6 skills of happiness help teens live a more positive life

Lifestyle Wednesday 21/March/2018 18:42 PM
By: Times News Service
6 skills of happiness help teens live a more positive life

How would you describe happiness? You may have trouble putting it into words, but you know you want it for yourself and your loved ones. One thing that’s harder than describing it for many people is knowing how to achieve it.
Researchers studying social emotional well-being define happiness as a balance: the combination of how frequent and robust your positive emotional experiences are, how gracefully you recover from difficult experiences, and how meaningful and worthwhile you feel your life is overall.
Happiness is associated with several positive health effects, according to the Journal of Happiness Studies, including less insulin resistance, better sleep, higher HDL cholesterol levels and less reactivity to stress. Additionally, teens who identify as happy are more creative, helpful, and sociable.
Research has also shown that happy kids do better in school. Happy learners remember information better and happiness is positively associated with GPA. The research also shows that schools that teach happiness skills outperform schools that don’t, and typically experience dramatic drops in bullying, absenteeism and discipline issues. They also see impressive gains in student engagement, optimism, test scores, and executive functioning skills that are key to future success.

Mindfulness: Being aware of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment, without judging those thoughts or feelings as admirable, shameful or anything in between.

Human connection: Building and sustaining relationships with significant others, friendships and social engagement with peers, which is the most reliable, enduring predictor of happiness in life.

Positive outlook: Harnessing the ability to imagine a fruitful outcome and maintain a readiness to pursue and experience the opportunity in any circumstance.

Purpose: Understanding your ability to make a difference in the world, at work, school or for a team leads to a refined sense of purpose and increases your sense of happiness.

Generosity: Helping and giving to others can increase one’s own happiness. According to a study overseen by Harvard University, people who donated time or money were 42 per cent more likely to be happy when compared to those who didn’t.

Gratitude: The simple act of appreciating and thanking others for the goodness they contribute to your life helps foster happiness.