For a lasting happiness boost, get social. German researchers asked 582 people to report on how satisfied they were with life, and then to come up with strategies to be more satisfied. Of those, 184 chose ‘wellbeing strategies’ that involved other people; things like helping an elderly neighbour, or spending more time with family, while the remaining 398 chose a non-social strategy, like stopping smoking. A year on, those who had focused on solo strategies saw no improvement, while the social bunch were more satisfied, regardless of happiness levels at the start of the experiment. C’mon, get social!
Words Laura Potter. Photograph Chris Bracewell
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September 2018
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