How to Be Happy: 5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Happiness

While the pandemic was hard on nearly everyone, where we're at now — as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 infections drop — is starting to feel much more individual. Certainly, some older adults are still dealing with the longer-term effects of the loneliness and isolation that came with stay-at-home orders, says Bruce Rabin, M.D., professor emeritus of preventive medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. “It's concerning, because we know loneliness has been linked to memory loss, heart disease, and even increased mortality rates in older adults."

But others may be feeling a lift from resuming all the activities put on hold earlier in the pandemic — book clubs, dining in restaurants, going to workout classes or even to your house of worship. And then there are those in the middle — feeling the glimmers of hope and greater appreciation for family and friends, yet still struggling to face their new normal with energy and equanimity.

Wherever you're at, there's always room, and reason, to shoot for a little more happiness.

Here are five ways to reengage and find more joy in life:

1. Count your blessings

Research has consistently shown that people who practice gratitude have a lower risk of depression, higher levels of relationship satisfaction and greater resilience in the face of stressful events, says psychologist Acacia Parks, chief scientist at Happify Health. She recommends that you take five minutes at the end of each day to write about three things that happened to you that were good. Research shows that if you do this exercise every day for just one week, you can experience an increase in happiness for at least six months. “Our brains are wired to give extra attention to the negative,” explains Parks. “But if you purposefully focus on positive things, you'll automatically begin to notice all of the good around you, instead of dwelling on the bad.” Nightly gratitude lists have the added benefit of helping you doze off happily — which may lead to better sleep quality as well, she adds.

2. Take a hike

Just the very act of being outdoors impacts your mood, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, disti