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THIRD
METRIC
ing, invigorating and meaningful,
you experience a joyful state called
“flow.” Happy people seek this sensation of getting “caught up” or
“carried away,” which diminishes
self-consciousness and promotes
the feelings associated with success. As explained by Pursuit-ofhappiness.org, “In order for a Flow
state to occur, you must see the
activity as voluntary, enjoyable (intrinsically motivating), and it must
require skill and be challenging
(but not too challenging) with clear
goals towards success.”
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They Devote Some of
Their Time to Giving.
Even though there are only 24 hours
in a day, positive people fill some
of that time doing good for others,
which in return, does some good
for the do-gooders themselves. A
long-term research project called
“Americans Changing Lives” found
a bevy of benefits associated with
altruism: “Volunteer work was good
for both mental and physical health.
People of all ages who volunteered
were happier and experienced better physical health and less depression,” reported Peggy Thoits, the
leader of one of the studies.
Givers also experience what researchers call “the helper’s high,”
a euphoric state experienced by
those engaged in charitable acts.
“This is probably a literal “high,”
similar to a drug-induced high,”
writes Christine L. Carter, Ph.D.
“The act of making a financial donation triggers the reward center
in our brains that is responsible for
dopamine-mediated euphoria.”
They Nix the Small Talk
for Deeper Conversation.
Nothing wrong with shootin’ the
you-know-what every now and then,
but sitting down to talk about what
makes you tick is a prime practice
for feeling good about life. A study
published in Psychological Science
found that those who take part in
more substantive conversation and
less trivial chit chat experienced
more feelings of satisfaction.
HUFFINGTON
11.10.13