I’ve been on a serious podcast kick ever since Ryder was born. Before his arrival, I listened to podcasts regularly but lately I’ve found myself listening to one or two every single day. They’re great to have on in the background when I’m nursing (a two-handed activity for this mama), making a meal or outside walking with Ryder and Sadie on mornings when Chase is at summer camp. I recently began listening to Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations Podcast and love the variety of topics and guests Oprah has on her podcast.
Late last week I discovered two previous SuperSoul podcast episodes that focused on happiness and joy. The first episode, entitled “8 Rules to Happiness” with guest Gretchen Rubin (episode #56), piqued my interest because I am a huge fan of Gretchen’s book, The Happiness Project. It’s a book I’d recommend to anyone looking to cultivate happiness in their everyday life through simple yet tangible actions that add up in a big way.
It’s been years since I read The Happiness Project (you may see my full review here) so I figured listening to the podcast would be a great happiness refresher. It was a fantastic episode and there was a little nugget of information toward the end of the podcast that really stuck out to me. Gretchen touched on happiness and genetics and what portion of our overall happiness is actually in our control. I found it fascinating!
According to Gretchen’s research, 50 percent of our happiness is genetically determined and we are “hard-wired” a certain way. Ten to 20 percent of our happiness is impacted by life circumstances such as health/illness, our occupation, etc. The remaining 30-40 percent is controllable. Gretchen explains that this controllable part of our happiness is crucial for us to focus on because this is the place where our thoughts and actions can greatly impact our happiness.
Gretchen adds that we all have a baseline level of happiness but we can make a serious impact on our happiness through our personal effort, actions and thoughts which can help us push ourselves to the top of our happiness range or to the bottom.
This made me think about my personal happiness and whether or not I believe I am naturally or genetically happy. I feel like I am a naturally happy person with a mostly positive outlook on life. I am generally content and optimistic most days and, as I’ve entered my 30s, I think this may be the quality I appreciate most in myself. This is not to say every day is a good day but, in general, I am able to find good in every day. For me, the overall happiness I feel comes back to one thing: Gratitude.
In another breath, I personally think our circumstances can have a greater impact on our happiness than the 10-20 percent Gretchen notes (especially when we or someone we love is faced with something truly horrible) though I do believe our thoughts and actions have a significant impact on our happiness. But do our thoughts and actions really account for 30-40 percent of our overall happiness? I think so.
And that’s where the second podcast (episode #62) comes into play! This episode featured an interview with Shawn Achor, a Harvard-trained researcher and leading expert on the connection between happiness and success. Shawn dives into the changes we can implement in our everyday lives that can positively impact our overall happiness in a surprisingly dramatic way. According to Shawn, there are a handful of habits you can do every single day that can overcome your genes and your environment/circumstances and elevate your baseline level of happiness every day after 21 days of practice.
Up first: Gratitude. When you first wake up, Shawn recommends thinking of three new things you are grateful for every single day.
YES! I believe gratitude is one of the pillars to living a happier life and hearing Shawn touch on the importance of gratitude only reiterated this belief. Without a doubt, I believe gratitude is at the root of the happiness I feel every day. It’s the feeling that pulls me out of sadness and negativity and it is at the core of the way I think.
And here are the five things Shawn recommends implementing for 21 days (or longer!) to increase overall happiness:
- Focus on gratitude. Think of three new things you’re grateful for every morning.
- Take two minutes to journal about a positive experience you had the previous day.
- Send a quick 2-3 sentence email or text message to someone thanking them for something. (I LOVE this one!)
- Exercise for 15 minutes. This trains your brain to believe that your behavior matters.
- Meditate.
Now I’d love to hear what YOU think about your personal happiness. Do you think you are naturally happy? If so, what is something you do regularly that you believe contributes to your overall happiness? Do you believe you have the ability to increase or decrease your baseline level of happiness depending on your thoughts and actions? Please weigh in below!!
Additional Happiness-Related Blog Posts
- The Essential Seven: Creating Habits That Lead to Happiness
- Little Indulgences = Big Happiness
- Abstainers vs. Moderators
- The Happiness Project Review + Takeaways
Questions of the Day
Do you feel like you are naturally happy? If so, what is something you think you do regularly that contributes to your overall happiness? If not, do you think it’s possible to elevate your baseline level of happiness through your thoughts and actions?
What are three things you are grateful for today?
The post Are You Naturally Happy? (And What Can You Do To Make Yourself Happier?) appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.
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