Who doesn’t want to stay forever young? Live Happy’s new issue cover story “Happy for Life” explains how building positive habits like eating right, staying active, sleeping well and training your brain to be mindful and calm are the keys to a long and joyful life. Yet even more important? Having close, meaningful relationships.
“People who live a long time have a lot of positive emotion,” says George Vaillant of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. “And that means being part of a community. It’s hard to have positive emotion on a deserted island; you need other people.”
Well-being researcher and Blue Zones author Dan Buettner backs that up. “Making sure you have happy friends affects how long you live, because that’s contagious. And focusing on your immediate social network is more important than either diet or exercise programs when it comes to living a long, happy, healthy life. Happiness adds about eight years to your life expectancy; it’s almost as good for you as quitting smoking.”
Live Happy’s issue No. 26 is on newsstands this week. A larger format “bookazine”—it’s both a book and a magazine!—includes five chapters of well-being tips and resources, plus pullout posters and postcards. In this issue, we share scientifically proven methods to boost your happiness so you can increase your health. Readers will learn to practice:
Gratitude to refocus the brain to start looking for what’s good in life.
Compassion to counter the habit of dwelling on personal needs and challenges.
Savoring to increase appreciation for what’s right in the moment.
Optimism to lower stress response, which leads to better overall health and happiness.
Mindfulness to stay present and limit anxiety from worrying about the future.
Giving Back to boost well-being for all involved and to strengthen community bonds.
“This issue is unlike any we’ve ever done before,” says Deborah K. Heisz, Live Happy’s CEO, co-founder and editorial director. “It shares the key lessons of positive psychology research—as well as the latest tips, ‘how-tos’ and emerging science—in our largest, most comprehensive issue yet. The ‘bookazine’ format includes chapters relevant to every part of your life including happiness, health, resilience and happiness at work, school and at home.”
Also in this issue:
Stronger Every Day: Maria Shriver’s four guideposts to positivity from her new book, I’ve Been Thinking…Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life. Plus can’t-miss interviews with TV celebs Annie Potts, Mario Lopez and Denise Austin.
Finding Joy Again: Three powerful stories of how to recover from loss and live happier now. With five steps from Rick Hanson, Ph.D., to start the healing process.
Putting the ‘Om’ in Home: Author Rebecca West shares how rethinking home design can deliver joy and comfort. Plus seven keys to healthy family relationships from licensed psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser.
The issue is available at store.livehappy.com or at major retailers throughout North America including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Chapters Bookstores (Canada), Indigo Books, Safeway, Raley’s Supermarkets, SavOn Foods, Walmart and Hy-Vee Foods.
