The pursuit of happiness is a life journey that transcends borders, cultures and language. For many people, it’s the one, singular thing we hope to achieve with our lives, if nothing else. We spend years searching for the right habit, mindset or milestone that will finally bring us lasting happiness.
Yet at the same time, happiness can feel incredibly elusive. It’s portrayed in countless ways and associated with countless things. Money, family, career, love, success — we’re shown so many different paths to finding happiness. But after spending years chasing them down, many people discover they aren’t quite as happy as they imagined they’d be.
Part of the reason is that what constitutes happiness in one part of the world won’t necessarily translate to another. Western individualism versus broader collectivism, combined with the countless differences that make each person unique, makes it extraordinarily difficult to prescribe a single, universal path to happiness.
However, through decades of research and cross-cultural psychological studies, scientists have made remarkable progress in identifying several predictors of happiness that appear to transcend cultural boundaries. Below are two of them and how, regardless of who you are, incorporating them into your daily life can make you exponentially happier.
Habit 1: Be Kind
Kindness is one of the most universally recognized virtues, but it’s also one of the most reliable predictors of happiness. Although many people think of kindness as something that only serves to benefit the recipient, psychological research suggests that the person performing the kind act receives a significant emotional boost, too.
In a 2018 study published in The Journal of Social Psychology, researchers investigated whether a seven-day kindness activities intervention would increase individuals’ subjective happiness, specifically measuring whether different types of kindness activities had differential effects on happiness.
In the study, 683 participants from 29 different countries were asked to perform and observe acts of kindness for people they had either strong or weak social ties with, as well as to perform novel acts of self-kindness. Overall, the authors found that performing kindness activities for seven days reliably increased happiness. Additionally, they observed a positive correlation between the number of kind acts and increases in happiness.
What was perhaps most interesting is that the effects didn’t change across the different experimental groups. In other words, it didn’t matter whether the acts of kindness were directed to close friends, acquaintances, oneself or whether they were observed; kindness, in all its forms, had equally positive effects on happiness.
Simple acts of kindness don’t have to be massive, expensive undertakings. In fact, some of the most meaningful acts are often the simplest. Consider trying the following:
- Send a thoughtful message to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while
- Offer a genuine compliment to a colleague, friend or stranger
- Hold the door open for someone or help them carry something heavy
- Check in on a loved one who may be having a difficult week
- Leave a positive review for a small business you enjoy
- Donate books, clothes or household items you no longer use
- Let someone merge into traffic or give up your place in a queue
- Perform an act of self-kindness, such as setting aside time to rest without guilt
Why do these small acts of kindness make us feel so good? One explanation is that humans are deeply social creatures.
Being kind offers us several different benefits at once: it strengthens our social bonds, makes us feel more connected to others and, most importantly, reminds us that we’re capable of having a positive impact on the people around us. It moves our attention away from our own worries and toward something much bigger than ourselves as individuals.
But perhaps the greatest effect of kindness is that it tends to reverberate outward. When we help others, we usually receive gratitude, warmth or appreciation in return. This, in turn, boosts both our mood and others’, which reinforces the behavior. In some cases, it even inspires others to do the same. Your one small, kind act can have a butterfly effect that radiates positivity further than you could ever imagine.
When integrated into your routine, kindness as a daily habit can give rise to a greater sense of purpose, connection and satisfaction with life. These findings offer a much-needed sense of hope in that happiness isn’t something you have to wait to feel. Right now, at this very moment, you have the choice to actively create happiness through your treatment of yourself and others.
Habit 2: Move Your Body
Kindness demonstrates the power of our social nature. Physical activity, on the other hand, reflects the power hidden within our own biology. Among many other things, the human body evolved to move. And there’s a wealth of studies that show that our psychological well-being is very closely tied to that movement.
According to a 2018 systematic review published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, physical activity is consistently correlated with happiness across countries and regions. Of the over 1,100 retrieved records, the researchers reviewed 15 observational studies (13 cross-sectional and two longitudinal) and eight intervention studies (six randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized trials).
Overall, the authors concluded that individuals only need as little as 10 minutes of physical activity per week — or one day of exercise per week — for increased levels of happiness. Two of the randomized controlled trials included older adults and even cancer survivors, and found that both aerobic exercise and stretching or balancing exercise were effective in improving happiness.
Overall, evidence across every study showed a consistent positive relationship between physical activity and happiness.
The good news is that benefiting from physical activity doesn’t require an expensive gym membership, specialized equipment or elite athletic ability. Some accessible ways to get started include:
- Taking a brisk walk around your neighborhood
- Following a free yoga or stretching video online
- Dancing to your favorite music in your living room
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible
- Going for a bike ride with friends or family
- Doing a short bodyweight workout at home
- Gardening, cleaning or tackling physically active household tasks
- Walking while taking phone calls instead of sitting down
The link between movement and happiness is driven by several factors at once. Physical activity stimulates the release of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters and endorphins that cause feelings of reduced stress and improved emotional well-being. Exercise can also improve sleep quality and boost energy levels, all while fostering a sense of accomplishment and reward.
Just as importantly, movement helps us feel more connected to our bodies. Many of us spend multiple hours a day sitting, scrolling or working behind screens, which makes physical activity a boon opportunity to become more present and engaged with our immediate experience. It could be a walk through nature, a quick stretching session or playing a sport competitively — regardless of the form, movement provides us with a welcome mental reset.
The most encouraging finding from the research is that the threshold for benefiting appears remarkably low. You don’t need to become a marathon runner or spend hours exercising each week. Small, consistent amounts of movement are enough to make a measurable difference to your happiness. And like kindness, physical activity works best when you make it a regular part of everyday life, rather than an occasional effort.
Happiness is still a deeply complex and deeply personal experience. There’s no single habit that will guarantee you or anyone else a joyful life in every circumstance. Yet across cultures, backgrounds and life situations, these two behaviors repeatedly emerge as reliable predictors of greater well-being. They’re simple, accessible and available to almost everyone. And according to decades of psychological research, making room for both in your daily routine is the most effective investment you could ever make in your own happiness.
Are your everyday habits supporting your overall happiness and well-being? Take the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and see where you stand in comparison to others.
