Everyone hopes for happiness. Kids wait for new toys, teens wait for the newest phone, and adults wait for the love of their lives. But recent research has shown there are also a lot of ways to make yourself happy. Some are no brainers: be kind, get sleep, smile, e x e r c i s e . B u t j u s t a s happiness itself ranges from contentment to intense joy, there are a variety of ways to make yourself happy. And some are unusual.

Sadness=Happiness?

Watching as sad movie or listening to sad songs can actually make you happier. Studies from the Communication Research showed that greater sadness led to greater enjoyment, mediated by life reflection; specifically, both self- and socio-focused thoughts mediated this sadness impact on tragedy enjoyment. Furthermore, more sadness led to greater life happiness increase during exposure, mediated by socio-focused thoughts. “Sad movies help reflect on my life, allowing me to be happy” stated Desiree Martinez, a Senior at East Leyden .

Money Might Buy It

The old saying may only apply when you aren’t spending right. “Money often makes us feel selfish, and we do things only for ourselves. Well maybe the reason money doesn’t make us happy is that we are always spending it on the wrong things: in particular, that we’re always spending it on ourselves,” explained Michael Norton, a social science researcher. Senior Ajla Husic commented,, “I actually think spending money on someone other than myself does bring happiness. I can only imagine how happy I’ll feel someday when I’ll be able to give back to my mom for all she’s done for all she’s done for me. I’ll get you that house mama!”

Dear Diary

“A study from published in the journal Psychological Science, from Ting Zhang and her coauthors showed that many of us associate keeping a diary with our emotionally volatile teenage years. But new research suggests that recording our run-of-the-mill, daily experiences, rather than just our highs and lows, could bring us unexpected joy.” “It reminds me of good times ; however, it makes you sad because of how much your life has changed since then,” commented Ada Bulka, senior at East Leyden.

Stranger Danger

Putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation such as talking to a stranger can help boost happiness. A study from Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests talking to a cashier or barista at a coffee shop. “[In a] current study, people who had a social interaction with a barista (i.e., smiled, made eye contact, and had a brief conversation) experienced more positive affects than people who were as efficient as possible. Further, we found initial evidence that these effects were mediated by feelings of belonging.” “When I work in retail every now and then I will talk to a stranger, which really makes my day,” informed Husic.