, shoot out an email, or personally read a thank you note to this person.

I recently wrote a 10-minute email to my high school statistics teacher that I hadn’t talked to in a few years. I thanked her for 1) being a wonderful human being and mentor, and 2) being a great statistics teacher, which has helped me a ton with this positive psychology research and other college courses. The best part was I could feel her words smiling through the return email, telling me that I made her week, and I reminded her about why she continues to teach well into retirement age.

Tip: Try to integrate this idea into your daily life. I’ve been trying to do this by informally telling others what I appreciate about them and noticing the kindness of others.

Click for full research article. After doing the “Gratitude Visit,” participants were significantly happier post-test, one week after the test, and 3 months after the test.

The research shows that writing a gratitude letter and delivering it can immediately boost happiness and decrease depression. These effects lasted for one month after they had written ONE gratitude letter. Writing a 10-minute gratitude letter and delivering it to your recipient can make you happier for up to a month.

Exercise #3: Mindful Savoring

Once a day, take 2–3 minutes to slow down and actually enjoy an activity that you typically autopilot through.

I have recently been trying to savor music more. I usually use music to block myself out from the world, but I have been trying to take a few moments out of my week to actually listen to music. Now, I realize why people like music so much. I focused and beat of the percussion on a song I had listened to a thousand times before and felt like I was listening to something brand new.

Tip: Use your sensory feelings. For example, savor your morning shower and feel the drops hitting your skin. Smell and taste your morning coffee. Watch the sunset. Hear nature. Feel yourself laughing.

Again, research shows that this exercise can boost your moods. This study found savoring the moment for 2 weeks resulted in participants significantly reducing negativity.

Click for the full research article.

All three exercises take less than 5 minutes a day and can improve your moods immediately.

  1. Add a “Three Good Things Section” to your daily journal. If you don’t have a journal, start one.
  2. Take out your calendar and schedule in weekly/monthly gratitude letters.
  3. Take a moment and savor an experience today. Start right now. Turn on some music and enjoy.

Scientific Disclosure: The research is more complicated than this article has time to present. Each study has its own limitations, but if you integrate all the research, there is sizable evidence for the efficacy of these simple exercises. If you want more information, here is a good place to start.


If you liked this post, feel free to follow me on Medium or sign up below!

)

Thanks to Dang-Nam Vu, Paul S Markle, and Ifeanyi Omoike

Jeffrey Lam

Written by

Chronic Thinker, Science-Lover, Med Student. Writing to ponder big questions and reflect on life. New thoughts each weekend

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade