Pay It Forward For Happiness

The gift of happiness!

Did you know that scientists have proven that by performing small simple kind acts of kindness we can increase our own happiness dramatically? It’s true. I have gotten trapped in the view that in order to make an impact, I need to do something big. But it has been proven that even small simple acts matter.

Just buying someone a cup of coffee for less than $5, increases your happiness. One study showed that when one group that got money to spend on themselves, and another group was told to spend it on someone else, the second group was happier.

The funny part is that both groups were asked ahead of time which would make them feel happier, keeping the money and spending It on themselves or giving it away. Most participants thought they would prefer keeping the money. But the reality was the opposite.

Scientists even did this experiment in some poverty stricken areas where the small amount of money would mean a meal for their family. And even in that case, those that gave the money away were much happier.

So what does this mean for us? We all have a happiness set point, a degree of happiness that is our fall back. And we can actually increase our set point with some small and simple tasks. We have talked about writing down three to five things we are grateful for every day. Another activity is to think about something that happened that day and savor it for at least 20 seconds, feel the emotion of it, and that helps increase our set point.

And there are lots more. But small simple pay it forward activities are powerful. What can you do today? Donate a small amount to a charity or send a book or small gift to someone unexpectedly. Buy a small mug and put a plant in it to give as a gift. Or just think of something nice you can do for someone you work with or a family member.

Be creative! It doesn’t take much to lift your happiness set point. But consistency matters. Mix us some of these things and see what happens.

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