It has been proven that positive and negative moods influence people's physical health and longevity. There is growing evidence that happiness, pleasure, joy, optimism and a sense of humour have positive biological and physiological effects. Therefore, it is important to counteract and reduce negativity to improve health by trying to find happiness.
People who are very happy (with fewer negative emotions and more positive ones and optimism) live 4 to 10 years longer than unhappy people, and moreover, those extra years are lived more healthily.
The fact that happiness can improve health raises an important question: can we choose to be happy? If we are generally unhappy, can we restore this emotion, or are some people too influenced by genetics, upbringing and environment to change their emotional state?
It is a difficult question to answer. Fortunately, there is growing evidence that our mood and happiness can be changed with simple activities and habits that reshape our thoughts and mood day by day.
We all want to feel happy, moment by moment, throughout our lives. But what does “feeling happy” really mean? Is it the feeling we have when we eat our favourite dish? Is it the feeling when something goes as we wanted? Is it the feeling of sitting beside someone we love deeply?
Each person may interpret what matters most for happiness in their own way, but what we must understand is that ultimately, happiness is a set of positive emotions in our life. Throughout life we experience a variety of these positive emotions that help us learn, gain experience and know how to make decisions when we need them.
There are a number of positive emotions that can influence happiness. Let us look at what they are and see whether you identify with them.
Joy
Joy is one of the most important positive emotions. It can arise for different reasons, such as achieving a goal, improving a previous discomfort, being surrounded by other cheerful people, or simply because we are appreciating something we like.
Joy has multiple benefits for our health. When we are cheerful, our body releases a substance called serotonin, which boosts our defences and lowers anxiety and stress levels.
Gratitude
Gratitudee is what we feel when someone's gestures create a benefit for us. We feel grateful for gifts, kindnesses and the time they have given us.
When we get used to feeling gratitude and being grateful, our awareness of good things when they happen increases, and this has a positive effect on our mood.
Pride
When we achieve a goal or contribute to it in an important way, we feel proud of our own abilities. This feeling of satisfaction allows us to value ourselves and motivates us to keep setting and achieving goals in the future.
Thinking about yourself, caring for yourself and deciding to put your own wishes before those of others is not only important; it is often necessary, especially when going through a delicate time in life.
Serenity
La serenidad is an emotion that arises when we accept a situation, and it is very important because it can lead us to a state of physical, mental and spiritual balance.
We feel serene when we are in circumstances that seem appropriate and easy. For example, if we think of the tranquillity and calm of a walk in the mountains or a day with family, it encourages us to savour the present moment and re-evaluate our priorities, deepening our understanding of ourselves.
Interest
It is a positive emotion provoked by the desire to know and experience. This emotion is closely related to motivation. When something interests us, we feel more motivated to keep exploring and increase our knowledge of it.
Fun
El ingenio refinado, las payasadas y el humor engloban esta emoción ligada a la risa. Disfrutar de momentos de diversión colabora con el desarrollo emotivo y con poder tener una perspectiva más positiva sobre la vida.
Lo más importante de la diversión es que nos sirva como momento de relajación y de entretenimiento, en el cual nos podamos permitir dejar llevar la mente y el cuerpo un poco más allá de lo normal.
Moreover, when we have fun with others, we strengthen our bonds with those people even more.
Hope
Hope is an expectation of the future regarding a personal goal. This motivates us to achieve it.
It is a positive emotion that helps a person persist in achieving their goals.
This emotion can sometimes be accompanied by fear or sadness, but it precisely helps us overcome difficult moments through optimism and resilience.
Inspiration
When we see another person act at their best, we feel inspired to strive to do our best. Inspiration is a positive emotion in which we witness exemplary behaviour that helps us become better people. It inspires us to recognise our potential and our abilities. It also helps reduce stress levels
Fear
Cuando te enfrentas a una situación compleja y logras superarla, te ayudará a confiar más en ti y a crecer como persona.
El miedo es una emoción que te puede llevar a realizar cosas que nunca pensarías que eres capaz. Además, en las situaciones complicadas, une a las personas y saca lo mejor de ellas mismas para superar estas situaciones.
Por último, el miedo te hace valorar lo que tienes. Al sentir temor, te das cuenta de quienes son tus verdaderos amigos, de en quien puedes confiar y sobre todo, de todo lo que has logrado a lo largo de tu vida.
Love
We could say that love is the shared experience of any of the previous positive emotions with someone who matters to you. These moments allow us to know others more deeply and focus on their wellbeing.
It is not only the sum of all positive emotions, but it enhances them. A caring relationship creates intimacy and trust.
When we feel attracted to someone, we feel great interés por conocer a la persona. Pensamos que compartiremos momentos de diversión. Cuando se consolida la relación, sentimos más alegría. Más adelante, experimentamos la sensación de relajación y serenidad que proporciona la seguridad de saber que la otra persona nos quiere. Nos sentimos agradecidos por lo que aporta a nuestra vida, sus logros nos harán sentirnos orgullosos y sus cualidades podrán servirnos de inspiración para ser mejores personas.
I hope this post helps you surround yourself with all these positive emotions, and that you move closer to happiness every day. Let them flourish and be yourself!