In a groundbreaking study to mark International Day of Happiness, Tourism Fiji partnered with leading neuroscientist Dr Lila Landowski and uncovered that not only are the key elements that contribute to an overall feeling of happiness found in abundance in Fiji, but by simply being exposed to them, the participants’ own feelings of happiness increased in turn.
Taking findings from the study and comments from Dr Landowski, the below tips from Tourism Fiji are designed to increase happiness every day, even when you’re not able to be in Fiji:
- Smile! “When you’re sharing a smile with someone, you feel their joy through emotional resonance, and you also have less activation in our brains emotion centre, which ultimately means that you feel less anger and less aggression”
- Say hello. “The simple act of smiling, or saying ‘Bula’ (hello) or even waving, all these things create this sense of connection and community, and we know that more connection leads to greater feelings of happiness and reduces biomarkers of stress”
- Sing – even if it’s alone, and even if it’s badly. “We know that engaging in song is protective for the brain. It improves our mood and cognition. Science has shown that when you’re singing together, we have a synchronisation of brainwaves, which makes us feel more deeply connected to one another”
- Focus on your breath and learn a few easy breathing techniques. “This switches off our fight-or-flight system and it makes us feel more calm. The breathing practices that we use in meditation decrease our heart rate and helps us feel more relaxed.”
- Meditate. “Meditating reduces our heart rate and it can also reverse the stress-related changes that happen to our brain.”
- Eat fresh food. “Nourishing ourselves with fresh ingredients provides precursors for all of our neurotransmitters. When we’re sourcing and eating fresh, seasonal unprocessed food it has profound effects on our body and our gut microbiome. It also contains the building blocks for our neurotransmitters, things like Tryptophan, Glutamate, Tyrosine and Choline, which are absorbed and converted to the neurochemicals that play an essential role in regulating our mood.”
- Connect with people. “When you socialise with people face-to-face, you release neurochemicals that make you feel good, and can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Social connection also leads to reductions in our stress hormone cortisol. When you feel like you are part of a community, and you feel comforted by people’s words, you feel happier.”
- Get outside. “The more time you spend out in the sun, the more dopamine you make. That’s why we feel good when we’re out in the sun all day. When you’re in a warm sunny place, and you’re outside all day, it does a few things – it resets our circadian rhythm which helps us sleep better at night, and it improves our mood – because the longer the day is, the more dopamine, serotonin and vitamin D we make”
- Play, especially outdoor team sports. “Exercise is a type of stress for the body, so why can it feel so good? Endorphins, the body’s own feel-good chemicals, kick in during playful exercise, as a way of for the body to offset some of the effects of “non danger” related stress. The result? Enhanced mood, relaxation and a feeling of bliss. An important reminder that sometimes happiness comes from simply letting go and embracing play.”
- Jump in the ocean. “When you’re in the cool blue calming waters of Fiji, your heart rate will decrease and you’ll feel less anxiety.”Stop and smell the roses. “’Island time’ isn’t just about slowing down, it’s about reclaiming control over your own time. We experience so much time famine in western society, always rushing around, and that loss of autonomy robs us of happiness.”
- Say thanks. “[Fijians are] constantly saying ‘vinaka’ (thank you). You’re not only experiencing gratitude from others by hearing someone say thank you, but you’re seeing it modelled around you all the time. Experiencing gratitude from doing a good deed for someone, as well as seeing other people have gratitude for one another, results in long-lasting feelings of happiness.”
