The how of happiness

Researchers have found new scientific evidence of what really boosts our moods. Here, their best strategies:

Take a Pass on Perfection
A fast way to trigger unhappiness is bigger to-do lists — not to mention mounting pressure for people who want to do it all.

Find Your Balance
Psychologists generally describe happiness as a sense of well-being or satisfaction with your life. They say there's fun without meaning (think foot massages) and meaning without fun (like 2 a.m. feedings), and happiness comes from some combo of the two.

Don't Try to Buy Happiness
Social Indicators Research found that those who avidly pursued possessions were less satisfied with their friendships, families, jobs — even their health — than participants who were less materialistic.

Switch Gears
Exploring a new interest, on the other hand, is inherently entertaining, and may lead you to discover other activities over time leading to more gains in well-being.

Lose Yourself in the Moment
For some people, achieving flow means whooshing down a ski slope. What delivers the most happiness: whatever activity energizes you and makes you feel like time is flying by — or even makes you lose track of it.

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
One way to feel happier is to recognize good things when they happen.

Share the Love
Contented people's happy experiences most often involved connecting with someone. It didn't matter if the strong bond was with a partner, a friend, or a parent.

Help Yourself by Helping Others
Helping others makes us feel capable and full of purpose, experts note, and it lets us quit stressing about our own problems for a while.

Choose to Choose Less
Too much choice can cause anxiety and lead people to blame themselves if their decisions don't turn out as well as they expected. Learn how to accept good-enough options.

Introduce Your Body to Your Mind
You can increase happiness just by articulating it. So get your body involved when you're feeling good.

Be More Forgiving
A conciliatory attitude can help counteract feelings of depression, powerlessness, and anxiety about future hurts.

Pick Out the Positives
People are able to make the best of things that happen — and that's a key to happiness.