20 Ways to Be Happy

via sharecare.com

1. The B vitamin folate, is essential to producing the mood-stabilizer serotonin. Protein-filled foods like beans, fish and meat contain amino acids also found in the pleasure-inducing brain chemical dopamine. And complex carbohydrates like legumes and whole-grain breads keep energy high by slowly releasing glucose.
2. Go ahead, channel your inner Adele: singing releases those feel-good endorphins. Because the deep breathing needed to sing draws more oxygen into the blood and causes better circulation, it's also an aerobic activity and a natural stress-reducer.
3. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have a compelling impact on your health, says Sharecare expert Alice Domar, PhD. When you start noting what you’re grateful for—not only the big things, but the small, everyday blessings as well—you’re likely to feel happier, less depressed and less anxious.
4. Mom's mac 'n' cheese makes us feel good, the theory goes, because when we eat it (or other comfort foods), we tap into good memories associated with those dishes.
5. According to Dr. Oz, drinking two cups a day of Ashwagandha tea can help boost your happiness by lowering your level of stress hormones.
6. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found the happiest people are those who spend the most time with friends and family. That said, listening to your favorite music, prayer, helping others, taking a bath, exercising and having sex can make people happy as well.
7. Something as simple as taking a warm shower or going for a walk for a few minutes increases the production of serotonin in the body, which makes you feel happier.
8. One 20-year study says a person's good mood positively affects those around her. If you're surrounded by cheery people, the study says, you have a 25 percent chance of feeling that way too.
9. Scientists have found that the simple act of smiling causes physiologic changes to the brain that help us to feel happier
10. Bananas, spinach and turkey all increase your brain's production of serotonin. But they're not the only mood-lifting foods: beef, pork and sunflower and sesame seeds contain high concentrations of glutamine, which is the building block of gamma aminobutyric acid, another brain chemical that helps stabilize mood.
11. Studies of fraternal and identical twins indicate that our ability to be happy is determined up to 50 percent by genetic traits. The other half is determined by our careers, lifestyles and other external matters.
12. Research from the American Heart Association has found that walking as little as 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week can raise your spirits. This is because exercise causes the brain to release endorphins, which are natural mood elevators.
13. Chocolate lovers, you're not just imagining it: chocolate releases serotonin and dopamine, another feel-good hormone. Go ahead, have a nibble...
14. Couscous is full of selenium, which can help prevent anxiety. Salmon is packed with omega-3s, which have been shown to help prevent depression, aggression and hostility, and to improve mood. Dried cherries boost melatonin, which helps you sleep soundly, leaving your more likely to wake up in a good mood.
15. Sex can make you happy. Sex releases endorphins into the bloodstream, producing a sense of euphoria that can reduce depression and make you feel good.
16. While any kind of physical exercise releases endorphins, yoga is specifically associated with decreased depressive symptoms and increased mood. That's partly thanks to all the deep breathing done during yoga practice.
17. Studies have found that merely exhibiting positive emotions—smiling, for example—can put you in a good mood. So if the muscles that control frowning are frozen by Botox, a person will smile more, thus triggering happy feelings. One 2009 survey of 25 cosmetic surgery patients found that about half the group experienced fewer feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability after injections of Botox or a similar neurotoxin.
18. When sunlight hits your optic nerve, the brain lowers the release of melatonin, a hormone that controls sleep, and increases production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter tied to wakefulness and feeling happy. To get your fix, just spend 15 minutes in the sun a few times a week.
19. Vitamin D increases the level of serotonin in the brain. While it's found in milk and egg yolks, one of the best ways to get it to be exposed to sunlight: this triggers the natural production of vitamin D in your body.
20. Caffeine can hike anxiety, especially if you're getting more than 300 mgs a day. Cut down on your caffeine intake, and you may feel less anxious and irritable — hence, more happy.