Tweak Your Habits And Help Your Happiness Soar

One simple tweak could transform your happiness here's how

- Charlotte Haigh and Mary Comber

Unfortunately, even the most enjoyable of activities can become routine after a while. Whether it’s your Zumba class, your go-to favourite healthy dish or the walk that always gives you peace of mind, if you do it enough, it’s likely to become humdrum.

That has implications, not just for your hobbies, but also for your healthy habits – and could explain why so many of us get bored with exercise regimes and nutritious diets.

SHIFT YOUR HABITS, BOOST YOU MIND

New research from Ohio State University in Columbus and the University of Chicago at Illinois shows doing the same activities in a different way can help you enjoy them as if you’re experiencing them for the first time. Scientists carried out a series of experiments to come to this conclusion. In the first, they told 68 people they were looking at ways to encourage people to eat more slowly. They gave half the volunteers chopsticks with which to eat popcorn, while the other half were asked to eat it with their hands.