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The Link between Food and Happiness

Did you know that food can greatly affect your mood, for better or for worse?

When it comes to happiness and every other area in your life, food has the

capacity to harm or heal. By learning about what foods to choose and avoid, you will be able to help your body and mind, and embrace happiness.

Foods to Boost Happiness

So you want to use what Mother Nature has to offer in order to boost your mood?

Start off with looking for foods that are high in healthy fats. Our brains rely on these fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, and they do wonders for mood and improving happiness by allowing nerve cells to communicate more efficiently.

Walnuts, pumpkin seeds and fish oil are a great way to consume these. Omega-3 fatty acids have been proven to be as effective as common antidepressant drugs in regards to depression.

Berries are another wonderful way to boost your happiness. They contain anthocyanins, which are helpful to your brain as they support its function.

Oranges, raw peppers and kiwi are high in Vitamin C which battles stress.

Leafy greens boost your folic acid intake, and even dark chocolate is known to be a positive mood enhancer.

Bananas and dates are easily found foods that are known to affect serotonin levels positively.

Your mood and mental function is also greatly affected by dehydration, so be sure to stay well-hydrated by consuming plenty of water.

Foods That Steal Your Joy

Sugar is the number one food to avoid if you wish to be happy.

Sugar sets you up for a quick, false surge of energy when you feel the sugar high, which is then followed by a crash.

Sugar can also harm your immune system and trigger depression.

Coffee has been known to lead to anxiety, which will also rob you of joy.

Wheat prevents serotonin from being produced, therefore contributing to depression.

Alcohol is linked with moodiness, and although some individuals feel temporarily euphoric after consuming it, the feeling generally fades into negativity.

Supplements to Consider

Vitamin C has been shown to reduce cortisol, which is the hormone that causes stress. Unless you are getting a substantial amount of this vitamin from your diet, a daily supplement is a good idea.

Because a folic acid deficiency has been linked to depression, you should consider taking a supplement.

Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 are also helpful for a natural mood boost.

Supplements that will help you control unhealthy cravings include vitamin B complex, Co-Enzyme Q10 and resveratrol.

Because food has such a big effect on your mood, you would be wise to utilize it to its full potential. Instead of just choosing your meal based on what you desire at the moment, turn your plate into a powerful weapon that will fight depression and anxiety, and build and maintain your happiness.

You deserve the chance to feel joy, and by modifying your eating habits you can change your life for the better.

Choose your mood by choosing your food, and see the difference it makes.

The Link between Friends and Happiness

Happiness is a lifelong pursuit.

A crucial ingredient in lifelong happiness is connection to others

and deep, lasting friendships.

Friends are a gift to be treasured, and their role in our lives include the ability to bring us happiness and joy.

Here is how your friends and your happiness are related.

More Sociable People Are Rated as Happier

It has been studied and shown that individuals who are more sociable are also happier people. As we age, it gets more difficult to find friends and meet people on a regular basis than when we were children. Those who seek out friendships and rate this as important, also rate themselves as being happier.

Individuals who isolate themselves fall more easily into depression and stress. Introverts need friends just as much as extroverts do, and friends can help take the edge off of loneliness and sadness. Even if you are not a natural extrovert, make a point of building friendships in order to contribute towards your mental health and happiness.

Strong Friendships Are Known to Lessen Depression and Stress

People who rely on others to lift themselves up tend to be less stressed and depressed. Having a close friend you can talk to about your problems can serve as an important aid in releasing negative feelings. Confiding in a friend tends to reverse feelings of loneliness, and most friends offer words of comfort which affects you in a positive way, knowing that someone cares.

Being the one your friend asks for encouragement has positive benefits too, as it enforces the belief that you are needed and important. Having a happy friend heightens a person’s happiness, yet having a sad friend doesn’t affect you in equal proportions.

This means that the benefits of friendship always outweigh the drawbacks.

Everyone collectively gains benefits through friendship, no matter whether you or your friend start out happy or not.

Positive Friends Affect Those around Them

Happiness is contagious. When you are around someone who is positive, life feels better. It doesn’t matter how stressed you might feel when you are alone; getting together with a good friend is therapeutic.

Make a choice to spend the majority of your time with people who are committed to a positive outlook on life. Encourage friends who need encouragement, but spend most of your time with those who are uplifting to your emotions. You will find yourself feeling more and more that way as time goes on.

Be the positive friend who encourages others as well. As the positive energy rubs off on you, so it should then rub off on those around you. Make a choice to encourage your friends, and to leave them feeling better than before they saw you.

Your Friends Adjust to Your Needs

Close friends have been shown to be flexible in their support of us. This means that if you are trying to lose five pounds for fun and you are being tempted by a craving, a good friend will likely indulge with you.

On the other hand, if your health depends on losing the weight, a good friend is more likely to hold you accountable and help you stick to your decision.

Good friends help you say no when it matters, and help you say yes when

you simply need to de-stress.

Friendships are important in regards to happiness.

When you are a good friend who also chooses good friends, the benefits multiply.

Choose friendship, and enrich your happiness in a great way.

The Link between Hormones and Happiness

Hormones... they certainly don’t get much respect at times.

What do they have to do with happiness?

Actually, hormones play a big role in this feeling, and we are wise to learn about what factors they play in this area and what we can do to capitalize on them.

How Hormones Work

Hormones are special chemical messengers that control most of the body’s processes. The endocrine glands create these special messengers and our body relies on them to function properly.

How we treat our bodies and the substances we surround ourselves with makes a difference in how these hormones are able to help us. By learning what they do and how we can assist them in doing their job, we will be closer to our goal of happiness.

What Hormones Are Related to Happiness?

There are several hormones that can boost one’s happiness.

The main ones include serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine.

Serotonin has become quite well known in recent times. It is a neurotransmitter, which takes messages from one part of the brain to another.

Serotonin is crucial in preventing depression and other mental illness, and problems occur when you have either a shortage of this hormone or when it is unable to do its job.

Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" and has a variety of jobs, which include helping people improve their social skills and minimizing fear.

Dopamine is another neurotransmitter, and it is activated when a positive and unexpected circumstance happens - which is why it is known for its role in helping the brain learn about rewards.

Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones

Hormones need to maintain a fine balance in order to allow you to function at optimum levels. Too much or too little of any hormone will cause short- and long-term problems healthwise.

Because our happiness is dependent on this, we are wise to do our best to find a healthy balance for all the hormones in our body, in order to create an environment that supports feeling good.

Some important ways to keep your hormones in good balance and working order are to get sufficient sleep each night, exercise regularly and eliminate toxins from your daily life. Minimize stress in your life as much as possible, and avoid birth control pills if possible.

Foods to Balance Your Hormones

Food plays an important role in the balance of hormones.

There are many foods that you should make a point of eating on a daily basis, and many you should strive to avoid.

Foods and nutrients that help your body balance hormones and keep you happy include healthy fats such as those found in coconut oil, avocados, nuts and wild salmon.

Vitamin D is an important supplement, as is magnesium.

A sufficient amount of clean proteins should be eaten, as well as plenty of vegetables

Your hormones play an essential role in your feelings of happiness.

Keeping them balanced and working for you properly is important in order to ensure feelings of mental wellness.

By following the guidelines above, you will be able to balance your hormones

and live a life of happiness and satisfaction.

The Link between Personality and Happiness

It appears that some people are just happier than others.

It’s not always just the people who have easy lives, either.

Those who are happy seem to have certain factors that other individuals lack.

One definite factor is personality type. How does it play into the matter of personal happiness?

Here are a list of personality traits and how they affect your feeling of well-being.

Perfectionism

Those personality types who lean towards perfectionism in relation to themselves and others, have a tendency to be less happy than those who are more accepting of various outcomes. Although a perfectionist will achieve happiness in a job well done, it will be limited due to their immediate focus on the next big project.

When you learn to enjoy the process rather than holding yourself to a strict set of rules, your happiness will grow.

Dreaming

Dreamers tend to be happy. Although dreamers can often lean towards procrastination, which brings stress, there is always something to dream about again after the stress has passed.

If we are not born this way naturally, we can learn a lot from dreamers as we seek happiness in life. Think about what you want out of life and spend a little time each day enjoying the thought of that very thing, and you will see the joy that can be found in this simple exercise.

Organization

People whose personalities lean towards being organized have a lot going for them, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing even in this area. The importance is in balance. Be too focused on organization and you will miss the small details that should be enjoyed along the way. By being too disorganized, on the other hand, you will experience the frustration of yourself and others when things do not go as planned.

Strike a happy medium, and choose to organize yourself just enough to make things work more efficiently.

Positivity

Positivity is one personality trait that absolutely affects one’s personal happiness. Some people are born with a tendency to this trait, while others have to strive not to live in negativity.

No matter what side you lean towards naturally, make choices that will cause you to react in a positive manner and that will build your confidence in the process of life. You will find happiness comes to you naturally when you allow your energy to be transformed from negative to positive.

Living in the Moment

You may be an extrovert or an introvert, but whichever you are, you can choose to live in the moment. We only live our life through one time, and finding happiness includes being fully present for each and every step of the journey.

Some people find this easier to do, and others have to make an effort. Whatever your natural tendency, make a choice to do everything whole-heartedly so that you will have no regrets and can experience deep happiness.

We can’t change our personalities, but we can learn from each other.

People with different personalities and personality traits have a natural inclination both towards and away from happiness.

Take the personality you have been given and then direct your energy into living a happy life in the best way possible.

The Link between Money and Happiness

Do You Need Money to Be Happy?

As the saying goes, “Money can’t buy you happiness.” Or can it?

Having a sufficient amount of money can certainly lower stress, but having an excess of it will not make you more happy than anyone else.

So can money buy you happiness or not?

Here are a few thoughts to ponder on the subject.

Money Can Buy You a Limited Amount of Happiness

Studies have shown that yes, having enough money to meet your needs and those of your family does bring happiness. People living in poverty are generally less happy than those whose needs are met. Being able to pay for your bills and having enough to get by financially will help you succeed in feeling happy.

Excess Money Doesn’t Equal Excess Happiness

Having more money than you need, however, will not bring you extra happiness. Money and happiness are not proportional. Someone with enough money to buy a large house and several cars will not necessarily have more happiness than another individual with exactly what they need.

Money Brings Stresses of Its Own

There is stress that goes along with having money. Whether you have a little or a lot, you likely know about this stress. There is the stress of knowing you need to spend what you have wisely, as well as the fact that people with ulterior motives are drawn to those who are financially wealthy.

Not About What Comes in But What Goes Out

It is not so much the amount of money that you make that ensures your happiness, but about what you are spending it on and where it is going on the way out. There are some principles for using money that can help you to feel more satisfied. Where you put your money and who receives it can make a difference as to whether you gained something by having had it.

Spend on Experiences, Not Things

Buying more things is not proven to make a person happy. Although investing in items that will last seems like a wise move, studies show that we tend to adjust to what we obtain. Having these things doesn’t continue bringing unlimited happiness.

We are more likely to have long-term happiness when money is spent on experiences which will give us lasting memories. Whether this means going on vacation by yourself or with your family, or making time to do something fun every now and then… be sure to create experiences rather than purchasing something that will simply fade away over time.

Give It Away

Giving is one of the most satisfying things you can do with your money. Whether it is to charity or a friend in need, find a way to give back and share what you have. This is a way to spend that will bring long-term personal rewards.

The short answer is no; you do not need money to be happy.

Money can be useful, however, to prevent stress that can diminish the happiness

that you do have.

No matter what amount of money you have, use these tips to help achieve the level of happiness you desire, and live a life filled with joy.