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Keep Your Creativity Fresh

Creativity is energy, and creative energy is at the heart of all life. In fact, it’s an everyday staple. It helps us grow our talents and keeps us happy and healthy. Even as infants we learn to sing before we talk and dance before we ever walk. As parents, we can purchase a high-end toy for children one day and the very next day watch them turn a cardboard box into a plaything that will pique their interests for hours. Creative energy is part of our nature, and we love being creative. It is the energy that makes your mind flow and helps you find new ways to be happy and radiate good vibes. You are a creativity engineer Our minds are flooded with 11 million bits of information per second (no typo, 11 million), but some scientists say we can only focus on 40 bits. To give you an idea (measuring two bits per typed character), by the time you read the words “August, September, October,” you have already used up your 40-bit allotment. That fast. This means that an awful lot of what’s happening around us and to us goes undetected. Yet, our allotted maximum attention of 40 bits of data, which may not sound like much, accumulates throughout an average life span. It is from these 40 bits of data that we “choose” who we want to be and how we want to live. What differentiates humans from every other animal on the planet is that we can imagine a fictional scenario and put ourselves into it. We can visualize how we want things to turn out. We can imagine how we want to build our lives. And then we can creatively engineer our plan from the river of information streaming at us moment by moment. In my opinion, this uniquely human capability has much to do with achieving our purpose in life. Positive, creative thinking is nothing less than sacred. What causes creative burnout Concentration (especially on the same thing) for long periods of time will burn you out. You know you are almost running out of steam when you begin to feel tense or become fatigued. You also might experience a wandering mind or body pain. You start to crave caffeine drinks, high fructose drinks or even harmful substances. These are signals that you need to re-balance. One thing I recommend is shifting between your analytical, physical and creative energy pipelines. For example, if you are learning a new melody on the piano or painting a landscape, or doing anything artistic, get out of your “creative” mind for a while and do something physical. Sports like jogging or swimming or even sweeping a floor, gardening or rearranging a room work very well. I love cleaning house as much as I love practicing martial arts, yoga and jogging, as these activities send my mind into organizational mode quickly. Physical action gives your creative mind a rest while activating your organizational side. Next, I recommend shifting to something analytical. Try something new: start a book you’ve been wanting to read or research a fascinating topic on the internet; the higher the interest or personal significance, the better. Make it something positive. This way, the energy you feel and glean is high quality. When you toggle back to your creative activity, each of the other energies you have been dabbling in will merge. This is key. This is what gives you the biggest surge of energy. You will feel better organized, more analytically creative and have more pizzazz. As you shift back and forth to keep a balanced mindset, you are not turning off parts of your mind in preference to others. You are, in effect, putting one up front while the other is still running like a file (on a lower energy consumption mode) “underneath.” So, although you shift from playing your melody on the piano, writing a poem or creatively assembling a future goal to jogging or housekeeping, your creative mind is still working solutions for you. This switch is essential to keep you charged and to protect you from burnout. May the energy be with you! Energy tips to keep creativity fresh • Look for a connection between your activities and a personal life priority. Look for a poem in the walk you take through the park or when you observe sunlight touching a flower, jot down the details right away and assemble them later. Connect the poem to something that can improve your life, like finding a peaceful solution to a conflict that is gnawing at you. •Make yourself aware of physical activities that refuel your creative mind. These are not a one-size-fits all. Mine are jogging, hiking and playing the violin. Einstein had the habit of taking a break from his research every now and then to play the piano before going back to work. Enjoy finding yours and use them often. •To stay balanced, shift to another activity at or before hitting your 80 percent energy reserve mark. When you shift, push the pedal to the metal to get those juices flowing. • Stay fresh and creative by discovering what balancing activities work best at different times of your day. Some people find that reading inspires their creativity, but they need to read, say, first thing in morning, before they get to their own work. Timing really can be everything. Listen to our podcast with Joseph Cardillo: How to Master Body Intelligence Read more by Joseph Cardillo: 3 Quick and Natural Energy Boosts You Can Use Anytime and 5 Ways to Recharge Your Energy Anytime You Need It JOSEPH CARDILLO, PH.D., is an inspirational speaker and sought-after expert on energy teaching. He is the author of Body Intelligence: Harness Your Body’s Energies for Your Best Life and the body-energy classic Be Like Water. He has taught his methods to more than 20,000 students. Visit josephcardillo.com or follow him on Facebook or Twitter @DrMindFitness.

Self-Care

#HappyFacts: Eat Your Veggies, Catch Some Zzz’s

Inspired by the Live Happy Now podcast, which debuted as a #1 New and Noteworthy podcast on iTunes in 2015, the new one-hour Live Happy radio show will air Sundays at 8AM CT on 98.7 KLUV-FM in Dallas and can be heard nationwide on Radio.com. Each week, Live Happy Radio presents #HappyFacts designed to enlighten, educate and entertain you. Here’s a look at what we’re talking about this week: Eat Your Veggies! You heard it from your mom dozens of times: eat your fruits and vegetables! But it turns out she wasn’t just helping you build a healthy body, but helping to bolster a happy mind, too. In a newly published study, researchers from the University of New Hampshire followed college students over a four-week period and found that those who increased their intake of fruits and vegetables also reported feeling greater well-being. This was true regardless of whether they also consumed coffee, sugary drinks or alcohol. Based on the overwhelming results of the study, researchers say they are now able to look at how fruits and vegetables can be used to influence happiness habits, such as kindness and gratitude. So if you’re feeling grumpy, all you need to do is eat your greens! Read more about the 5 foods that can help boost your mood Catch Some Zzz's If you’ve ever woken up from a great night’s sleep and thought, “Man, I feel like a million bucks!” you might not be that far off base. UK researchers at the University of Warwick found that getting good, quality sleep has the well-being equivalent of winning a £200,000 jackpot (about $258,000 USD). A lack of sleep, getting poor quality sleep or the use of sleep medications all were associated with lower well-being and less happiness. Part of the association to happiness could be because sleep affects our amygdala, where we do our emotional processing; that’s why we feel short-tempered or angry when we don’t get enough sleep. (“I’m not mad at you, my amygdala is!”) It also takes a toll on the hippocampus, where our memories are stored, which results in that foggy feeling and poor memory that comes with lack of sleep. Even the researchers in New Hampshire, who studied fruit and vegetable intake, found that out of four health behaviors—sleep quality, exercise, smoking and fruit and vegetable intake—sleep quality was the strongest predictor of happiness and positive affect. So imagine how happy you’ll be if you get great sleep AND eat your Brussels sprouts! Read more about how to get to sleep and stay asleep Big Bloom Theory It’s no secret that flowers make women happy. (Especially on Valentine’s Day when they are delivered by the dozen.) But did you know that flowers can bring a smile to your face that reaches all the way into your brain? In a study from Rutgers University, women who were given a flower smiled what’s known as a Duchenne smile (the kind where your eyes crinkle and your lips curl up). That type of smile has been previously linked to positive emotion and neural activity, and those who received flowers also reported feeling happier and more social. Different versions of this experiment have shown that receiving flowers has a lasting effect on an individual’s happiness, and, among older research subjects, it also has a positive effect on memory. So next time you decide to stop and smell the roses, why not buy them and make someone’s day? Watch a video about giving random acts of flowers

Lifestyle

Top 10 Happy Movies of All Time

Movies are the great escape. They take us to places we’ve never been and will likely never go. They let us enjoy heart-racing excitement without ever leaving our chairs and can even inspire us to try new things. (Seriously, who hasn’t thought about building a time-traveling DeLorean after watching Back to the Future?) Of course, not all movies are created equal—some are designed to make us think, some to make us cry, some to make us terrified of ever taking a shower again. Yet others make us want to get up on a table and dance! Or hug the person in the theater next to us with happy tears in our eyes as the closing credits roll. They capture the magic of childhood or the ineffable moment of falling in love. They bring us beauty, music (literal or figurative), emotion—stardust. With that in mind, here’s a look at 10 of the happiest movies ever made. Little Miss Sunshine Anyone who has taken a family road trip knows how quickly tensions rise. Rarely is conflict as funny or heartwarming as in this dysfunctional family quest set on the way to a beauty pageant. As the journey unfolds, the familial quirkiness becomes endearing and, ultimately, we’re reminded of the true meaning of family and the joy of living life on your own terms. Love Actually Although it takes place at Christmastime and has become a holiday favorite, Love Actually brings goodwill to man (and woman) year-round. Disguised as a romantic comedy, the film is, in fact, an exploration of the different types of love that connect us all. Starring a sprawling cast of favorite British actors falling in and out of various states of love, it is a reminder of how awkward, infuriating, funny and rewarding relationships can be. Good Will Hunting Who knew that a movie about a guy doing math problems could turn into such a beloved classic? This movie resonates for many reasons, from its stellar cast (Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams) and snappy dialog to the unmistakable message about being true to yourself and following the path that’s right for you. Forrest Gump Watching this movie (again) makes life feel like a celebration, regardless of which underlying theme you choose to focus on: the value of love and friendship; the importance of letting your passions guide you; or the beauty of a good heart and good intentions. It’s a great reminder that we don’t have to “be” better to “do” better in life. Despicable Me The battle of good vs. evil has been going on since the beginning of time, but rarely does it play out with such entertaining characters. This animated film plays it for laughs but still manages to send the very clear message that anyone—even a supervillain—can have a change of heart, and that we can find love in the most unpredictable ways at the most unexpected times. Plus, who doesn't love a minion? The Sound of Music Even without all those great songs that will stick in your head for days, this musical is timeless. Featuring a glowing Julie Andrews at her peak, it reminds us of the different kinds of love we have in our lives (parental, romantic...) and reinforces the importance of family. It also admonishes us to follow our hearts and climb every mountain, regardless of how imposing they seem. It’s a Wonderful Life Another holiday classic that is worth watching at any time of the year, It’s a Wonderful Life never seems to get old. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) takes us along for an eye-opening ride into the power of love and family, the importance of friendship and social support and, for added moral measure, how destructive greed can be. Singin’ in the Rain Some 65 years after it was made, this film remains a Technicolor, fun-filled musical romp. While it is, ostensibly, a movie about trying to get a movie made, it’s primarily an excuse to enjoy some singing, electric dancing and, naturally, a bit of romancing between Gene Kelly and adorable sprite Debbie Reynolds. When a film is this happy and lighthearted, you can’t help but feel the same. 9 to 5 Feeling bummed out at work? Boss got you down? All you need is a good dose of this movie (and maybe a day off). From the upbeat theme song that has become an anthem for the workweek blues to the implausible but empowering plotline, 9 to 5 can’t help but put a smile on your face. And hidden under it all are some great reminders about resilience, feminism and the power of dreams in action. The chemistry of friendship between seemingly mismatched stars—veteran actress Jane Fonda, comedian Lily Tomlin and country singer Dolly Parton—comes right through the screen. Inside Out All of us are guided by our emotions, but never has that been so clearly illustrated as in this charming animated movie. Although it’s disguised as a film for children, this Pixar project resonates with adults who get an unmistakable reminder that the loss and sadness we experience in our lives deepen our appreciation for the joy we will eventually feel again. Read more: 10 Life-Changing Books That Will Stay With You Forever Paula Felps is the science editor for Live Happy magazine.

Self-Care

How to Eat Like a Human

Hi, my name is Michelle and I eat three meals a day. With carbs. And a snack. While that might not sound shocking to you, it’s absolutely mind-blowing to me. Let me back up a bit. During my teenage years, I was intent on eating as little as possible. Portobello mushrooms and diet pills washed down with a Diet Snapple (and a nap during lunch). Restriction eventually led to binging, followed by years of eating disorders. My weight fluctuated by the week, even by the day. One year I might lose 40 pounds, and the next year gain it back. It was the era of disordered eating. I spent my early 20s in New York City and my eating habits changed. I learned how to stabilize my weight. I would start with egg whites in the morning, then eat anything I wanted in the evening and starve myself in-between. I truly thought I had found a solution. But I’m sure you can guess where that solution led me: Those “anything I wanted” dinners became compulsive, and soon I was back in an unhealthy cycle of binging and restricting. And then, in my mid-20s, I discovered the world of wellness—yoga, meditation, mindfulness, edible hemp. Like Oz, it was shiny, glowing and full of antioxidants. Here were people living healthy lives and loving their bodies. I became friends with women who were going after their dreams and becoming entrepreneurs. The community was rife with confidence coaches, vegan restaurant owners and people making documentaries on the politics of food. I was hooked and wanted to follow their lead. Searching for healthy options My journey to unhealthy eating of ostensibly healthy food began innocently enough in the aisles of Whole Foods. There, with my wellness friends, I learned about gluten-free eating, the paleo diet and the intricacies of living a vegan life. I discovered a thousand different ways to not eat carbohydrates (my favorite: chickpea pasta). I learned what “raw” meant. I jumped in headfirst and stopped eating animal products for a solid year. It was the era of veganism. My best friend would offer me a bite of her turkey sandwich and I would have to gently remind her that I was now a vegan. She would say, with so much love, “Michelle, I don't think you really are,” and I would be aghast. I had convinced myself that my body was thriving, but in fact, my body was depleted and exhausted. I was craving animal protein. As I dove deeper into the wellness community, starting my own wellness-branding company and founding a mind/body/spirit camp for adults, the word “cleanse” began to infiltrate my vocabulary. I discovered that people could drink nothing but juice for days at a time, get all the nutrients their bodies needed, and did not have to worry about food at all! It seemed too good to be true. I jumped in headfirst and stopped eating solid food. It was the era of juicing. I decided to cleanse for 25 days straight in order to truly “clean out” my body. To detox. To thrive. I was drinking six juices a day, and getting colonic two to three times a week. My skin was glowing, I was losing weight. Once again, I thought I had found the solution: Juicing, colonics and infrared saunas became my way of life. I truly was shocked when, at the end of that 25 days, my body went right back into the same cycle. Binge, restrict, binge, restrict. And so for the year that followed, I would continue to dance in and out of “cleansing,” which for me (and, I imagine, for many others) was actually more about restricting. Back to square one It had been a few years since The Juicing Era, and I was still trying to find stable, lasting health and vitality. Smoothies became my go-to. I would drink smoothies all day long, and then eat carb-free in the evenings. But, inevitably, those carb-free evenings turned into a binge of multiple cans of beans and box upon box of lentil pasta. (Yes, I found a way to abuse lentils.) And then, finally, I woke up. I decided to ask someone else—someone not necessarily in the mind/body/spirit/wellness world—what I should be eating. I found a licensed nutritionist, and this is what she told me: Eat three meals a day plus one snack. You should have carbs, fats and protein in every meal. When my nutritionist first explained this, I literally thought she was talking about an outdated food plan from the 1950s. Fats and carbs in every meal? It sounded like a weight-gain plan. Don’t carbs make you fat and sluggish? She might as well have told me to start drinking Ensure three times a day. But I decided to try itbecause my various attempts at vitality had led me into the same cycle over and over again. And I was ready for a new way. By the time this article is published, I will have been eating this way for more than 90 days, and I am forever changed. This is the way people eat! It’s so simple, and yet I never understood it. But now, as I wake up before my alarm clock, with a bounce in my step—and my body feeling strong, alive, and truly thriving—now I get it. I finally get it. All of the unhealthy eras are in the past. Now the healthy Era of Michelle has begun. Read more: 7 Steps to Loving Your Body and 3 Steps to Better Eating Michelle Goldblum is the Co-founder and Director of Soul Camp, an adult sleep-away camp with a mind/body/soul theme.

Lifestyle

Simplify Your Life in 12 Steps

As technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, ideally these changes would help to simplify our lives. Perhaps our phones and computers could take over for some tasks we used to do. Alas...instead our lives have become increasingly complex, busy, stressed and sometimes overwhelming. Living simply doesn't just mean ditching your belongings and buying a tiny house. Before you chuck it all and buy a plane ticket to Borneo, let’s look at the many ways, large and small, in which we can reduce, declutter and, yes, simplify our lives in order to be happier and more focused on what is truly important to us. 1. Slow down Have you ever noticed that when you get sick and are forced to slow down, you see things you didn’t when you were in the frenetic blur of life? Don’t wait for your next head cold before you become present with your own life. Slow down and really hear what your kids are saying. Take a walk in nature. Make time for your favorite leisure activity, like taking a bubble bath or flipping through a good magazine before bed. Slowing down fosters mental clarity. 2. Write it down When you think it, ink it. You pay a mental toll for carrying around your to-do list in your head—and you are more likely to forget something important. Capture your to-dos and brilliant ideas on paper or digital device right when they come to you. Your brain will thank you later. 3. Watch this documentary Having doubts about all the stuff taking over your house? Your life? The documentary Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things asks the viewer to rethink the American dream of materialism. This eye-opening film shows why, contrary to popular belief, we will not become happier by acquiring more things, but instead by becoming more aware of who we are and what we want out of life. Read more: Do You Really Need That? 4. Have a delete day Take a day—or a few hours out of your day—to delete emails, voicemails and text messages you no longer need. Unsubscribe from unwanted emails with the app Unroll.Me, which allows you to see a list of your subscription emails and then does the unsubscribing for you. Easy. While you are at it, delete your email trash folder. If your hard-copy files are stacking up, too, fill the paper shredder and recycle bin. At the end of this purging, you will feel squeaky clean and amazing. 5. Prepare food for the week ahead Simplify mealtimes by shopping for healthy food staples on the weekend and preparing meals for the week ahead. Consider cooking chicken breasts, hard-boiling eggs or making a big batch of chili. Make enough rice to use all week as a side dish. Cut up fresh veggies and have them ready in your fridge to munch on or toss on the grill. Do the same with fruit. Eating healthy is easy when you do a little advance prep. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. —Lao Tzu 6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help Being a mom or dad superhero can last only so long. Some days we just need help. Give yourself permission to ask. Reach out to a friend, relative or your own kids for help cleaning the house or walking the dog. If you need a break, speak up and tell someone. You don’t have to be a martyr. Asking for the help you need ultimately benefits the entire family. Read more: Are You Making This Common Parenting Mistake? 7. Put positive habits on autopilot Instead of lamenting that a month has gone by and you haven’t read a book or made it to the gym, set a new habit and stick to it. Habits put you on autopilot, making your goals achievable, says happiness expert and best-selling author Gretchen Rubin. “So many things we want to do require repetitive engagement. If you are going to have coffee with a friend once a week, take a bike ride, read Scripture...it’s so much easier when there’s a habit to it. When you say, maybe I will go bike riding Monday after work, or maybe I will go on Tuesday, it just doesn’t happen. Habits are the way we follow through on the things we know will make us happier.” Read more: Habits Can Be Happiness Forming 8. Simplify your wardrobe How much time do you spend in front of your closet looking for something to wear?Consider a “capsule wardrobe.” Trim your closet to about 12 high-quality items that go together and work for the current season. (Store the rest of the year’s items out of view.) Aim for fewer than 30 pieces total, including accessories. With fewer choices and no closet clutter, deciding what to wear will no longer be stressful. (For further explanation of why less is more when it comes to choice, see Barry Schwartz’s excellent book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less.) 9. Touch it once If you tracked how many times you touch the same piece of paper on your desk, you’d realize that shuffling paper can make time disappear. The “touch it once” rule is a foundational time management principle and it’s an acronym—TIO—that goes beyond paper. We lose lots of time evaluating and re-evaluating our to-do lists, stacks of paper, emails and tasks and telling ourselves we will get to it later. “Touch it once” means deciding what to do with something while it’s in front of you. Decide to finish it, delegate it or put it on a project list. Tackle the stacks of paper—and your email—in the same way. Use it. File it. Or trash (recycle) it. 10. Just say ‘no’ Do you ever say “yes” to something, but schedule it far down the road so you don’t have to deal with it now? Just say “no” right away instead. If you don’t want to do the thing now, you aren’t going to want to do it later either. Read more: 5 Positive Reasons for Saying No 11. Sort it out In Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, she suggests decluttering by category—your books, then your clothes—instead of by the room in your house. This is a fairly unusual idea that really works. Her more famous advice is to keep only the belongings that spark joy for you. The goal is to create a home filled with things you love. 12. Know yourself Perhaps one person can work a full-time job, volunteer for several causes and never miss a date night but nonetheless not feel stressed. Yet someone else may need fewer activities and more free time in order to feel a sense of peace and flow in life. Tune in to your quiet voice that tells you whether you are living according to your values. Make adjustments to your schedule based on what you know to be true for you. Tip: If you aren’t doing your favorite things, it might be time to realign your activities with your core beliefs. Sandra Bilbray is a contributing editor to Live Happy, and the founder and CEO of themediaconcierge.net.

science

Advancing Global Happiness in Dubai

As business, government and academic leaders from around the world gathered to discuss rapid global changes and the challenges that accompany them, they also looked at how happiness initiatives can help us create a brighter future on a global scale. The fifth World Government Summit, held in February in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, brought together more than 4,000 attendees from around the globe to hear nearly 100 speakers discuss education, artificial intelligence, climate change, food security and other pressing topics, with happiness as an underlying theme. Happiness as Global Policy As part of the ongoing discussion of importance of happiness in government policy, this year’s summit began with a one-day event called the Global Dialogue for Happiness. More than 300 people attended the workshop to learn about implementing happiness into government policy. Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the UAE minister of state for happiness, said, “With so many evolving trends in technological development, from artificial intelligence to autonomous vehicles, the real question that should be asked is, ‘How will this contribute to a happier life?’” She explained that happiness has become a focal point for the UAE, where leaders embrace the idea that “the main duty of government is to ensure happiness.” To provide insight, a roster of high-profile experts from the worlds of science, government, academia and positive psychology delivered research on the role of happiness. From University of Illinois’ Edward Diener discussing “Why Should Governments Take Psychological Well-Being Seriously” and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University explaining the concept of “Flow” to a session on how to design policies for happiness and well-being, the day highlighted the need to balance advancements in technology with well-being, happiness and human progress. “While economic progress and income generation are important, they certainly did not encompass the whole aspect of growth,” said Helen Clarke, former prime minister of New Zealand and administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. “There is much more in life than the interest in how much money is generated per capita.” Learning for Life Much of the summit dealt with coming changes, and Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern University in Boston, reminded attendees that as our world changes, so should the way we learn. The challenge, he said, is for each of us to reimagine what education means and how it should be administered. “Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a revolution. Machines are getting smarter, and there are new jobs coming. We have to get learners ready to learn for life.” Rapid changes in technology will only continue escalating, creating new jobs and eliminating old ones. For both institutions and individuals, it’s time to start looking at new ways to succeed. Instead of focusing on undergraduate and graduate degrees, Joseph said in a presentation called “The Future of Higher Education,” universities should begin learning how to integrate lifelong learning through certificate programs and on-site training. “We have to reframe how we provide learning,” he noted. “The notion of a degree that takes two years has to be rethought, because when people have jobs, they cannot afford to go back and spend two years at a university.” While robotics and AI will take away many jobs, they will also create new jobs, and that’s where learners will need to adapt to the changes, just as universities will have to rethink how they provide education. Emily Larson, director at the International Positive Education Network in London, says the rise of robotics and AI also brings the opportunity to change the way we think about and approach education at all levels. “The type of education we have now is largely a 19th-century model where students learn, study, then take exams. With AI replacing and exceeding our abilities to answer basic questions and memorize information, it will force us to reimagine the function and use of education,” she says “It could allow us to break our mental barriers of what education looks like.” Out of the Blue In his book The Blue Zones, National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner looked at regions where longevity was the norm. These so-called blue zones have little in common geographically but all defy normal age demographics. “Wherever you see a population that is producing spry 90-year-olds, no matter where they are, there are some key things that they share,” Dan said. “You’ll see that longevity is something that happened to them; it’s not something they pursue. Longevity is just a residue of their environment.” The good news is that you don’t need to move to Costa Rica or Okinawa or any of the other areas identified as blue zones to enjoy some of the benefits that have cultivated their healthy, long-living societies. Dan explained that learning some of the commonalities—and adopting them in your daily life—can help add healthy years to your life. Five Commonalities We Can Learn From the Blue Zones 1. THEY DON’T EXERCISE. This doesn’t mean they don’t move; it means they move naturally. “They walk, they have gardens, they clean their homes; they haven’t de-engineered all the activity out of their lives.” 2. THEY HAVE MEANING. “They have the same daily stresses as we do, but they have those sacred daily rituals that reverse stress. They meditate. They pray. They take naps. They go to happy hour. And they can articulate the reason for which they get up every morning.” 3. THEY HAVE STRONG FOUNDATIONS. Dan said about 50 percent of populations that live a long time have strong family ties. That means they care for aging parents, are committed to their spouse and family, and stay married. “They invest in their family.” 4. THEY BELONG TO A RELIGION. People who attend a place of worship four times a month live, on average, 14 years longer than those who don’t. “And, by the way, religious people in religious places report being happier than those who aren’t religious at all.” 5. THEY SHARE A LIKE-MINDED SOCIAL NETWORK. For better or worse, you will become more and more like the people with whom you surround yourself. “If your three best friends are obese, you are 150 percent more likely to be obese,” Dan said. And other bad habits including smoking, drinking and negativity all are contagious as well. “Who you surround yourself with makes a huge difference,” he said. What Is the Future of Happiness? As governments continue to redefine themselves in an increasingly digital world fueled by artificial intelligence and rapid innovation, they must also redefine the measure of success, said a panel of experts during a segment called “The Future of Happiness: A Mission for Government.” Moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest, the panel featured three editors of the World Happiness Report: Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University; John Helliwell, Ph.D., emeritus professor at University of British Columbia; and Richard Layard, program director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. “Happiness should be a key objective of government,” Jeffrey said. “To ensure happiness, government must first ensure that other values are upheld, such as fairness and safety in society. Governments need to understand what is important for people within their borders.” And, he added, when governments are given the choice between an objective of raising their gross domestic product or creating a happier society, “I’d rather they go for the happiness.” Richard said that some policymakers are uncomfortable talking about happiness as a role of the government, so it often must be presented in terms of “life satisfaction.” “Policymakers got used to addressing such questions as, ‘Are you satisfied with your police service?’ so we are able to ask the question, ‘Are you satisfied with your life?’ They can then let that answer guide the way they allocate their money and set their goals.” However, even as work continues at higher levels to integrate happiness into government planning and policy, individuals must do their part. “As important as it is for governments to contribute to people’s lives, people must also change the way they live their lives,” John said. “They must live in a way that generates happiness for themselves and others. “The key is by genuinely trying to make others happy, we bring more happiness into our own lives.” Read more: World Happiness Report Names Norway Happiest Country in 2017 and World Happiness Summit Merges Meditation and Motivation Paula Felps is the science editor for Live Happy magazine.

Lifestyle

Tony Hale Fuels His Characters With Experience

Actor Tony Hale, with an amazing staff of writers and uber-talented co-stars, is tasked with the harder-than-it-looks job of making political mayhem hilarious in HBO’s hit show, Veep. Luckily for him, pressure and stress are just the tools he needs to play Gary Walsh, the sheepish and devoted assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ egocentric, scurrilous politician Selina Meyer. Gary is Selina’s personal assistant or “body man,” tasked with anticipating her every need. Carrying his signature satchel, he is ready for any demand at a moment’s notice, toting newspapers, her schedule, makeup, sweeteners and snacks. In the 2015 “Gary Antoinette” episode involving a cake scandal, Selina rips into him, saying, “You are not a big shot, Gary, you’re a middle-aged man who sanitizes my tweezers.” In a rare instance of self-defense, Gary responds, “You’re wrong. I’m your calendar, I’m your Google, I’m your Wilson the volleyball….I have let myself be laughed at, I have let myself be humiliated, and I’m happy to do it.” The scene highlighted an underlying understanding and depth beyond the characters’ lighter comedic interactions. “I enjoy sitting in the tension, with the audience knowing the crazy circumstances that are around me,” Tony says. “When you know there is a lot going on in that head, simply just sitting in that tension is kind of fun.” He says that growing up, he was inspired by comics of similarly uncomfortable demeanors such as Tim Conway and Bob Newhart. “They just kind of sat in that awkwardness, in that tension and didn’t feel the need to push the comedy because everybody knew the crazy circumstances.” In Laughter We Trust With Americans so politically focused as of late, Tony isn’t worried that Veep might need to become a more serious reflection of our government. In fact, he thinks quite the opposite. “Maybe people are having a hard time laughing at what’s going on right now, but hopefully they’ll feel the freedom to laugh at our show,” he says. “It’s kind of sad to laugh at some things, but go ahead and laugh at this.” Veep’s actors make it easy to delight in our own discomfort watching their awkward onscreen antics. Tony says his seamless on-camera rapport with Julia helped to inspire performances resulting in his 2013 and 2015 Emmy awards for the show. “It’s hard to underline how a chemistry like this resulted, but a lot of it is trust,” Tony says. He notes that everyone in the cast is comfortable speaking up if they believe that something is not working. “So you have that trust that’s like, ‘Oh man, yeah we’re on the same page,’ in terms of what the tone of the show is,” Tony says. “Julia and I definitely have that support,” he continues. “We’ll be doing something and say, ‘OK, something funny could happen here…this could be punched up.’ Then the writers create this beautiful, hilarious foundation for us to play off of. It’s so much fun coming into a room and being like, ‘All right, what sort of comedy can we do here?’” The trust between Tony and Julia runs so deep that she asked him to accompany her onstage at the 2013 Emmys to help her accept her own award—in character. “That moment was terrifying,” he says, laughing. “She pitched the idea. She came to me and was like, ‘Hey, I think it’d be funny if you carried my purse.’ And she’s so good at what she does. And in the back of my head I was thinking, ‘Oh crap, she’s going to probably win and then I’m literally going to have to do this.’ “There was a moment when they called her name and we’re walking toward the stage, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh gosh, this could bomb really bad.’ And you just kind of connect to it, and thankfully, I think it worked.” Living Life Through Art Nervousness, anxiety and self-consciousness are not typically thought to be the hallmarks of a natural-born entertainer, yet Tony wouldn’t have it any other way. “Part of that was at first I didn’t know if I could make a living acting,” Tony says. “But then another part of it was that I was just very nervous about it. So I studied journalism, and then after college, I dipped my toe back in by getting back on stage. It was very nerve-wracking, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I got with it.” He’s now been in the acting business more than 20 years. “You learn to surrender to the uncertainty,” Tony says. “Somehow, it works.” “Working,” as Tony puts it, might be the understatement of the year. After breaking onto the scene with parts on Sex and The City, The Sopranos and Dawson’s Creek (not to mention a memorable turn dancing to Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” on a popular Volkswagen commercial in 1999), he caught his stride in a big way in the movie Stranger Than Fiction and as Buster Bluth, the clueless black sheep of the Bluth family on the critical darling TV series Arrested Development. While the roles of Buster and Veep’s Gary are vastly different on the surface, they share aspects of the anxieties and phobias that Tony knows all too well. While taking on these characters may seem nightmarish to some, Tony believes that getting to relive these feelings is a blessing in disguise. “It’s a lot more fun to play it than feel it,” he says, laughing. “In reality, anxiety is very different than how it’s played out. In reality, sometimes a ton of stuff is going on in my head. I’m just trying to figure out, ‘Oh my gosh. What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’” Read more: Find Your Funny Bone Power of Presence Tony’s success has allowed him to explore other interests. His first children’s book, Archibald’s Next Big Thing, was published in 2014. Beyond being a fun read for little ones, it also lovingly addresses many of the life lessons that Tony holds near and dear to his heart, like dealing with your fears and living in the moment. It’s promoted on adventuresofarchibald.com as “a story that reminds readers that, while looking for the next big thing isn’t a bad thing, big and beautiful things are all around us, right now.” “Little kids are very precious,” Tony says with pride. “My daughter (Loy, age 11) asks a lot of questions. ‘What’s for lunch? What’s for dinner?’ When I take her with me on a vacation, she’s like, ‘What are we doing tomorrow?’ She tends to always look ahead, and she gets annoyed by me because I’m always saying, ‘All right, I hear you, and we can talk about that, but let’s look at what’s around us right now.’ “So it’s not necessarily having a heavy discussion, but it’s just kind of fun to find a different way to look at life. I mean, yeah, we can talk about what’s for dinner, but are you enjoying your lunch now?” Tony’s mindset stems not just from his career successes, but also from a longtime commitment to prayer and meditation. His strong faith and spirituality even inspired him to co-found a sanctuary of sorts with a longtime friend, Kathy Karbowski. The Haven is a community of artistic-minded Christians who meet regularly to converse and support each other’s professional and religious endeavors. “We both met a lot of people in the arts whose faith was important to them, but it was hard for them to find a safe community,” Tony recounts. “We began to get these people together, and really just support each other by attending each other’s concerts, shows or galleries.” In the entertainment industry, Tony says, you spend a lot of time selling yourself, and having such support helps the group look outside of themselves to organize service work and be more a part of the community. “It’s very easy to get self-involved, myself included, and it’s because everyone wants to work….I’m very grateful toward those people in my life. “Another reason why I think we did it was the tremendous amount of rejection in this business. Even though people say, ‘Hey, blow it off,’ it’s very hard not to take it personally. It hurts, but when people in your community see you for who you are, it’s easier to walk away from rejection because they speak more truth into your life about who you really are. It is incredibly life-giving, I think.” While Tony’s cooperative spirit helps The Haven live up to its name for those who are a part of it, including his wife, Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Martel Thompson, his personal commitment to Christianity has been just as important to him over the years. “It’s not just a part of my life,” he says. “My relationship with God is the majority of it. Obviously, everyone has their own journey, but this life gets crazy, and this business can get you wrapped up in things that sometimes seem so major but really aren’t when compared to what’s going on in the rest of the world, which can seem overwhelming.” “By the way, I’m not great at this,” he added, meaning always living in the moment, prioritizing God and being of service to others. “But I am getting better.” Read more: Sam Worthington Bares His Soul Gerry Strauss is a frequent contributor to Live Happy magazine. His last feature article was Ming-Na Wen, Agent of Change.

Lifestyle

Brittany Lang Is Grateful for Every Shot

When Brittany Lang won the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open, she didn’t attribute it to her golf swing, her concentration or her tireless hours of practice. While all of those elements play a role in every game she plays, the 31-year-old LPGA pro golfer from McKinney, Texas, says her secret weapon is her attitude. “A positive attitude is everything,” Brittany says. “Whether you just made a mistake or just played a great hole, you have to move on. Your attitude is the difference between having your best day and having your worst day.” Now in her 12th year on the LPGA Tour, Brittany is definitely having plenty of good days. She says they’re made better by the fact that her career has become a family affair. Her husband, Kevin Spann, handles her scheduling while her brother, Luke, is her caddy. Her parents attend as many of her tournaments as they can, and they all spend time together as a family when she isn’t on the road. That really makes it easy on me—having my family around me, supporting me and watching me play. It makes it feel like home, no matter where I am. Brittany's parents have always been supportive of her goals and instilled her with gratitude and positivity. That, she says, helped her grow into a happy, well-rounded woman who is grateful for every opportunity she has been given. “It’s easy for professional athletes to get caught up in the pressure and everything around them, but I remind myself that it’s a beautiful day and I get to play golf for a living. That puts it all in perspective.” LIVE HAPPY: When did you last laugh out loud? BRITTANY LANG: Every second of every day that I’m with my brother. He’s my caddy, and he’s hilarious—so he’s great to have on the bag. He’s very positive, and I can’t tell you what a difference that makes when you’re out there playing. LH: What is the kindest thing someone has done for you? BL: I would say it’s the way my parents have given of their time. They have always been there for my brother and me. I think of how unselfish they are, and I know the reason we have such a close relationship with them is because they were always there for us, no matter what. LH: How do you pay it forward? BL: I am involved with a few charities, and wish I had time to do more. One of them is the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, which provides support for kids who have been dealt a really bad hand. The people who help those kids are angels, and we are involved with them in a few different ways to do what we can. LH: Where is your happy place? BL: Definitely at home, surrounded by my entire family, cooking out and watching a game on TV. That is my No. 1 favorite place to be. You just can’t beat it. Paula Felps is the science editor for Live Happy magazine.

Self-Care

Learning to Thrive With Post-Traumatic Growth

I remember the day well. I was a teenager. Everyone was asleep in our house, and I thought, “Growing up like this has damaged me. I don’t know all the ways yet, but I need help so it will not impact me for the rest of my life.” In that moment, I made a promise to myself to live differently from the way my parents raised my sister and me. The cycle of verbal and psychological abuse that my parents put us through—because of their own painful childhoods—would end with me. I didn’t know at the time that I was strong. I felt bottomless and lost. I didn’t have a positive foundation to start my life. And I used other people’s perceptions of me to determine how I felt about myself. A Chaotic Childhood Always a person who likes to understand things, I couldn’t grasp why my parents were abusive when they went to all the trouble to adopt my sister and me at six weeks old, only to treat us like they did. Our childhood was unpredictable and scary. My mom’s alcohol abuse changed her into someone who despised me and she let me know it. She regularly told me I was “stupid.” She’d rant and rave to my sister and me—slurring her words and stumbling. When my dad got home from work, she’d put on makeup and pretend to my dad that she was fine. Soon, they would be fighting. Worse, my dad pretended none of it was happening, and he never helped us. My sister and I never knew what to expect when we got off the bus and walked to our front door. Sometimes, mom would lock us out. Life-Changing Insight I must have been a pretty self-aware teenager because at some point I told my parents I needed to see a psychologist. They blamed bad genetics for my problemsbut agreed to let me go to therapy. My first psychologist helped me see that I wasn't the problem in this situation. When I finally left home for college, I felt liberated and safe, though still emotionally fractured. I focused on getting attention from men as a way to feel powerful and to escape my pain. I was impulsive and wild—unwittingly re-creating the adrenaline rush of my tumultuous childhood. I was 24 and living in Ohio when I found psychologist Gary Sarver, Ph.D., who changed my life. Of course, he would say, “You changed your life.” With talk therapy, he helped me understand and process everything I had experienced. Going through talk therapy with Dr. Sarver once a week on Wednesday evenings re-parented me. I attribute the process with turning my traumatic childhood into rocket fuel for inner strength, a strong sense of self and a resolve that would propel me forward to create a fulfilling and happy life. His wisdom stays with me today, at age 47, now that I am a happily married mother to two beautiful twin girls. Post-Traumatic Growth Recently, I learned there is a name for what I experienced at age 24: Post-traumatic growth, or PTG. In the wake of suffering or trauma, researchers have found that many people bounce back with even more determination to create a meaningful life. The term post-traumatic growth was first coined by Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D., and Lawrence Calhoun, Ph.D., psychologists at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, while they were working with a group of bereaved parents. They found that people who had suffered tremendous loss seemed to bounce back with a renewed sense of “activism, insight and altruism.” “Out of loss there is often gain, and in ways that can be deeply profound.” Lawrence Calhoun explains in the article "The Science of Post-Traumatic Growth" inLive Happy.“A staggering crisis can often change people for the better.” My belief is that talk therapy can facilitate post-traumatic growth. Whether you’ve experienced an abusive childhood or a tragedy, talk therapy, when done well, can take pain and transform it into strength to thrive. Here are six of the most important lessons I learned in therapy that have fostered my own post-traumatic growth. 1. Try anything. This sounds simple, but at the time, I was stuck. I had a college degree and wanted to be a writer or journalist, but I worked as an administrative assistant and a waitress. I worried I really was stupid and would fail. My self-image was in the dumpster. Trying things or taking risks is necessary to get to the good life. All the good stuff is on the other side of that thing you dread doing. You have to take the risks to get there. 2. You are your own harshest critic. I took over for my critical parents and verbally assaulted myself in my head. It wasn’t a healthy, “Oh, I failed at that.” It was an unhealthy “I’m a total failure.” Dr. Sarver introduced me to self-compassion, something I had never heard of. When you start to treat yourself like a best friend, life transforms. 3. Stop trying to make everyone like you. I was such a people pleaser that I became fake—pretending I was okay when I wasn’t, and not authentically expressing my emotions. Growing up attempting to keep the peace was a coping strategy, but as an adult, it resulted in my being a doormat. I sat on my emotions and my anger. I had to learn how to authentically express myself and, as he said, “be okay being uncomfortable with people angry at you.” 4. You have as many answers as anyone else. I had a tendency to see everyone around me as a successful adult and myself as a fumbling child. I’d idealize others and think they had all the answers. I’d date men who replicated my childhood instead of dealing with being alone. Talk therapy taught me to believe in myself and value my own company. 5. Good and bad things will happen to you; these are the normal waves of life. Fear of the next bad thing around the corner—that you are living under a “black cloud”—can immobilize you, but no one can live a meaningful life in hiding. Understand that you are not cursed, and choose the scary step over inaction. 6. In the end, you have to rescue yourself. This was my hardest lesson to learn. Somehow I thought my parents would see the light, apologize to me and we could all live happily ever after as a family. Dr. Sarver said, “It’s not going to happen.” Sometimes people aren’t capable of being who we need them to be. Acceptance and forgiveness were the hardest parts of talk therapy, but the most empowering. I realized we can give ourselves everything we need emotionally. We can let go of seeking it from people who hurt us. This realization was emotionally liberating. I feel a daily sense of peace and happiness knowing my childhood is in the distant past. Living through a painful childhood has made me appreciate every minute of my life as an adult. I love knowing I get to create my environment and choose the people in it. I derive an incredible sense of joy from finally believing I am strong. What makes me the happiest is knowing I did the work to end the cycle of abuse and create a happy home for my family. Read more by Sandra Bilbray: 7 Steps Back from Depression and Healthy From the Inside Out: 5 Tips to Get Fit For more resources about post-traumatic growth, go to UNC Charlotte's Posttraumatic Growth Research Center website. Sandra Bilbray is a contributing editor for Live Happy, and the CEO and owner of themediaconcierge.net.

Self-Care

Appreciate the Beauty All Around You

As part of our special bi-monthly series on Character Strengths, we are highlight the 24 strengths (your best innermost qualities) outlined by the VIA Institute on Character, and discussing how to better apply them in your everyday life. To take the free survey and find our your own top strengths, click here. If you are quick to express wonder at the blueness of the sky or the curving architecture of a downtown building, or you notice the skill and the artistry of athletes at a sporting event and not just the numbers on the scoreboard, appreciation of beauty and excellence may be one of your prominent character strengths. People high in this strength realize that each moment is unique and try to savor every second. This appreciation will also make you more susceptible to positive emotions such as awe, wonder, admiration and elevation. You might notice awe and wonder when you are surrounded by nature or when you view a piece of art. Likewise, you feel admiration for an Olympic athlete shattering expectations and records with grace and precision. The least-known emotion, elevation, occurs when you witness kindness or bravery in action that leads to a warm feeling in your chest, positive tingling in your arms and the motivation to pay it forward. Research shows you can boost your appreciation of beauty and excellence, and in so doing, enhance your well-being. Try one of these strategies: Read more: The Science of Elevation and a Visit With Pope Francis 1. Build Wonder Look for beauty in the little things. Anyone can marvel at a striking sunset or a stunning mountain landscape, but challenge yourself to appreciate beauty in the little things: One leaf, swaying back and forth, as it falls from a tree; the light that fills a person’s eyes as they begin to smile; two people talking and connecting at a bus stop as you drive by. As we begin to appreciate these little things, we realize that life is a collection of tiny moments. We can see and experience them or we can miss them. 2. Build Awe and Admiration Place yourself in environments where you’re most likely to be filled with awe and admiration. For example, spend time regularly in nature, in art museums, at sporting events or volunteering. While there, allow yourself to fully appreciate the experience. 3. Build Elevation Rewatch a movie or TV show that you found especially inspiring because of the goodness of one or more of the characters. Allow yourself to feel the emotion of elevation as you observe people doing positive, strengths-based actions for others. Afterward, try to spread your own kindness and compassion. Read more about character strengths: 3 Ways to Find the Funny in Everyday Life RYAN M. NIEMIEC, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist, certified coach, author and Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His latest book, Character Strengths Interventions: A Field-Guide for Practitioners, was released early this year. For more, visit viacharacter.org.

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