The Zoomer Report: Get Happier Today

Here are five things you can do today to get happier. The list comes from best-selling author Dan Buettner. His latest book Thrive – Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way offers lessons from the world’s happiest people.

1. Say something nice to your partner or family member — Research shows that when the ratio of unkind to kind remarks exceeds 4:1, relationships begin to erode.

2. Eat a plant-based breakfast — A meaty, saturated fat breakfast will inhibit blood circulation to the brain and muscles, sapping both energy and mental sharpness for hours.

3. Move before noon — Just 20 minutes of physical activity — even a walk! — will boost your well-being for 12 hours. Get your workout in before lunch to reap a full day of happiness benefits.

4. Socialize six hours — It sounds like a lot but results from a Healthways-Gallup survey of more than a million people show that America’s happiest people socialize six hours a day. Eat lunch with a friend, organize a happy hour, host a dinner party, join a club.

5. Get a good night’s sleep — He says if you’re sleeping less than six hours, you’re likely to be as much as 30 per cent less happy than those sleeping a full night. 7.5-8.5 hours is optimal for most people. I’ll have more on the findings in this book in the weeks ahead.

READ MORE ZOOMER REPORTS
The Zoomer Report: Good Worry
The Zoomer Report: Best Diet
The Zoomer Report: Relationships and Longevity

About The Zoomer Report
Libby Znaimer, a prominent Canadian journalist specializing in business, politics, and lifestyle issues, is producer and host of The Zoomer Report, a special feature on topics of interest to baby boomers and the 50+. It covers everything from health and wealth to leisure and volunteerism, from the special vantage point of the generation that has changed society in its wake.

Ms. Znaimer is also Vice-President of News and Information for Classical 96.3FM and AM740. Her first book, “In Cancerland – Living Well Is The Best Revenge” – was published in October 2007 by Key Porter.

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