The One, Simple Key to Lasting Happiness

Source: Image by Nick Youngson, CC3.0, Picpedia

Did you know that happiness skills can be taught? According to research by psychologist Sonia Lyubomirsky in her book The How of Happiness, while about 60% of happiness is a product of genetics or environment, about 40% of happiness is under our personal control.

Are Happiness Courses Effective?

In a previous post, I gave examples of happiness techniques taught in college-level positive psychology classes. Happiness exercises that are frequently taught include “three good things,” the inner smile, meditation techniques, physical exercise, and many more. Each of these techniques has solid peer-reviewed research backing up its effectiveness.

Not surprisingly, the courses are so popular that they are often oversubscribed. Who wouldn’t want to get college credit for learning how to be happier? But how effective are the courses in the long run? Does the happiness boost last over time?

Researchers from the University of Bristol in the U.K. explored this question in a first-of-its-kind study. In previous studies by others, 85% of students polled in 27 courses reported positive psychological benefits from learning happiness skills: increased well-being, reduced anxiety, and decreased loneliness, for example. (The seven specific happiness skills taught in that class are listed in this article.)

However, Bristol researchers took a closer look at 228 students in their "Science of Happiness" course, interviewing them after they completed the course and then one or two years later. Upon completing the course, students reported higher mental health and happiness levels, corroborating what other researchers had learned.

However, in the follow-up surveys, about half of the group had lost the benefits they had originally achieved. Yet 51% (115 students) did manage to sustain their sense of well-being. What was the difference between the two groups?

Who Succeeds?

The answer is (drumbeat, please) that the students who had continued to practice the happiness exercises regularly sustained their elevated well-being.

While this conclusion might not be a shock, it is satisfying. It reminds me of the old joke about the tourist in New York who asks a passerby how he can get to Carnegie Hall. The answer comes back: “Practice, practice, practice.”

In a summary of the study, senior author Professor Bruce Hood affirmed that,

"It's like going to the gym. We can't expect to do one class and be fit forever. Just as with physical health, we have to continuously work on our mental health, otherwise the improvements are temporary."

But how can you get yourself to practice, practice, practice?

How Happiness Can Become a Habit

According to many habit-change experts, people don’t usually change in a flash but in stages (more on the stages model here). Students in the happiness courses were in the action stage, actively working on new behaviors to improve their well-being. Once the course ended, they entered the maintenance stage, where they needed to adopt new techniques to keep up their newly minted habits. In particular, they had to reckon with the loss of the class structure that had helped them previously and create their own structure in its place.

If you want to maintain your happiness habits, or any new habits, over time, here are some tried-and-true techniques:

1. Renew your commitment periodically. In this case, remember why you wanted to feel happier. Connect the happiness habit to deeper values and goals, such as a willingness to help others or to feel more gratitude in your daily life.
2. Create space and time to practice. Figure out the happiness habits that seem vital to you. If it helps you to focus on what you are grateful for, figure out a good time to contemplate Three Good Things that have happened in your day. For me, reflecting on the positive moments of my day as I drift off to sleep is easy and calming.
3. Make a “habit stack.” As author S.J. Scott suggests, add your happiness routine to an already existing routine. You will eventually create a new good habit, along with the older ones: Eat breakfast, exercise, stretch, meditate, and take deep breaths.
4. Aim for a balanced life. Alan Marlatt, a specialist on avoiding relapse, advised that you include some “wants” and “shoulds” in your daily schedule. Too many "shoulds," and you risk over-indulging to eke some pleasure out of a tough day. If you have too many "wants," you might never move forward toward your deepest goals.
5. Engineer your environment. You might designate a place in your home to be a "happiness spot," such as a "happiness chair," where you take time to do the mental work of attitude change.
6. Find a class, person, or group to support you. Check-in with someone periodically to report on your successes or who can help you overcome setbacks.
7. Cope with lapses and relapses by tweaking your plan. Lapses and relapses are common with every habit change. When this happens to you, sit down and make a new plan. Try new "happiness hacks" or rearrange old ones.

If students realize that relapsing into old habits is a normal, if undesirable, part of the habit-changing process, they can prepare for it. The last class assignment could be a maintenance plan for the future. This small amount of thought and work would be a small price for a lifetime of happiness.

(c) Meg Selig, 2024.