10 things happy people have in common

Happiness makes sense at every level – on a personal, community, social, organisational, national and global level.

Yet happiness is often overlooked as a critical component in our lives. A new human resources manager joining a business that I know of questioned one of its values, ‘fun’, saying it didn’t make business sense.

We spend so much time at work – surely it is important to have fun, be ourselves and, as a result, benefit the organisation and society.

And it is not hard to share happiness, by showing a little kindness and saying an authentic Thank You.

Here are 10 traits happy people tend to share:

1. Feel great

Happiness is fun and it feels good. Waking up each morning feeling excited to discover what the day holds; going to bed satisfied that it was a great day; feeling gratitude for whatever the day presented; having truly been aware of those around you.

2. Live longer

“We reviewed eight different types of studies,” said University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology Ed Diener, in a study that followed nearly 5,000 university students for more than 40 years.

The study found that, for example, those who were most pessimistic as students tended to die younger than their peers. “And the general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being – that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed – contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations.”

3. Are healthier

Is it that happy people are healthier or healthy people are happier?

“Everything else being equal, if you are happy and satisfied with your life now, you are more likely to be healthy in the future. Importantly, our results are independent of several factors that impact on health, such as smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and age,” said the lead author of a study on health and happiness, Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D, University of Nebraska Medical Centre in Omaha.

The researchers looked at data from two waves of an Australian survey conducted in 2001 and 2004. Nearly 10,000 adults responded to items about health indicators including the presence of long-term, limiting health conditions and physical health.

To assess happiness, they asked: “During the past four weeks, have you been a happy person?” They determined life satisfaction by asking: “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life?”

“We found strong evidence that both happiness and life satisfaction have an effect on our indicators of health,” Siahpush said.

Professor Fiona Wood, head of Royal Perth Hospital’s Burns Unit and director of the Western Australia Burns Service, said that those with a predisposition to positivity are far more likely to heal well than those who are negative.

4. Keep going

Happiness and positivity work together. Positive people see that the ‘glass is half full.’ Their positive view that good things will happen helps them see and act on options and opportunities faster.

Many studies have shown that people who are positive or happy solve problems better and faster. Their solutions are more inventive and they concentrate better. Happiness also improves people’s ability to learn and remember things. Better problem solving is another reason why happiness is important.

“You get what you look for.” – Unknown