Your 31-Day Guide to Living Happier and Healthier via Good Housekeeping

1. Stock up on citrus.

When you see all those gorgeous in-season grapefruits, oranges, clementines, and pomelos in the produce aisle, grab an armful! Winter citrus can help keep skin looking healthy thanks to vitamin C, which aids in collagen production. In fact, an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that people who ate foods high in vitamin C had fewer wrinkles and less age related dry skin than those who didn't. Try clementine sections sprinkled with pistachios or sweet grapefruit dipped in Greek yogurt for a snack.

2. Make veggies the stars.

Whether you're slimming down or just staying well, vegetables are your friends, says GH's M.D. Dr. Mehmet Oz. He had women try 10 diets for the Great Diet Showdown episode of his show. Tiffany, who lost 31 pounds, says, "I saute onions, peppers, mushrooms, corn--whatever I have in the freezer--and toss that on a bed of baby arugula and spinach."

3. Book all your doctor visits.

Open your calendar app and make your appointments for the year in one sitting--not only will you get the anxiety inducing nuisance over with, but exams will be less likely to get squeezed out as life gets bonkers. Start with your GP, and ask which screenings (e.g. mammogram, colonoscopy) you're due for. Slot those in, then move on to the dentist's office, etc.

4. Share resolutions--carefully.

This year you're gonna drop 10 pounds! But before you post your intent on Facebook, hold up: "Some research shows that telling others your goal makes you feel like you've already achieved it," says Dr. Oz. But other studies indicate that sharing progress can help you keep going, he adds. Dr. Oz's advice: Confide in one friend, "then share achievements with others when you're on the road to success."

5. Get a plant.

Swing by the garden center after brunch this weekend. Just the presence of indoor plants can lower human stress levels, research shows, and one study found that actively caring for plants calmed the autonomic nervous system and lowered blood pressure. And when people work near plants, they report greater concentration, satisfaction, and perceived air quality.

6. Do. One. Thing. At. A. Time.

Multitasking doesn't make you more efficient, but it does stress you out, says mindfulness expert Pedram Shojai, author of The Art of Stopping Time. "If your focus is fragmented, you'll likely find yourself getting anxious as new items come up when old ones are still incomplete," he says. Instead, he suggests, organize your activities into chunks of time, such as kid time and cooking time, and then "commit to being focused in that allotted time and see what happens."

7. Scent your space.

Because smell is associated with the parts of the brain that process emotion and store memories, certain aromas can affect mood, says olfactory expert Rachel Herz, PhD., author of The Scent of Desire. Research shows that vanilla makes people more relaxed and joyful (mmm, baking), while peppermint can boost energy and lavender can zap stress.

8. Be a stair master.

Take 10 minutes to run up the stairs in your office or at home. A 2017 student in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that tired women who climbed stairs for 10 minutes got a bigger energy boost than those who had the caffeine equivalent of a can of soda or half a cup of coffee (and burned calories, too!).

9. Decorate with history.

In happy and long-lived cultures, people often display items from their families' pasts, says The Blue Zones of Happiness author Dan Buettner. "They remember and honor where they come from," he says. "We find that in happier cultures around the world, folks feel like part of a continuum." So hang your grandparents' wedding portrait or put meaningful memorabilia on shelves.

10. Un-ick your phone.

Like, now! We check our phones 47 times a day on average, according to a recent survey from the professional services firm Deloitte, and if you've taken yours into the ladies' room, you're not the only one. But that means phones carry about 10 times as much bacteria as most toilet seats, says Charles Gerba, PhD., a microbiologist  and professor at the University of Arizona, Tuscon. (British research even found that one in six devices was contaminated with E. coli.)

11. Plan your getaway.

Women who vacation at least twice a year have a lower heart attack risk than those who do so rarely. And researchers have found that even thinking about an upcoming trip can boost happiness for weeks.

12. Do yoga with your honey.

A Sunday morning couples' class could make Sunday afternoon much more fun. Experts at Loyola's Sexual Wellness Clinic believe partner yoga helps couples get more comfortable with each other's bodies, a boon for better sex. Solo yoga can increase enjoyment as well, affecting arousal, desire and satisfaction--the practice helps relax your mind and strengthen pelvic muscles.

13. Listen for motivation.

Exercisers who saved an audiobook for the gym worked out 51% more often than those who didn't, per a study in Management Science.

14. Pitch in to make a difference.

Research shows that pitching in regularly can lead to less stress and lower blood pressure. So use this day to jump-start a longer-term personal commitment and volunteer to clean up a park or help at an animal shelter.

15. Dive into hydrotherapy.

Feeling sore? Clients at The Spa at Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, switch between 10 minutes in a hot sauna and 30 seconds in a 60 degree bath, a treatment known as hydrotherapy. "The drastic temperature change increases blood flow and flushes out lactic acid," says spa director Kristi Dickinson, making them feel energized. Research suggests that hydrotherapy may aid in muscle recovery more than a day of rest. For at-home treatment, end a shot shower with a burst of ice-cold water.

16. Try just one move.

Plyometric exercises get you fast results, says GH fitness partner Jillian Michaels. Try burpee push-ups (squat and place hands on floor; jump feet into plank; drop chest to ground and perform a push-up; jump feet forward to squat position; jump up, reaching hands over head, and repeat sequence for 30 seconds; rest; do two more sets).

17. Dump the shores.

Money can't buy happiness--buy it can buy time, which is the next best thing. A large 2017 study found that people who spent money on time-saving services, such as using TaskRabbit to get someone to clean out the garage, obtained greater life satisfaction and happiness than those who shelled out for material goods. If money is tight, take on the least favorite chore of a friend and have her do the same.

18. Tidy up to eat less.

If you can hardly see your counters through all the papers, Post-its and not-yet-put-away groceries, you may pay for that chaos on the scale. In one study, researchers found that when women were surrounded by clutter, they tended to eat more cookies--especially when stressed. Take 20 minutes to whisk it all where it belongs, and you may eat more mindfully in days to come.

19. Sport cute exercise gear.

Spend the afternoon shopping for workout clothes that flatter your body: studies show that what we wear affects the way we feel, which impacts our ability to get stuff done, says Hajo Adam, PhD., a professor at Rice University. It's a phenomenon known as "enclothed cognition," and it's as true in Zumba as at work.

20. Follow your curiosity.

Another sleepy Sunday? Today's the day you try Ethiopian food, attend a ballet or take a painting class--whatever feels fun. When researchers followed 7,500 people for 25 years, they found that those who complained of major boredom were roughly twice as likely to die from heart disease.

21. Play your song.

Blasting any happy-making tune can work multiple mind-body wonders including reducing pain during exercise, elevating mood and lowering stress, research shows. So make a playlist--any songs that float your spirit will do the job.

22. Take back your lunch break.

If you scarf your sammie at your desk while skimming the Web, you're in good company: Only one in five Americans actually takes a lunch break, according to a survey, even though doing so has been linked to increased productivity.

23. Donate old clothes.

Bye-bye, too-tight jeans. "Keeping smaller clothes as motivation to slim down is baloney," says Kit Yarrow, PhD., a psychologist at Golden Gate University, "and it tends to backfire." Studies show that muffin-top shaming doesn't help, but focusing on being healthy does. After taking your clothes to Goodwill drop-off, take a lighter-cooking class or meet a pal for a hike.

24. Be your owl pen pal.

When your inner critic picks up her bullhorn, jot down the kind words you'd say to a friend in the same situation. "We have such a hard time channeling compassion for ourselves," says Emma Seppala, PhD., of Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research. "Writing it down makes it easier to shift perspective."

25. Switch up your routine.

Any exercise is good for you, but one study found that people who worked out in multiple ways were less likely to have shortened telomeres, the DNA segments on the ends of chromosomes that tend to break down as we age (longer telomeres are thought to be an indication that a body is aging slowly). Sign up for tai chi, rock climbing, crew, and Pilates.

26. Rethink your entryway.

Make the chaotic zone by the door a calm, happy space, advises Carly Moeller, founder of interior design firm Unpatterned. Set up simple systems (a mail basket, a shoe bench, hooks) for tidying. Then move art or flowers from the living room and invest in a mirror or a colorful rug. "You can be a little cheeky because its a small area."

27. Snooze to get close.

Getting sufficient rest can make you feel ready for action. A study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women who got more sleep had more desire the next day and an overall easier time becoming aroused. Every additional hour they slept increased their likelihood of having sex by 14%. So skip late-night Web searches and hit the hay.

28.  Get new kicks.

Shop in the afternoon, when feet are slightly swollen to get the right size and avoid pinchy shoes. Bring your old pair so shoe store staff can assess which areas are most worn so as to suggest a pair with appropriate support for your gait. Do squats while trying on new shoes. If the shoes are properly supportive, your knee should move over your foot, not inward.

29. Pay yourself a compliment.

Repeat after us: "Today is my day. I'm thankful for me." Positive self-talk can help you focus on what's good in your life, says psychologist Joy Harden Bradford, PhD. Research shows that a little gratitude can make you feel happier and more satisfied and even improve your sleep. "If you repeat an affirmation related to gratitude in the morning, you're likely to show and feel more of it throughout that day," Bradford says.

Help Kids Feel Thankful All Year via Good Housekeeping

Reward Gratitude

Put out an empty jar, suggests WE co-founder Craig Kielburger. Whenever your child shows that he's thankful to you or someone else, drop a marble in the jar. When it's full, take him out for a treat.

Put a Pause on Buying

Ask your family to commit to an entire week without excess spending. For example, eat in and play board games instead of your usual Friday night dinner-and-a-movie ritual. You'll have just as much fun, and your children will appreciate the luxury of a night out even more.

Create a Capsule

Each year on the same day (say, a birthday or special anniversary) have your child write what he is thankful for on a slip of paper. Date it, slip it in a plastic bag and bury it in the backyard, says Kielburger. A year later, dig it up. Repeat year after year and watch the gratitude grow!

Written by Alexis Reliford

Excerpts from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Take, for instance, studies from the past decade examining the impacts of exercise on daily routines. When people start habitually exercising, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It's not completely clear why. But for may people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change. "Exercise spills over," said James Prochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher. "There's something about it that makes other good habits easier."

Studies have documented that families who habitually eat dinner together seem to raise children with better homework skills, higher grades, greater emotional control, and more confidence. Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It's not that a family meal or a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow those initial shifts start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.

If you focus on changing or cultivating keystone habits, you can cause widespread shifts. However, identifying keystone habits is tricky. To find them, you have to know where to look. Detecting keystone habits means searching out certain characteristics. Keystone habits offer what is known within academic literature as "small wins." They help other habits flourish by creating new structures, and they establish new cultures where change becomes contagious.

Small wins are exactly what they sound like, and are part of how keystone habits create widespread changes. A huge body of research has shown that small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments of the victories themselves. "Small wins are steady application of small advantage," one Cornell professor wrote in 1984. "Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win." Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach.

"Small wins do not combine in a neat, linear, serial form, with each step being a demonstrable step closer to some predetermined goal," wrote Karl Weick, a prominent organizational psychologist. "More common is the circumstance where small wins are scattered. . . .like miniature experiments that test implicit theories about resistance and opportunity and uncover both resources and barriers that were invisible before the situation was stirred up."

Just Chill via Better Homes and Gardens

Meditation is for you! Even if you can't picture sitting perfectly still or completely quieting your brain, you can meditate--and tap into its many health benefits. Keep reading to find a style that's the right fit.

Thanks to an ever-expanding body of research showing an almost endless list of benefits--including lower blood pressure, less anxiety, relief from chronic pain, just to name a few--meditation has truly gone mainstream. Schools are teaching it to kids to help them stress less and perform better; airlines, including Virgin Atlantic and Delta, have in-flight meditation options; and even the United States Marines have offered mindfulness training before deployments.

With so much evidence piling up, why aren't we all booking one-way tickets to the Land of Zen? We can't sit still. Our mind wanders. We're too busy.

Forget the excuses. First off, time isn't truly a barrier, says psychologist Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., author of Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion. Goldstein's research found that meditating five minutes a day, five days a week was enough to lower stress and even enhance the connection you feel with others.

Second, you don't have to sit completely still at a specific time. "Meditation and mindfulness can be woven throughout your day, wherever you are," Goldstein says. "You might take a mindful walk focusing on your footsteps or pause in your morning shower to pay attention to how the water feel on your skin. It's all about finding what works for you."

The biggest and most practical benefits of practicing meditation or weaving moments of mindfulness into your day: You'll enjoy life more while managing the constant juggling act. "Practicing meditation and being more mindful allows you to be more present for your family, your job, your workout--everything."

Not quite sure how to do it? Our guide will get you started.

Try a mindful moment doing dishes. As you wash, focus on the warmth of the water, the smoothness of the dishes, the tickle of the suds.

Ready, Set, Focus
Meditation isn't about emptying your head of thoughts, it's about bringing focus to them. "When you realize your mind is wandering, that's the moment meditation starts to work its magic," Goldstein says. The process of noticing your thoughts drifting, and the effort you make to bring them back (without criticizing yourself), builds your inner patience and calm. That's why meditation is called a practice.

What's Your Meditation Type?

All forms of meditation work in a similar way: You choose something to focus on--your breath, an image--and when your mind wanders, you gently bring it back. The key is finding a style that works for you. Here's a snapshot of four types. Take your pick!

1.  Mindful meditation

In a nutshell: Mindfulness is about being aware of your thoughts, emotions, and environment in a nonjudgmental way; you're staying in the present and observing everything you're feeling and thinking. "Mindfulness is about accepting our feelings and thoughts as they are," says Michelle Becker, an instructor at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness.

How it works: You can do this anywhere: at home, in the office, on hold with customer service. Begin by focusing on your breath. Each time your mind drifts, bring your attention back. Don't criticize. Instead of thinking, I'm so bad at this, think, Ah, welcome back.

2.  Mantra meditation

In a nutshell: This technique involves choosing a mantra--typically a one- or two-styllable soud or word that you silently repeat to yourself. This allows you to be in a restful yet alert state, says Anjali Bhagra, M.D., associate professor of medicine and chair of Mayo Clinic's Integrative Medicine and Health program.

How it works: Sit in a comfortable position and begin silently repeating your word. "Om" is a popular one, but choose any word or sound that you like. As you become more practiced, you may make your mantra a quality you'd like to have more of: patience, compassion, joy.

3. Walking meditation

In a nutshell: This is basically an on-the-go form of mindful meditation, but instead of focusing your awareness on your breath, you're noticing the sensations of walking, says Becker, who suggests beginning by practicing in your backyard. Eventually, you can move to somewhere calm like a nature preserve, then start weaving it into your daily life: walking mindfully across the parking lot to your office, while shopping, or to meet a friend.

How it works: Start in a standing position, noticing how your feet feel. Do you feel pressure where your feet are in contact with the ground? Start walking, paying attention to how your weight shifts from one side of your body to the other. Notice how it feels as you lift your foot, place your heel down, prepare for your next step. Continue walking, and any time your mind wanders from focusing on how you're walking, gently bring it back.

4. Guiding meditation

In a nutshell: This is based on the theory that your body can respond to imagery as it would to a genuine experience. (Need proof? Imagine yourself sucking on a lemon right now.) Guided meditation typically uses a script to walk you through a relaxing, enjoyable scenario to promote calm.

How it works: With each breath, imagine yourself inhaling IN relation and exhaling OUT tension. As your body relaxes, picture yourself at the beach or another calming, pleasant place. Imagine the scene in detail, using all of your senses: Feel the sun's rays warming your skin and the sand between your toes; listen to the waves crashing; see the bright blue sky.

Try a mindful moment waiting in line. Silently repeat to yourself: "May the cashier by happy and at ease." It can help defuse an irritating situation.

Benefits of Prayer
When neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, M.D., author of How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain, asked nuns to pray while being monitored by a brain scanner, he noticed that the changes taking place were similar to those of seasoned meditators. If you pray regularly, you're likely already reaping benefits of meditation, including less anxiety and a sharpened sense of focus and calm. Likewise, people who meditate enjoy the science-backed advantages of prayer, such as decreased blood pressure and enhanced immune response.

Go from Om to Zzz
If your favorite part of yoga is the last five minutes when you drift into stillness and emerge feeling rejuvenated, then you'll probably love yoga nidra, or sleep meditation. In this guided meditation, a calming voice leads you from a waking to dreaming state and ultimately, into deep sleep. Don't be fooled by the name: Yoga nidra doesn't involve traditional asana poses, says Karen Brody, founder of the Bold Tranquility, a yoga nidra meditation company for women and author of the forthcoming book Daring to Rest. Yoga nidra can be an easy way to start exploring meditation because you can practice it when falling asleep or if you wake up in the middle of the night.

This Is How We Meditate
"I use a pair of high-quality, over-ear headphones to accompany my favorite guided mediation apps or ambient music. I use them nearly exclusively for meditation, so they feel distinctive in their purpose, and they help me have an immersive experience. When I see them, I'm subtly reminded to do my daily meditation practice." -Anastasia Alt, 27, founder of Dream Space

"I'm a working mom of a special needs child, and my life often feels hectic and filled with a million to-dos.  When a friend of mine urged me to try a meditation app, I was hesitant, but I tried it and was instantly hooked. Meditating makes me feel better about myself, which inspires me to make better choices for my family and myself. Now, I do the app's Commuting Meditation while taking the train to and from work, and I use the deep sleep meditations before bed. Bonus: My son likes to fall asleep to it, too." -Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, 40, blogger

"I'm a really active person, so sitting for any length of time is a challenge. Walking meditation is my thing. I do my best mediations running on the beach or hiking, and if I'm moved to sit, I plunk myself down in nature." -Tracy Barone, 53, author of Happy Family

Try a mindful moment brushing your teeth. Don't zone out. Focus on the circular, repetitive movement of the toothbrush and the taste of the toothpaste.

Kid Zone
Children are naturally good meditators; they're living very much in the moment. "Considering the overscheduled culture in which kids are growing up, it means a lot for them to be able to just stop and be calm without having to perform or be judged," explains Elina Snel, author of Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids.

Around age 5 is a good time to introduce meditation in a relaxed, simple way by encouraging kids to pay attention to their breath, Snel says. She recommends this basic exercise for kids and adults to do together.

Sit in a comfortable spot on the floor with legs crossed. Ask your child to place her right hand flat on the floor in front of her, fingers spread. (You do the same.) Begin by touching the base of your right thumb with a finger from the left hand, slowly moving up along the thumb while inhaling quietly, Once you've both reached the top of your thumbs, move slowly back down while Move on to the remaining fingers, inhaling as you move up and exhaling as you come back down. Repeat with the other hand.

Leap of Faith via Women's Day

One summer, I got out of my middle-aged rut by acting like a kid again.

By Kerry Egan

"Just jump!" a chorus of children yelled from the base of the diving board. I bounced up and down with my back to the pool. Then I nodded at them and took a few deep breaths. I bounced some more and threw my legs into the air. The world went topsy-turvy, and my feet hit the water. At the age of 43 and after weeks of trying, I'd finally done a backflip.

Facing My Fears
When was the last time you learned how to do something that scared you? For me, it was the backflip. Before that, I don't remember. Avoiding challenges just seemed to creep up on me without my noticing as I got older. Part of it was fear, to be honest, and part was complacency and the busy-ness of live in middle age.

As I practiced the backflip, the kids seemed to take it for granted that I would do belly flops or land hard on om back. And they freely commented on my failures. "Looked like that hurt." "You need to get higher." "It's like you just freaked out in the middle of the air." "That was so bad." The teenage boys laughed at me like hyenas. Of course, they laughed at one another like hyenas, too.

But they weren't being mean. They didn't seem to be implying that I should be embarrassed or stop trying. They offered tips and would answer my questions as they waited to do their own crazy spins and giant cannonballs. There was something strangely liberating in the tacit understanding that I was terribly right now, but I'd get better.

The adults never acknowledged my attempts until I actually did the backflip. "That was so great!" one said. "It makes me think I could do it, too," commented another."

"If I can, you can," I told them.

They smiled and shook their heads. "I don't understand how you don't care about messing up or looking bad, about people seeing you," one of them added.

It's true: Some people will judge. But while getting older might make me more afraid of hurting myself, it's done the opposite to my fear of embarrassment. It's a sweet and liberating trade-off.

The Wisdom of Age
"I always thought I'd have more time," a 104-year-old woman said every time I saw her. She was a hospice patient, and I was visiting her as a chaplain. She realized the humor in her comment, but it was the truth, she insisted. Even after more than a century on earth, she was surprised at how quickly her life had gone by, how little time it really was, when she looked back over all of it.

"I wish I'd realized just how young I was 20 years ago," she used to say.

Twenty years ago, she'd been 84.

You'll never again be as young as you are now. You'll never have as much time to overcome your fears as you do in this moment. These are cliches, but they're more accurate than we often care to admit.

So that leaves us with some decisions: Fail to try what we yearn to do, or stop caring back potential judgment. Regret that we did not learn how to fly through the air backward into cold, waiting water 20 years ago, or decide to learn now. Remain mired in the fears of our younger selves, or embrace the liberation of aging. We get to choose.

Kerry Egan is a hospice chaplain and writer. Her most recent book is On Living.

Mood Articles

A Good Cry?

Most people believe that crying will make them feel better, but in many instances, it doesn't, a team of psychologists in the United States and the Netherlands have found. The researchers asked 97 women to keep diaries about their crying and mood for about two months. The majority of the women--60 percent--reported feeling the same after they cried as before, and 9 percent felt worse. Not surprisingly, those who were prone to negative moods shed tears the most, and those with frequently shifting moods felt like crying more than others. In these cases, weepy episodes generally led to wa worse mood and seemed to produce no benefit, the psychologists say. Interestingly, the 30 percent of women who did have a cathartic cy tended to weep more intensely--big sobs that did not necessarily last long--and they were more likely to be with one other person while they cried. "Don't expect crying by itself to bring relief," says study coauthor Jonathan Rottenberg, associate professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "Crying can be helpful if it spurs you to get help from a supportive person."

The Biggest Losers

People who are in the process of losing weight may find it satisfying to focus on what they've accomplished so far, but that won't necessarily help them shed remaining pounds, a study suggests. More effective is to keep a weight-loss goal fixed in their mind, according to Kyle E. Conlon, a doctoral student tin psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee. He and his colleagues studied 109 overweight people who volunteered for a 12-week weight-loss program. One group received instruction to focus on their objectives, another group concentrated on what they had achieved so far, and a third group wasn't urged in either direction. Those who kept their goal in mind were most successful--losing 4.6% of their body weight, on average, compared with 2.66% for the accomplishment-oriented group and 2.21% for the unguided participants. Attention on achievement alone can decrease motivation, the researchers conclude.

Clearer Thinking

When a complex decision is required, distraction can help. In research led by Loran F. Nordgren, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, people were instructed to make a complicated choice. Some had to do so immediately, others got to deliberate, and another group pondered the task and then solved anagrams before reaching a decision. Among this last group, 57% came to the smartest decision, versus 29% of the dedicated thinkers and 15% of the fast responders. A temporary shift in focus after considering all the possibilities improved people's ability to take into account large amounts of information, the researchers say.

Happiness Strategy

People who flourish in life--they feel good, contribute, and excel--are distinguished by a key trait: They get a bigger boost than other people from ordinary pleasurable events. Barbara L. Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, and a collaborator, Lahnna I. Catalino, tested 208 men and women who fit into three descending categories of well-being; flourisher, nonflourisher, and depressed. They found that flourishers tended to report the highest positive responses to activities known to promote good feelings (such as helping, interacting, playing, and learning). Flourishers experienced a 160% higher lift in mood while helping people, for example. Moreover, that reaction was associated with greater awareness of positive internal and external sensations, "like the feeling of water hitting your body in the shower or the sound of a bird chirping outside," Catalino says--as well as the ability to avoid getting overwhelmed by distressing experiences. And this seems to enhance well-being, the researchers explain. Practicing meditation could promote this kind of heightened awareness and nonreactivity, Catalino says.

Open Minded

Can something as simple as twisting on a faucet or spinning the wheel on an iPod have a psychological impact New research suggests so. In a study led by Sascha Topolinski of the University of Wuerzberg in Germany, people rotated an object the same direction with both hands, then answered questions about their interest in novel experiences. The participants who had been assigned to a clockwise direction scored higher in openness--which is linked with creativity--than did those assigned to counterclockwise. Similarly, people who were shown jelly beans on a lazy Susan that circled to the right preferred unusual flavors (such as popcorn or gum) 44% percent more than people whose tray turned leftward. The results are strange, but significant--and they suggest that making clockwise motions when stirring or doodling might promote being adventurous or inventive, Topolinski says.

Envy Drain

Envy hurts--in more ways than one. Sarah E. Hill, a psychologist at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, and her colleagues showed volunteers written interviews and photographs of two people of their own gender. Later, when the participants were asked to recall these people's names, 71% of those who had viewed people who were very attractive and wealthy were accurate, versus 54% of those who had seen average types. Yet when everyone was given an impossible word challenge to solve, those who'd remembered the gorgeous and rich people's names gave up much sooner. In theory, focusing on enviable people might be useful for achieving similar success, the researchers say--but this investment of mental resources may diminish the capacity for willpower or persistence in other areas.

Perfect Present

There's a simple solution to the angst of giving gifts, research suggests. Studies involving hundreds of participants, conducted by psychologists at the business schools of Harvard and Stanford, reveal that people prefer gifts that they have explicitly asked for, no matter the occasion. In one survey, researchers Francesca Gino and Francis J. Flynn found that married people most appreciated the wedding presents they had requested. In general, people reported that getting a present they asked for felt more personal and considerate than receiving something else. There was one exception to the findings, though. When the gift given was money, even though it hadn't been solicited, recipients liked that better than anything on their list.

Meditation Payoff

A brief amount of meditation experience can produce brain changes linked with improved mood--the same effect previously associated with 70 or more hours of intensive practice. In a study headed by Christopher A. Moyer, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin, researchers took EEG readings of the brain waves of 21 men and women before half the volunteers began a meditation training program. The program consisted of a five minute meditation with the following instructions: Relax with your eyes closed and focus on the flow of your breath at the tip of your nose; if a random thoughts rise, acknowledge it and then gently bring your attention back to your breath. This practice led to positive brain changes when done an average of 5 to 16 minutes a day. They then progressed from 5 to 20 minutes of focused attention The participants were encouraged to attend two session a week as well as to practice on their own. After five weeks, repeat EEGs revealed a substantial difference in brain waves between new meditators and the control group. Specifically, the electrical activity in the left frontal region of the brain was much greater, a pattern associated with positive moods. Some people may be disinclined to meditate because they think it would involve a daunting amount of time and effort before they see any benefit, but his research suggests otherwise, Moyer notes. During the program, brain patterns shifted among new meditators within seven hours of practice time on average, he and his colleagues found.

Lucky in Love

Couples who support each other's self-improvement goals not only have better relationships, but also become more successful individually. At the University of Auckland in New Zealand, psychologist Nickola Overall and her coworkers studied 47 couples. Over the yearlong study, having a partner who offered emotional encouragement or action-oriented help regarding personal aspirations (such as increasing physical fitness or improving finances) boosted one's success as well as satisfaction in the relationship. But being with someone who was critical, controlling, or dismissive of a goal's importance led to higher rates of failure and unhappiness--even if the partner also demonstrated the more positive hypes of support, the study found.

Younger Hair

For some women, the hair salon is an anti-aging salon. Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University, and her colleagues studied women, ages 27 to 83, as they got a cut, color, or both, and found that 45% of them believed they looked younger afterward. Among this group, blood pressure dropped. And judges who saw before-and-after images of all the women consistently rated this group as more youthful in their "after shots, in contrast to the others--even though the pictures were cropped so the hair didn't show. Feeling younger can contribute to physical changes and improved health, the researchers say.

Happiness Envy

There is cheering news for those who feel alone in their suffering: People routinely overestimate others' happiness. In studies by psychology researchers at Stanford University, survey respondents underestimated the darker feelings of other participants, including close friends, and they overestimated the likelihood that others had recently had positive experiences such as attending a fun party. The more they failed to perceive others' miseries, the less satisfaction they reported. People tend to act cheerful when socializing in person and online, which can play a role in these misperceptions, the researchers say. Those in the study reported having hid unhappy emotions in 40% of their recent interactions.

Looking Powerful

Using body language that communicates power makes people feel and act more in command, according to research led by Dana R. Carney, assistant professor of management at Columbia University. For two minutes, one group made "low power" gestures: crossing their arms and legs or holding their arms to their sides. Another group made expansive "high power" motions: standing with their arms braced wide on a table or sitting with their feet on a desk and their hands clasped behind their heads. In the dominant-posture group, testosterone production increased and the stress hormone cortisol dropped, while the opposite occurred in the group with weaker stances. Those who posed powerfully were also more likely to say they felt in charge and to take an opportunity to double their money a gambling task. Evolutionarily, such gestures prepare animals and humans to face a challenge, the study authors note.

Strokes of Luck

People who have recently achieved enviable good fortune are more likely than others to act magnanimously. In a study headed by Niels van de Ven, a social psychologist at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, some people receive money after completing a task while seeing that a partner did not; another group all got shares equal to their partners'. When the participants went to claim the reward, their partner (actually a researcher) tipped over a pile of erasers. Only 10% of those who believed they'd received equivalent money helped them pick them up, versus nearly four times as many of those who thought they'd been singularly rewarded. This suggests that winners act more considerate because they want to appease those who envy them, van de Ven concludes.

Emotional Outlet

For those seeking to feel better about a difficult experience, an envelope will help. That's what Xiuping Li assistant professor of marketing at the business school of the National University of Singapore, demonstrated with colleagues at City University of Hong Kong and the University of Toronto. In one experiment, 40 women wrote for ten minutes about a strong desire that had not been satisfied. Half of them placed the document in an envelope before giving it to a researcher, while the others simply handed in their paper. Afterward, the participants in the envelope group reported feeling less anxious, sad, and dissatisfied than the others. Similarly, people who sealed a news article about an upsetting even in an envelope recalled fewer details about the incident and felt less distressed. "Seeing emotionally laden items enveloped may provide a sense of taking control," the researchers comment.

Office Gossipers

Women who gossip at work are shaping their own reputations along with those of the people they're discussing. Despite their tendency to be at the center of social networks, gossiping women are seen as less warm than others, according to a poll of 129 men and women conducted by Sally Farley, a psychologist at the University of Baltimore, and her colleagues. The participants also believed that female coworkers who regularly contribute negative information about people have a greater need for control than infrequent gossipers. Other research has shown that gossipers wield influence by dispensing or withholding information, "selectively revealing tidbits about others in status-enhancing ways," Farley notes. The increase in power that women get from gossiping may jeopardize their likability, Farley surmises.

Knowing Looks

The personalities of beautiful people are easier to read than those of individuals with less physical appeal, according to psychology researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Volunteers talked briefly in small groups, then completed surveys about the others' looks and traits (including extroversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, and conscientiousness), as well as about their own character. The first impressions made of people tended to agree with their self-assessments much more when they were considered good-looking. Even those whose appearance wasn't widely admired still gained this advantage with people who liked their looks. The researchers posit that people are more motivated to get to know those whom they find attractive.

Stress Production

When life deals upsetting blows, a simple strategy may protect your emotionally, says Allison S. Try, a psychology researcher at the University of Denver. She and her colleagues showed sad film clips to 78 women who were experiencing ongoing stress. During one of them, the researchers asked each woman to come up with a positive perspective about the emotional events shown (such as lessons the characters could learn or good outcomes that might result), a technique called cognitive reappraisal. Among the women with the most stress who were best at reappraising, this practice was linked with lower levels of depression. Fortunately, cognitive reappraisal can likely be learned or strengthened with practice, Troy says.

Breast Choices

When a woman with breast cancer needs to decide on her treatment, a form of support and involvement in the process can positively affect her body image and mood months later. A study at the University of Munich, headed by psychologist Andrea Vodermaier, included 111 breast-cancer patients. Half the women were assigned to what was called a "decision aid" group: Before determining their treatment with a doctor, they met for 20 minutes with a researcher who explained their options, indicated how each related to their situation, and encouraged them to participate in decisions with their physician. Finally, the researcher made sure the patients understood all that had been discussed and gave them a brochure that summarized the information. A year later, the women who'd had this session before receiving chemotherapy felt better about their bodies than the women who had received no intervention. The assisted group also felt less conflicted about the course of treatment they had chosen and engaged in less brooding, and this seemed to improve their adjustment to physical changes from cancer, the study authors say. Some similar support is available online, such as the Breast Cancer Treatment Decision Tool at cancer.org.

Stronger Willpower

Clenching muscles is an effective way to strengthen willpower, according to researchers at the business schools of the University of Chicago and the National University of Singapore. When volunteers held one hand in painfully cold ice water, those who tightly clasped a pen in their fee hand endured the ordeal for 127 seconds on average, compared with an average of 73 seconds for a control group. Researchers Aparna Labroo and Iris Hung found that tightening muscles--it doesn't matter which ones--must occur at the same time as the challenging effort, rather than right before, and that having internal motivation to achieve the goal is also key to success.

Thin Inspiration

Prolonged exposure to images of glamourous, thin women in the media can change female viewer's body image--for the better. This finding, which contradicts many short-term studies that produced opposite results, emerged from research led by Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, associate professor of communication at the Ohio State University in Columbus. After 140 women looked at 80 pages from magazines that featured models or celebrities, some participants were told to compare their bodies to those shown. Everyone read the pages over five days; three days later, those who had been exposed only to thin, beautiful women rated their own body image higher than they did at the start of the study. The researchers found that the participants--especially heavier ones who compared themselves to the thin women--had begun to diet and exercise. Seeing "magazine pages with thin body ideals appears to induce behavior changes and, as a result, increases body satisfaction," they say. Other studies that assessed immediate reactions to images may not reflect the way women respond to motivational articles and pictures over time, they add.

Attractive Outlooks

A woman's attitude about her life influences how attractive she seems, according to research headed by Tyler Stillman, a psychologist at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. He and his colleagues surveyed men and women about their sense of meaning in life, videotaped pairs of them, and showed brief footage to a group of judges. The stronger the participants' clear purpose in life (whatever that meant to each of them), the more likeable they were considered to be. This held true regardless of their scores in measures of self-esteem, happiness, openness, or spirituality. Everybody wanted to get to know the most good-looking people, but "for participants who were of average of below average attractiveness, having a strong sense of meaning made them significantly more appealing," the researchers report.

Exercise Enjoyment

Many people claim they don't enjoy exercising. But before a workout, people underestimate the pleasure they'll derive from it, research at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, has shown. Before starting an hour-long workout session, exercisers at gym predicted on a scale of one to ten how much they expected to enjoy themselves. They would up having significantly more fun than they had expected, regardless of exercise intensity, and this was consistent for cardio, yoga, and Pilates classes. People focus disproportionately on the unpleasantness of getting a workout under way, psychology researcher Matthew Ruby and his colleagues found. When the study participants predicted their enjoyment of the warm-up, main activity, and cool down separately, thereby diverting their attention from the initial effort, they reported greater expectations of satisfaction, as well as stronger intentions to exercise regularly.

Cold Risk

People who are depressed may have an increased chance of catching colds. Hwa-Cheol Kim, a researcher at Inha University in South Korea, led a team that surveyed 1,350 people. Although roughly half of them said they'd had cold symptoms in the past four months, the incidence was much higher among those who six months earlier had reported signs of depression, such as sadness, guilt, sleep and eating changes, trouble concentrating, and loss of energy. The researchers say that depression may cause changes in the immune system that can increase susceptibility to colds.

Smart Mistakes

People's ability to fix their mistakes has as much to do with their beliefs about learning and intelligence as their intellect. When study participants spotted errors they'd made on a test, those who believed that intelligence can be improved with effort--rather than fixed early in life--had greater brain activity associated with the desire to the correct problem, and they performed better, according to Jason S. Moser, an assistant professor of psychology  at Michigan State University, and his colleagues. Other research on people with this outlook (described in the book Mindset by Carol Dweck) suggests that they tend to see mistakes as learning opportunities instead of personal failures, Moser says.

Family Bucket List via Real Simple

1. Volunteer together: Take a cue from your child's interests. If your child likes dogs, volunteer at an animal shelter. To search by interest, go to generationon.org for volunteering opportunities near you.

2. Watch all your old home movies

3. Kick the can: Games that put everyone on a level playing field, such as boccie ball, croquet, capture the flag, and kick the can. These games are customizable to age and ability. For more, go to bluearth.org.

4. Make a time capsule: Include the big stuff (artwork, school reports, notes to future selves) and the little (movie stubs, a printout of a Facebook page, a toy with its batteries removed so they don't corrode). Don't include technology that won't stand the test of time, and make sure to include a silica-gel packet. Store them in an archival box, and keep the box in a cool place. Don't bury it; everything will be soggy.

5. Plant something: Surefire plants such as zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and bush beans are the best options. Use a one-by-two foot self-watering planter, and let your cofarmer handle the watering and harvesting. You may pull out more of your fair share of weeds, but it may convince your children to eat a vegetable.

6. Run (or walk) a 5K

7. Get cooking: Teach your kids an old family recipe. Kneading dough is a great activity for kids who love Play-Doh.

8. Go to the movies and see a double feature

9. Create self-portraits: Insights into how your child views themselves. Preserve the results for future posterity.

10. Take a trip with just one child; no siblings allowed

11. Go camping

12. Explore your family tree: Turning genealogy into a game of detective can help them get excited about family history. They can make a cardstock tree or ancestor trading cards.

13. Visit the places where Mom and Dad grew up

14. Start a family book club: Choose stories that appeal to all ages, such as Roald Dahl. Even better if there is a movie version that you can watch when you are finished.

15. Go on a scavenger hunt: Clues that are open to interpretation are more fun for them and less competitive.

16. Make up a song

17. Take a stay-cation: Get day-trip ideas from your local tourism bureau, and take a break from responsibilities and chores.

18. Save up money and do something special with it

19. Build something: Step by step instructions from websites like builtbykids.com can help guide you. Keep the projects age appropriate, and be flexible with material choices.

20. Spend the weekend unplugged from TV's, computers, phones, and gaming devices.

21. Build a fort

How to Be a Morning Person via Better Homes and Gardens

1. Stop slapping snooze - The extra sleep you get is disjointed and not deep enough, anyway.
2. Catch some early rays - Light stimulates your brain and suppresses the production of melatonin. Turning on a lamp or heading to a window after you wake up can help you feel less sleepy.
3. Don't check email right away - Waking up and worrying about other people's issues right away puts you in a reactive state of mind.
4. Drink water ASAP - The longer you wait before you hydrate makes you more prone to grogginess, fatigue, and general brain fog for your day.
5. Stretch before your feet touch the ground - Deep breathing sends oxygen to your brain and other organs, prepping them for the day. Lie on your back, bring your knees to your chest, and inhale as you move your knees away from you. Exhale as you bring them back.
6. Breakfast fuel - Having protein with breakfast is the healthiest way to start your day. Yogurt and peanut butter are you best options.
7. Streamline your mornings - Ritualize your day by picking a few outfits to wear on rotation and a few standard breakfasts to cut down on energy wasted on small decisions. Set an alarm for 15 minutes before you need to leave the door to help you spend your time wisely. And don't do all your morning prep the night before, making you want to stay up later for me time, just get to bed on time and tackle the rest in the morning.
8. Start your day with good vibes - Skip the morning news, which is depressing. Watch a happy video. Listen to music, gentle to help you wake up, then upbeat to help you get going. Take a moment of mindfulness while you are in the shower to meditate.

Comfort and Joy via Good Housekeeping

When children are small, they always greet their parents with enthusiasm and cry when they leave. As they get older, they begin to feel indifferent toward the comings and goings of their parents. Similarly, husbands and wives who have been married longer slowly and surely stop kissing each other when they walk in the door.

Hug more, kiss more, touch more. This resolution doesn't require any addition time, energy, or money, yet it makes a difference in the atmosphere of your home. It makes each person feel more loved. When that resolution is applied to coming home, each person is welcomed and acknowledged when they return to the ones they love. However, everyone has to participate.

"Anytime one of us comes home or is leaving, we have to pay attention to that person for a minute. Let's give warm greetings and farewells." This was the resolution. "We've fallen into some bad habits of not paying attention, and it's important to show affection for each other. It's hard to be interrupted in the middle of something, but this is important."

Surprisingly, without much nagging or resentment, this can happen. It can create small moments of real connection between family members. It feels like a natural thing to do, and the more you do it, the more it becomes a habit. Studies have shown that we are more likely to feel connected to family members that express emotions than ones who do not. By acting in a loving way, we prompt loving feelings within ourselves. We show more love and feel more love.

Happiness Habits: Change Your Life in an Hour via Good Housekeeping

Sixty minutes, once a week. That's all it takes to make you feel happier every day. 

Nothing is more exhausting than a task you never start. Those small, not urgent, mildly unpleasant tasks start adding up and weighing on you. The chores that can be done at any time are often done at no time. One small habit can start knocking away at those little chores, and at the stress they bring into your life.

One hour, once a week, to work on the nagging chores. Long enough to get something done, but not too long. Power Hour. The rules of Power Hour are that they can't be used for tasks that have deadlines because those items will get taken care of when they needed to be taken care of. This is also not the hour for repetitive tasks, such as bills or answering e-mails. The Power Hour is for one-time tasks that could easily be postponed indefinitely.

The more experienced you get with your Power Hour, the more quickly you are able to get things done. And the payoff is that you feel tremendously better afterward.

Pictures of Happiness via Good Housekeeping

With cameras and smartphones more ubiquitous than ever, we've never taken so many pictures before. Here are the important roles they play in a happy life:

1. Happy families display a large number of photos. 
2. Photos tilt your memories toward the good experiences you've had, simply because you're more likely to take photos of joyful times. Having snapshots keep them vivid in our memories, crowding out the bad memories of our "negativity biases."
3. Photos can help you declutter. Services like plumprint.com can help you downsize on the amount of artwork you have lying around from your children. They get to keep the memories, and you get to retain your space. 
4. When you see something beautiful, it's natural to feel a desire to claim it in some way. Photos give us that opportunity, without having to shell out the money. 
5. Snapping photos fosters creativity. If you have a reason to be on the hunt for a beautiful scene to capture, you find yourself looking at your world a little differently.
6. I like to remind myself how easy it is to forget. I'm always trying to figure out ways to hold on to memories. One thing I do is keep a daily one-sentence journal. I don't have the time or energy to write much every day, but I can manage to joy down one sentence. Photographs are another easy way to record little moments that are precious but easily forgotten. I wish I could tell my younger self not to take photos of special occasions, but of everyday life. That's what will interest you later. 

Me, Only Better via Ladies' Home Journal

Sandy M. Fernandez chose a few of her most disagreeable habits and devoted a week to improving each. The goal was to achieve a nicer, more livable Sandy.

1. Be more grateful

Humans tend to keep the negative things with us more than the positives. The best antidote is to keep a gratitude journal or writing gratitude letters.

Sandy used a nightly list, and soon she started to feel more lucky, humble, and happy. It also jolted her appreciation for her husband. Setting up habits for yourself in the area also help your children become more grateful.

2. Curbing spending

"Everyone thinks that having more money will make them happier," says Tom Rath, coauthor of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. "If fact, it's feeling in control of your finances that does it." Modest indulgences add up over time. Try checking your balance before you make an electronic purchase.

3. Get organized

Sandy started a family calendar, created a landing pad for mail near her front door, tackled a mounting pile of old clothes, and made lunches for the week: all in a weekend. The key is carving out time in your schedule to let yourself catch up (or get ahead) on your own organization. She also entered a day-long organization binge every six weeks on her calendar.

4. Gossip less

Gossiping is a social staple; trading dirt is as reciprocal as gang initiation. People who don't gossip are often seen as distrustful. Sandy tried extending people the benefit of the doubt in gossip circles, opting to spend less time bringing others down.

5. Make time for me

While every mom does it, the droughts of "me time" can often result in angry lashing out or needless shopping sprees. The most beneficial "me time" activities are those that help you learn, connect with others, or contribute to the community.