Different 7 Simple Ways to Be Happier, According to Science

But whether you’re the type of person who sings in the shower and dances in the rain, or you have a tougher, slightly pessimistic personality, that idea of ​​happiness isn’t something that’s just going to happen to us.

We can all change our habits to attract more of that well-being into our lives.

For that reason, here you can find some tips that may be useful to you to be happier in 2025.

1. Embrace friendship as we grow older

Friendship benefits people at all ages, but in adulthood it can become an important source of happiness.

While older people tend to limit their social connections in favor of spending time with people they know best, researchers say it’s a good idea to be open to making new friends because that gives us a different benefit than relationships with family, which can be based on obligation.

Because friendship is voluntary, non-obligatory relationships can start and end at any time, so they can be more fun and less tense.

Although adults face obstacles that can make it difficult to meet new people, in some ways it should be easier to make friends: our personality is more mature, we have gained in the ability to relate socially, our perspective on life is more oriented towards the search for joy and we tend to become more pleasant.

And the effort to maintain quality friendships as we age is worth it, as the benefits go beyond psychological well-being.

This also improves our cognitive functioning and physical health.

In fact, research repeatedly shows that friendship is as important a factor as family in predicting good mental health as we age.

And if you’re the type of person who has a hard time making friends, here’s some advice that might help: It can be good to share memorable moments, like watching a solar eclipse like the one seen across the U.S. last year, as a way to feel close to those around you while sharing positive emotions.

2. Practice “happiness”

Compassion is a well-established pillar of true friendship.

The word, which comes from the Latin word for “shared pain,” shows us that empathy helps us form strong connections when our friends need help.

But there is an opposite emotional state that is less known and equally important: “happiness.”

That word means “shared happiness,” and it’s an undervalued facet of good relationships that can be as important as compassion in maintaining friendship, according to several studies.

Enthusiastically supporting our friends’ good news—and asking about it—is the foundation of being a good friend. Responding passively or not actively appreciating your friend’s success can put those relationships at risk.

3. Volunteer

It’s almost a cliché to say that doing something for someone else can make you feel better than indulging yourself. But the more we know about altruism, the more that cliché seems to be very true.

In fact, scientific studies have found that volunteering can even help with a number of conditions like chronic pain and depression.

In 2002, a study found that volunteers who suffered from chronic pain and were assigned to help other people experienced lower pain intensity while volunteering.

Other studies have shown that caring for animals can improve our health and caring for plants can bring us well-being, especially in older adults.

Some doctors now prescribe volunteering as an effective form of “social prescribing” – medical prescriptions that connect people with resources and activities in the community in which they live.

Sending people out to do everything from art classes to cycling groups, or encouraging them to take part in activities to help others in need have proven to be valid health interventions that can also help reduce pressure on health services.

4. Connect with your ancestors

There is another way that the past can help you in the present.

Several studies suggest that connecting with our ancestors can have profound psychological benefits.

Knowing family stories about overcoming adversity, for example, can be empowering when the tales are passed down from one generation to the next.

Susan M. Moore, emeritus professor of psychology at Swinburne University in Australia, has found that people who know about their family history have higher levels of satisfaction and mental well-being.

Taking on the task of researching your family tree can help you feel in control of your life, as well as foster a greater understanding of your place in the world.

It can also give you a sense of perspective and gratitude: knowing that your current life has been made possible by the battles and achievements of your predecessors.

5. Write a list

Taking stock of the blessings and favors received is an old piece of advice and is based on a simple but well-proven intervention.

It happens that when we write a list of three things that have happened to us, it can help us improve our mood.

Whether it’s a life-changing event like passing an important exam or having a baby, or something lighter like running into an old friend or enjoying a beautiful moment like the light of sunset.

There is a growing body of research showing that making lists of these things can improve our well-being.

6. Find fun activities

They say there’s nothing better than driving through an idyllic setting: the wind in your hair, the perfect music on the radio, the freedom of the road ahead of you.

Well, now we know that even rats can get some of this vehicular paradise, after researchers at the University of Richmond in Virginia taught a group of rodents to drive tiny plastic cars in the lab.

The rats learned this new skill and soon began to climb into the carts with great enthusiasm, as if ready for the next journey.

Eventually, the researchers noticed that some rats were jumping around in excitement, expressing the pleasure of the trip in advance.

This led to a new field of research: Can the expectation of fun be as satisfying as the activity itself?

In another experiment, scientists trained some rats to wait for rewards, while others were given a reward immediately.

They later tested the rats’ optimism and found that those that had been trained to expect rewards were more optimistic.

The researchers speculated that this might work in humans, too: By routinely anticipating pleasurable activities or events, we might rewire our brains to be more optimistic.

7. Do nothing

If you’ve made it this far down the list, the advice that follows may come as a bit of a surprise to you.

But research suggests that worrying too much about being happy may actually be an obstacle to happiness.

Experiments that primed people to wish for greater happiness before watching a film with an uplifting or optimistic tone ended with them feeling more disappointed than elated after the film.

The theory is that by raising their expectations and reading and learning about the importance of happiness, people may actually experience the opposite effect and feel discouraged.

You may have experienced this yourself during a big event or party that you were looking forward to and it didn’t live up to those expectations.

Iris Mauss, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, has already shown that the desire and pursuit of happiness can also increase feelings of loneliness and disconnection.

She recommends adopting a more stoic attitude and accepting that life is ultimately made up of ups and downs.