Can we be happier doing mental training exercises?Good news: yes! The last two decades of research in the field of positive psychology have revealed that training our brain is not only possible, but can actually change its functionality to improve neural plasticity, increase gray matter and strengthen neural networks.
Therefore, just as there are different types of exercises to stimulate different groups of muscles and physical qualities, you can also intentionally develop different skill sets that improve your overall sense of well-being and happiness.
- But why do you need to train your brain to be happy?The answer is simple.
- Images of the cerebral cortex show that the brain produces more electrical activity after negative stimuli.
- Brain tendencies lead us to focus on the negative.
- Our fight-or-flight response.
To nullify the negative response at times when it is not adaptive we can train our mental skills, one of the best ways to do this is through positive thinking exercises, if we make the practice of positive thinking regular, we will experience positive transformations in almost all areas of life.
In this article, we’ll examine different exercises that will help you train your brain toward happiness and success.
It is in human nature to think about what will happen next, the next challenge. This expectation encourages us, gives us the strength to move forward. However, all of this loses some of its power to make us happy when we forget to thank you.
Practicing gratitude has a powerful effect because it’s a reminder of the things we already have. Also, you can point out a message: we don’t need many things that we feel are necessary.
Gratitude has been linked to various physical and psychological benefits, including happiness, so if you mention the things you’re grateful for for breakfast, if you write a gratitude journal before bed, don’t forget to thank every day. This allows your brain to focus on the positive: it becomes harder to ignore. This could be the simplest, but also the most effective, way to increase your well-being.
Breathing has an incredible effect when we take control. In many cases, we do not know the potential of our breathing as a tranquilizer or stress-releasing agent. Anger, anxiety, fear, stress and tension almost automatically contribute to shallow breathing.
All you need is five minutes to breathe carefully. Whether you’re anxious, sad, confused, take five minutes several times a day to focus on your breathing. This, in itself, is the starting point of a meditation exercise.
“Life does not wait for you anywhere, it is happening. It is not in the future as a goal that you must achieve, it is here and now, right now, in your breath, in the circulation of your blood, in the beating of your heart. In any case, this is your life, and if you start looking for meaning elsewhere, will you lose it? -Osho-
Numerous studies show that smiling, whether reproducing the gesture naturally or consciously, produces “happiness” in the brain and body. In fact, when he smiles, no matter how, he sends the message associated with a smile to his brain.
In this regard, the results of a 30-year longitudinal study conducted at the University of California-Berkeley, in which researchers examined students’ smiles in a former yearbook and measured their well-being and success.
Researchers assessed how satisfying and lasting their marriages were, examined their scores on a standardized wellness test, and analyzed how inspiring they were to others. Those who smiled more in their directory photo scored higher scores on all the parameters mentioned.
In fact, the exercise of smiling is very simple. On the one hand, give yourself the opportunity to laugh and smile every day seeing things you love, visiting people you’re happy to see, reading fun things, etc. On the other hand, don’t forget to put your smile and smile at the reception, thank you, smile as the first way of contact with someone?It’s easy, fun and rewarding, and it makes you happy.