According to a recent study conducted by the University of Bristol, happiness can be learned – so long as you practise the seven “happiness hacks”.
The study, published in the journal Higher Education, tracked the outcomes of the university’s “Science of Happiness” program. The program, initiated in 2018, aims to empower students with tools, or happiness hacks, to achieve a sense of wellbeing.
The study involved 228 undergraduates who had taken one of the university’s positive psychology courses a year or two earlier. Results demonstrated that 51% of the surveyed students – 115 individuals – successfully maintained their positive attitude by continuing to practise the habits they had learned even years after completing the course.
The 7 happiness hacks
The seven identified habits, or “happiness hacks,” from the program include:
- Performing acts of kindness
- Increasing social connections and initiating conversations with strangers
- Savouring experiences and being fully present in the moment
- Deliberately focusing on positive events and aspects of each day
- Practising gratitude and endeavouring to thank people they have never sufficiently thanked as they would have liked to
- Engaging in physical activity
- Exploring mindfulness and other meditation techniques.
Participants in the “Science of Happiness” program found that these habits facilitated a shift from self-centered thinking to a broader, interconnected perspective. This shift allowed individuals to better understand and contextualise their problems, resulting in reduced feelings of overwhelm and greater enjoyment of support and connection with others.
“The course content involves information on misconceptions about happiness and understanding our cognitive biases. The intention was that by the end of the course, students have a well-rounded understanding of various factors that can contribute toward their own well-being, rather than a ‘to-do’ list of activities,” Dr Bruce Hood, senior author of the study, told Medical News Today.
The hacks, he said, are about shifting our mindset and putting our problems in perspective so they seem less overwhelming. “They alter the sense of self from one that is overly egocentric, focusing and ruminating on our problems and position in life, to one that is more allocentric – as part of a connected, interrelated network of others and the world at large,” he explained.
Happiness as a process
Neurobiologist Dr Tobias Esch, who was not involved in the study, and has researched the neurological aspects of happiness, told Medical News Today: “Happiness is a biological necessity. It is hardware and software, and has been conserved in evolution through millions of years, as even simple organisms have it, ie, possess the biological principle/apparat.”
Dr Esch suggested that if it only served the single individual and not the entire species, it is unlikely it would have been conserved through eons of evolution. “I strongly believe that happiness, in general, is neither private nor egoistic, or solely hedonic,” he said.
While the study focused primarily on the positive impact of internal work, it acknowledges that several factors play a role. Dr Esch says that genetics and individual brain functioning contribute 30 to 40% of our tendency to be happy. However, 50% to 60% of maintaining a feeling of happiness comes from internal work, such as perspective-taking and learning, he said.
“[Happiness] is a decision,” he emphasised.
The University of Bristol’s study underscores the notion that happiness can indeed be learned and cultivated through persistent practice of habits. Dr Hood’s next set of studies aims to explore why some individuals struggle to maintain their sense of wellbeing, even after learning and practising these habits.
