The Simple Social Habit to Boundless Happiness
What does happiness mean to you? It might have a very different definition if you ask people. That’s because it’s entirely objective. Your happiness depends on your personal values, belief systems, and dreams. Most everyone has goals attached to what they believe will make them happy. That makes sense because who wants to take the time and effort to chase a goal if success means anything less than happiness?
When not busily engaged in modern life, we try to find experiences that provide positive emotions. You might not have the time to do that while you’re working. If you have a busy day planned, there might not be much time for happiness hunting.
When free time presents itself, a simple social habit can boost your feelings of joy, contentment, and satisfaction: socializing with the right people.
Be Careful about Who You Spend Your Time With
Goal-achieving experts will tell you that the five people you associate with the most will be like you. Smart financial planners suggest that your frequent companions are financial mirror images of yourself.
This means your social circle influences your emotions, good or bad.
You might think it’s pretty simple advice to tell you to spend time with people who make you laugh. If this is such entry-level advice for happiness, why aren’t you doing it more frequently? There are probably times in your life when you consciously choose to be around people who don’t promote positive feelings.
Instead, if you only have a few minutes, invest that social time with people who make you feel confident and positive. They are probably positive, confident people themselves. Texting your best friend only takes a minute or two. Even better, call them so you can hear their voice.
If you spend too much time around people who bring you down, look at your relationships. It might be difficult, but you may have to spend less time with emotional vampires who steal your happiness, even if they are your close friends.
Whatever you prioritize in your life will manifest itself. Prioritize spending time with people who make you feel upbeat, positive, and happy. The result will be experiencing those feelings. Choose physical, person-to-person interaction when you can because physical socializing has been proven to reduce stress and promote feelings of happiness.