Happiness Is an Option for You: 4 Easy Habits That Make Your Life Better, Based on Research

In this episode, you’re going to learn the 4 happiness habits that, based on research, are scientifically proven to make you happier in 21 days.

Happiness is not only possible; it is an option for you.

Our guest today is one of the most respected happiness researchers in the world. Shawn Achor is the author of 4 New York Times bestsellers and has created the largest happiness training program in the world. He is here to prove to you that happiness is not only possible but also an option for you.

This conversation is packed with practical and proven tools that you can put to work in your life immediately. We will also dig deep into the research that supports everything that you are about to learn.

Shawn goes deeper than he has ever gone in an interview, discussing his struggle with depression and how these 4 habits have helped him climb out of it.

Get out your notebook because we are drilling into decades of psychological research that will ladder up to more meaning in your life.

Today you’ll learn:

• How to find happiness amidst pain and fear
• The 4 simple habits that create more happiness
• What Shawn calls the ‘turning point’ for his struggle with depression
• How to be happy even when you’re lonely and the importance of connection and community
• The first step YOU need to take to living a happier, more meaningful life 

Happiness is not an emotion; it is a framework, and that framework is getting built today!

Xo Mel 

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In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 2:04: What is the definition of happiness?
• 3:12: Where can you find happiness amidst pain and fear?
• 10:41: What happens when you become fearful that you will never be happy again?
• 12:53: Step #1 to claiming happiness is recognition. This is why.
• 14:05: This is YOUR starting point for living a happier life.
• 15:49: These 4 simple habits for 21 days will change your life.
• 17:53: What kept Shane going: the habits that pulled him out of a depression.
• 21:22: Reminder: Happiness is a team sport.
• 29:24: What loneliness actually is
• 32:37: The importance of social connection and community
• 35:14 The story we tell ourselves is how we navigate our lives.
• 40:35: It’s not the end of your story; the reminder I even needed
• 45:47: Happiness is an option, not a choice.
• 48:58: What Shawn learned in Flint, Michigan, about mindset and behavior
• 51:52: The tools and takeaways you need to remember after this conversation

Resources and go deeper:

• For Closed Captions: Watch on YouTube and turn on “CC.” For instructions to turn on closed captions, click here.

Shawn Achor:

• Learn more about Shawn through his website.
• Find his books here.
• Follow Shawn on Instagram.
• Or find him on Facebook.

• University of California, Berkeley: Gratitude changes your brain.
• Harvard Business Review: How can you make your employees happier?
• The Guardian: Exercise can be more effective than medication.
• The Washington Post: The best treatment for depression could be exercise.
• Insider: 7 ways exercise makes you happy, according to research.
• The New York Times: How to meditate when you can’t sit still.
• University of California, Berkeley: 6 keys to positive communication.
• The New York Times: How fireflies seem to work together.
• National Library of Medicine: Social support and the perception of a hill.