IF you've ever seen something called the happiness U-curve, you'll have every right to feel a bit despondent. This chart, which tracks human satisfaction by age, does not make for especially cheerful reading. From the mid-teens to the late forties or early fifties, the chart plots a steady descent. True, it does then begin to tick back upwards. But until then, on average, every year of your life will be a little less happy than the one before it.
It isn't hard to see why. Everything is a struggle. Maybe you're battling with the pressures of work, or money, or kids, or health, or your elderly parents, or all of these at the same time. We might all want to be happier, but knowing how is the hard bit.
Some happiness hacks are pretty much agreed upon, if not always easy. (More time outdoors; fewer hours zombified in front of a laptop.) Others are questionable. (Should you get up at 5am to meditate? Start a gratitude journal? Wouldn't an extra hour in bed make you more grateful?) What you really need is someone to test them all, and report back.
Well, good news! As a father of two currently riding the downwards slope of the U-curve while working in a dying industry during a gruelling cost of living crisis, I'm ideally placed to be your guinea pig. What's more, I really wanted to find a way to make my day-to-day a bit nicer. So, over the course of a month, I practised as many of these scientifically backed strategies as I could to see what would stick. Here's my crash course in contentment.
Experiment 01
Satisfaction, Gamified
Denne historien er fra November - December 2023-utgaven av Men's Health South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra November - December 2023-utgaven av Men's Health South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Last 7 Recipe You'll Ever Need
FADS COME AND GO. BUT GOOD EATING AND PROPER NUTRITION CHANGES VERY LITTLE. SO WE COMBED THROUGH ALL THE RECIPES IN MEN'S HEALTH'S 36-YEAR HISTORY TO FIND THE ONES THAT TRULY DELIVER ON BOTH FLAVOUR AND FUNCTION.
The Changing Face Of Cancer
While cancer rates are falling in older adults, they're increasing among younger age groups. It's a trend exposing holes in both diagnosis and care. It's also raised a new question for experts: how do you get vital and potentially life-saving information to people unaware they need it?
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 ADVENTURES
YOUR TIME OFF IS VALUABLE. TO BOOK YET ANOTHER FLY 'N' FLOP IS TO DO YOURSELF A DISSERVICE. THIS YEAR, BREAK FREE FROM THE POOLSIDE BAR AND GET YOUR KICKS IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. FROM EXPEDITIONS IN FAR-FLUNG PLACES TO HIGH-OCTANE WEEKENDS CLOSER TO HOME, CONSIDER THESE YOUR FIRST STEPS OFF THE BEATEN TRACK.
4 WAYS TO REBOOT YOUR MINDSET
STRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND/OR YOUR SANITY? WE'VE GOT FOUR SIMPLE BUT ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO HELP YOU ADAPT AND OVERCOME, THIS YEAR AND BEYOND.
TRAIN TO YOUR MAX
Cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the most important health markers when it comes to your overall wellbeing. Here's how Discovery Vitality Fitness gives you more ways than ever to fire up your engine.
SLUSH FUN
FROZEN DAIQUIRIS ARE REFRESHI AND ALSO SICKENINGLY SWEET. TRY A FROZEN PIMM'S CUP, WHICH HAS ALL THE FLAVOURS WITH WAY LESS SUGAR.
THE HEALTH SNOB'S GUIDE TO COLD-BREW COFFEE
BOTTLED COFFEE MIGHT BE ABUNDANT, BUT CAFFEINE AFICIONADOS MAKE THEIR OWN. FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO PREP A HEALTHY BREW FOR A REFRESHING PERK-ME-UP.
SUPP CHECK RECOVERY PACKAGE
COLLAGEN IS TOUTED AS THE GO-TO SUPP FOR BONE, SKIN AND JOINT HEALTH, PLUS FAST INJURY REPAIR. BUT DOES IT DELIVER? TIME TO GEN UP.
THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...THE SINUSES
FOR AS LONG AS sinuses have been around, aka forever, there has been a ton that scientists haven't figured out about them.
BULLISH
The Blue Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier is striving for greatness. Here's how he's putting in the right reps to make sure mind and muscle are firing in unison.