There is a proven path to achieving lasting happiness. How proven? Well according to an 85 year long comprehensive study conducted by researchers at Harvard that encompasses the lived experience of 724 people from adolescence to old age, the evidence is in. 

 So what did the longest in-depth study on human happiness ever done conclude? What is the most powerful vehicle that will carry us down the road to sustained happiness?

 Is it Money? 

Money increases our happiness up to the point that our basic needs are taken care of. After that getting more of it does not have much of an impact on our happiness at all. Yeah, I know. I too am willing to put this theory to the test but the research tells us the dollars won’t do it for you. Even lottery winners are found to return to their previous happiness point after the rush of new wealth wears off.

 Is it Sensual Pleasure? 

 This is known as hedonic happiness. I would rather have pleasure...

Je ne regrette rien the French songstress, Edith Piaf, famously crooned.  Problem is, most people do not regret nothing, they regret a lot.

And our regrets often become most vivid and painful at the end of our lives.  In her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing palliative care nurse Bonnie Ware gives us her perspective on what those about to depart planet Earth tend to wish they had done differently.

In Ware’s experience the top five regrets of people facing death are:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

When I read this list it strikes me that one of the main reasons I created my company Feel Betterer is to help people avoid having...

Let’s face it, “Resolution” is a word that can come with some pretty negative connotations for many people, especially when it is preceded by the words “New” and “Year’s”.

Come on, we’ve all been there…it’s New Year’s eve and through a gob full of chocolate mousse and a skin full of dessert wine you proudly proclaim - “This is it. Tomorrow I start dieting/ jogging/ writing my novel/ tidying the garage/ going to bed earlier/ getting my finances together/ talking kindly to my spouse/ meditating in order to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all humanity while learning to play the ukelele."

Research tells us that only about 9% of those who make New Year’s resolutions have any success in keeping them until the next New Year rolls around. In fact 23% give up on their goal within a week and 80% throw in the towel before February. For most us it’s a process of resolve, try a bit, give up, feel...

The way people feel can make them better performers in any area of life. This is the message I’ve been pushing in my workshops for many years. After a Stress Less Laugh More workshop for a business I often extend an invitation for a team member to take on the role of Head Humour Honcho. That person can enlist the help of a “fun squad” to assist them in putting into action the new learnings they have been introduced to about the benefits of laughter and fun in the work environment.

So I was delighted when I heard Socceroos coach Graham Arnold announce that he had appointed one of his players Official Vibes Manager (OVM) for Australia’s FIFA World Cup campaign. After playing a key role in the qualifying games that got Australia to Qatar, winger Martin Boyle found himself afflicted with a knee injury that would rob him of the chance to be part of the playing group at the big dance. That would be enough to lower the frequency of anyone’s vibes.

However...

One of my favourite quotes is from the writer and philosopher Jean Houston who said “At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”

Now that sounds very poetic and lovely but it’s also scientifically accurate. Laughter opens up possibility thinking and that can make your brain brilliant because you have access to more creativity.

So how does this work? When we laugh feel-good neurotransmitters fire up a part of our brain called the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. The ACC helps us have those Aha moments when we suddenly identify connections and have creative insights and see inventive solutions.

Hey look, there's a tiny me inside your brain pointing to your ACC! I promise to leave soon.

A bad mood on the other hand inhibits the activity of the ACC because when we’re feeling stressed the brain contracts, limiting our ability to think creatively. When faced with a challenge a stressed brain will only search for...

Never has there been a greater need for a strong immune system. So where can we turn in these troubled times for an immunity boost with benefits? To laughter of course! Scientists have proven that laughter is powerful mojo when it comes to protecting our human form from viral nasties. So here's how it works...

Okay, this is a little personal but when was the last time you got your fluids flowing? No, not that. I'm talking about your lymphatic system. This network of tiny vessels beneath the skin removes waste products from your cells courtesy of small swellings called lymph nodes. Laughter gives your nodes a nudge in the right direction.

When you enjoy a good old belly laugh you activate muscles that cause your diaphragm to flutter up and down at a rapid rate. This gets your lymph nodes happily humming along and many good things happen to help your immune system...

More white blood cells are produced to purify fluids circulating in your body

Antibodies are produced to protect you...

You were born to create. The question is - are you creating? Are you bringing into the world that thing that only you can bring to life? That thing or maybe more than one thing that will make you feel fully alive, fulfilled and excited. It could be a song, a book, a painting, an invention, a garden, a trip, a business idea, a movie script, a design, a speech, a comedy routine, a dance, an app, a new relationship, a new improved old...

Turns out that famous social psychologist Madonna was right way back in 1990 when she delivered her musical thesis Vogue. We should indeed strike a pose! If you’ve forgotten about or have never heard of voguing, it’s a form of modern dance that involves striking a series of poses as if you are modelling for a photo shoot. Maddie wrote a song about it that topped the charts in 30 countries and now science tells us she might have been onto something. Namely that being a poser gives you power!

Getting decked out in a metallic corset and pretending you’re the subject of a shagadelic Austen Powers photoshoot may not be your thing (of course if it is - go for it!) but using body posture to empower the way you feel is a very good strategy for increasing your health, happiness and success.

Where the body leads, the mind often follows. If you sit hunched over on a chair with shoulders dropped, spine curved, arms folded while wrinkling your brow and wearing a frown...

In these troubled times it may seem simplistic, maybe almost offensive to encourage people to smile. However, there are so many wonderful benefits to be gained from this always on hand human behaviour that I’m going to do exactly that.

I’m certainly not saying just put a smile on your face and everything will be dandy. But I definitely am saying that increasing the quantity and quality of your smiles can diminish your stress thereby lifting your mood, helping you feel more connected and boosting your overall health. All results that make the simple smile something very worthwhile!

Children smile on average about 400 times per day. Sad to say that even an adult who rates themselves as “very happy” smiles only about 40-50 times per day and a typical adult smiles only 20 times per day. And now that many people are wearing face masks for extended periods that smile rate is dropping even lower.

We need to get the smile rate up, especially in tough times, because...