A few weeks ago, I conducted a scientific (ish) study on what makes us happier. One hundred participants gave me the low down on what they love and what they would love more of to keep them happier on a daily basis. Seems the answer in first place is sex, lots of it, and often.

And hey, why not.

According to this lovely survey, sex is number one in the list of things that makes us happier, followed by our partners/husbands/wives/whatever name of choice you bestow upon your loved one. Therefore sex with our partners, one hopes, is what makes us feel happier, alive, wanted and appreciated. It’s also great for our self-esteem. So if you fancy a boost of smugness, sex is the way to go. Physical affection in the form of hugs was also often cited, although one person did say,
“Just not the kind of hug where the giver doesn’t let go for ages and you feel like you’re wearing them like a scarf.”
Haha, I enjoyed that particular qualitative response. So I guess boundaries and propriety are important here.
Outside of that, there are other leisure pursuits that were mentioned, and they are often either cheap or free. Enjoying being outdoors also featured heavily in the responses (just be careful in combining a love of nature with the first activity mentioned, we don’t want any arrests….), along with good food, being with friends, music, walking, reading, making other people happy. We are, generally, easy to please.
It makes me wonder what it is that stops us from doing the things we want if they make us truly happy. People often cite time; we all know we can make time to do what makes us happy. It seems to me that it really comes down to it being self-indulgent. And again, is there really any problem with that? Making ourselves happy means we can share the joy, and that’s just infectious. Have you ever laughed until you cried at hearing someone else in the same state? Yes, exactly, that.
So, given we know what makes us happy and a lot of this is free or at least cheap, and easily achievable, what steps are you going to take to make it happen, and happen regularly? Drop me a comment and let me know what you think, but please, no photos.

If you’d like more info on the survey and a freebie on how to feel happier in 7 days, fill in the form over there on the right, and you’ll be sent a link to download “7 Days and 7 ways to happiness.”

Enjoy!