The old Russian was wrong. Leo Tolstoy’s insight from “Anna Karenina” that all happy families are alike while each unhappy one is unhappy in its own way sounds good, but it’s probably not true. Counter-research in lifestyle magazines and guides show that there are dozens of strategies to be happy. But be careful, not all recommendations are helpful or scientifically sound; psychologists warn that many pieces of advice are simply lacking in evidence.
It’s no wonder that in the land of mussels and dumplings, Lucky Strategies don’t always work. Dunigan Folk and University of Vancouver’s Elizabeth Dunn scoured the literature for popular promises of happiness. After all, the Google search “How to be happy” returns more hits than those for “How to get rich” – so there is a need. The five most common pieces of advice for healthy happiness seekers found in popular publications are: showing gratitude, connecting with family and friends and reaching out to strangers, practicing mindfulness, and meditationsport and other forms of exercise, and nature experiences, be it in the form of potted plants.
While making lists of things to be thankful for or how great one’s group of friends is hasn’t proven to be an enormous boost to good Luck, “at least in the short term,” such “gratitude practices” can lift one’s spirits, the psychologists say. Spending more time with friends or family yielded mixed results – probably depends on friends and family. One study did show that commuters in London were more positive when they spoke to strangers on the train – which may be due to the original users of British railways. Meditation and more mindfulness in everyday life, on the other hand, have shown little benefit in studies, although there is anecdotal evidence of increased well-being after such exercises.
The evidence for sport as a good luck charm was also thin, which is not surprising given so many pinched runners. However, studies that were able to identify a boost in mood had an unfair structure: “It was only in comparison with boring activities, such as sitting in silence or watching a documentary about bookbinding, that the participants felt happier after exercise,” according to the authors. And the Nature? Here, too, there were at best faint indications, for example that the residents of Helsinki felt better in the forest than in the city center – and the Barcelonans felt better on the beach than in the center. However, when comparing whether people were happier when they thought about the houses or the nature around them, the decision fell in favor of the buildings.
For the Luck everyone can choose the lucky strategy that suits them. The Canadian psychologists do not want to discourage anyone from exercising, socializing or caring for their cacti. However, they point out that mindfulness exercises and meditation can consume a lot of time and energy, and the benefit is questionable. If, despite the effort, the hoped-for boost of happiness does not occur, people become – exactly: unhappy.
