Want to be happy? Be more kind and generous, get in nature and more tips from a university happiness study 

By Happiness Correspondent

All of us want to be happy. But these days it has become hard to find with studies showing happiness levels plummeting.

Now thanks to the University of Bristol’s ‘Science of Happiness’ course we know some ways to see our levels boosted.

Launched in 2018, the University of Bristol’s Science of Happiness course was the first of its kind in the UK and students who took the course reported a 10 to 15% improvement in wellbeing.

Surprising take aways from the Science of Happiness course include:

• Talking to strangers makes us happier, despite a majority of us shying away from such encounters.
• Social media is not bad for everyone, but it can be bad for those who focus on their reputation.
• Loneliness impacts on our health by impairing our immune systems.
• Optimism increases life expectancy.
• Giving gifts to others activates the reward centres in our brain - often providing more of a happiness boost than spending money on oneself.
• Sleep deprivation impacts on how well we are liked by others.
• Walking in nature deactivates part of the brain related to negative ruminations, which are associated with depression.
• Kindness and happiness are correlated.