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In one of the most well-known wallet drop studies from 2019, researchers followed more than 17,000 “lost” wallets containing various sums of money in 355 cities across 40 countries. They found that “in virtually all countries, citizens were more likely to return wallets that contained more money” — a result virtually no one predicted.
Emotional wellness means being aware of your feelings as they arise, understanding and accepting them, and managing them effectively. People with emotional wellness identify their emotions, link their feelings to behaviors, and respond well to difficult situations.
Once you understand your emotions, emotional wellness helps you manage them effectively. This includes:
We've all been there—feeling a bit off, like something's missing, but we can't quite put our finger on it. Maybe it's the restless nights, the nagging sense of dissatisfaction that persists despite the hustle and bustle of the day, or the way we keep running on empty no matter how much we try to recharge.
It's easy to brush these feelings aside, telling ourselves we're just stressed or busy. But what if these are signs that we're not meeting our own needs?
For more than 22 years, Susie DiGiovanna, M.S., has worked in social services for a local municipality, helping older adults and their families navigate the many stages of aging. Through her time running programs, offering counseling and visiting seniors in their homes and at hospitals, she’s observed an abundance of examples of what it truly means to age well—and what can hold people back.
“I like to say that I have a front-row seat to what healthy aging looks like and what unhealthy aging looks like,” the gerontologist tells EatingWell. “It’s been very, very educational for me personally and professionally, because I’ve gotten to know thousands and thousands of older adults through working at a very active senior center.”
Based on those experiences, DiGiovanna distilled her philosophy into three simple but powerful principles: activating yourself, adulting and accepting new realities. She calls them the “three As of healthy aging,” and she explains how to prioritize these core elements.
As life passes by, we tend to function on autopilot, trying to get through the daily grind one day at a time. But what if we could create a little magic for ourselves and make each day feel just a little bit more special instead? What if we could unlock the little pockets of wonder that are tucked into our daily routines?
It doesn’t take much to add some sparkle to our lives. We can choose to notice the beauty around us or do little things that make life feel a little more special. Simple things like lighting a candle during dinner? Romantic. Taking a few minutes to watch the sunset? Beautiful. Dancing in the shower? So fun. It’s all about small things that create a big impact.
“To romanticize our lives is to view the world from the lens of love,” says Claudia de Llano, MFT, a California-licensed marriage and family therapist and author of “The Seven Destinies of Love.”
“Romanticizing our lives shifts our perspective and gives us the opportunity to appreciate the beauty in what we tend to overlook as ordinary in our routine,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist.
We are living through a sustained mental-health crisis. Anxiety, depression, and burnout have reached levels unseen in modern surveys, and the effects are rippling through workplaces, classrooms, and homes. For many, these struggles can feel overwhelming. But sometimes, moments of peace come in unexpected ways. Every Thanksgiving, when families gather to share what they’re grateful for, something powerful happens in the brain. The simple act of giving thanks changes how we feel, how we think, and even how our brains work.
In today’s digital world, comparison and distraction are constant. Social media bombards our minds with images that trigger envy and self-doubt, keeping our nervous systems in a chronic state of stress. But the antidote isn’t complicated. What if gratitude is the simple key that can help calm the chaos inside us.
When we focus on what’s right in our lives instead of what’s wrong, we quiet the emotional centers of the brain and strengthen the judgment and decision-making areas. In other words, gratitude helps balance our brains. Research has found that people who regularly express thankfulness are physically healthier, more optimistic, and better at achieving their goals. They sleep better, experience less stress, and enjoy deeper relationships.
When homing in on how to be happier, it’s easier to concentrate on all the negatives you need to eliminate in your life: Toxic positivity, comparing yourself to others, those weekly phone calls from your mother-in-law.
Weeding out unpleasant things can help, but it’s just as important to take an additive approach and think of small things you could add to your life to boost your spirits. With that in mind, we recently asked our readers to share the one thing they started doing daily (or in some cases weekly) that made them considerably happier.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory that explains how human needs build from basic to complex. It proposes that people must first meet essential physiological and safety needs before they can focus on higher-level needs like belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Often shown as a pyramid, the model helps explain why unmet basic needs can make it harder to pursue personal growth and fulfillment.
When Martin Ott joined Facebook to lead its Northern and Central Europe operations as MD in 2012, the company was pre-IPO, pivoting from desktop to mobile phones, and had just a few thousand employees globally.
He’s one of the few leaders who witnessed Meta’s evolution firsthand from its scrappy early days under a twenty-something-year-old Mark Zuckerberg to one of the world’s most powerful platforms.
But the biggest lesson he took away from that period wasn’t about scale or speed—or grinding all hours of the day to make it. Ott credits Zuckerberg with teaching him the opposite: To focus on making the biggest impact you can during working hours.
One specific spice could function as a natural antidepressant, an expert says.
Saffron, found in popular foods and drinks like paella and herbal teas, has shown promise for its ability to boost mood and reduce symptoms of depression, in addition to other various health benefits.
During an in-studio interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Daniel Amen, psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics in California, shared his enthusiasm about using saffron for mental health support.
Laura Carstensen's favorite lecture of the year is the one when she tells undergrads at Stanford University that—contrary to what they've probably been told and believe—these are not the best years of their lives. Those come much, much later.
From “situationships” to “pink flags,” many dating and relationship terms have made the rounds on social media in recent years. But one that’s particularly impactful is “parallel play.”
This concept isn’t about grand romantic gestures or elaborate date nights, and it gets to the heart of true intimacy and lasting love. There are a few potential limitations to keep in mind, however.
So what exactly is parallel play, and how can it help (or harm) relationships? HuffPost asked relationship experts to weigh in.
Most people spend their lives chasing happiness — or, more often, running from unhappiness — whether it’s through healthy coping methods or unhealthy escape routes.
Happiness expert Arthur Brooks, a behavioral scientist and professor at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, spoke with Fox News Digital about the balance between happiness and unhappiness.
"They are actually processed in different hemispheres of the brain, and you need both," he said.
"You need to have a lot of happiness such that you can have a good life, and you need unhappiness because it's a signal that there are things out there you need to be paying attention to," Brooks went on.
"If you never had any negative emotions, you'd be dead in a week. That's the truth of the matter."
The actions we take every day—whether dopamine-boosting or energy-depleting—have a direct impact on our mental health. In fact, a 2023 study showed that certain creative activities, such as gardening and arts and crafts, were associated with enhanced life satisfaction, especially during the five months of quarantine most of us remember clearly. Similarly, in winter, feelings of dissatisfaction and a lack of energy play a significant role in how we feel, according to licensed psychologist Dr. Leah Kaylor.
Stress is your body's response to challenging situations. During a stressful time, you may often experience both a physical and emotional reaction, commonly known as the "fight or flight" response. Your breathing and heart rate will increase, you may sweat more than normal, and your blood pressure may even increase. Most of the time, this is a normal response to occasional, short-term stressors.1
But if your stress is chronic (long-term) or ongoing, it can actually make you sick. In fact, 60% to 80% of visits to a healthcare provider have an underlying stress-related issue contributing to the illness.2
Stress can increase your risk of a range of conditions like digestive disorders and sleep issues to headaches and a weakened immune system. It can even lead to mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.1 Fortunately, implementing stress management strategies can slowly lower your stress levels and improve your physical and emotional well-being.
What’s one thing every leader can do to make sure employees are happy at work and engaged with their jobs? Make sure they can trust in you, your organization, and each other. That’s the finding in a 2024 meta-analysis of studies more than 1 million participants. When leaders seek to improve employee wellbeing, they typically think about things like remote work, flexible schedules, and wellness offerings such as gym memberships. But trust may be the most valuable perk of all.
A 2024 meta-analysis by an international research team led by Minxiang Zhao and Yixuan Li of the Renmin University of China Psychology Department examined 132 studies on trust from around the world. The studies had a total of more than 1 million participants. The researchers focused on two types of trust, interpersonal trust and institutional trust, exactly the two types than can occur in workplaces. They found that both types of trust correlate with social, psychological, and to a lesser extent, physical wellbeing.
Most stress management advice gets it completely wrong. We’re often told to focus inward — practice self-care, take bubble baths, meditate in quiet rooms, get massages. While these activities aren’t harmful, they’re missing something crucial.
As a stress physiologist who has studied over 750 Americans, over the course of nearly a year, I’ve found that 58% of people actually stress out more when trying to control their stress.
But here’s what really caught my attention: When researchers analyzed more than 90 workplace wellness programs, nearly all failed to improve employee well-being. The one notable exception? Programs that encouraged employees to do charity or volunteer work. These actually worked.
Everyone experiences stress at some point, from minor setbacks to major issues and traumas. While some people navigate these stressors with ease, it can be debilitating for others.
Stress shouldn't be ignored or pushed aside. Chronic (long-term) stress can cause inflammation, weaken your immune system, and increase your risk of digestive issues, heart disease, weight gain, and stroke.
I've spent more than 12 years studying happiness and human nature. Along the way, I've collected what I call "Secrets of Adulthood" — the lessons I've learned, with time and experience, about how to create lives that are happier, more meaningful, and more confident.
Many of my most important discoveries can be distilled into one short line. As the old saying goes, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears," and sometimes reading a single sentence can spark a transformative insight.
Much like its body-based equivalent – body dysmorphia being an anxiety disorder where you fixate on your physical flaws to the extent that your actual estimation of how you look is way off – life dysmorphia refers to a disconnect. This time, it’s the one that many in the West have while objectively enjoying the greatest living standards in human history but, simultaneously, really... not feeling that way, according to plunging rates of life satisfaction.
Earlier this year, the World Happiness Report – an annual barometer of wellbeing – recorded ‘disconcerting drops [in happiness], especially in North America and western Europe.’ The UK was placed 23rd in the global ranking, while the US took the 24th spot – its lowest ranking ever. Elsewhere, The Priory reports 37% of women in the UK live with high levels of anxiety, while research from Mind and Office for National Statistics reveal soaring levels of depression and stress, particularly among younger adults.
The actions we take every day—whether dopamine-boosting or energy-depleting—have a direct impact on our mental health. In fact, a 2023 study showed that certain creative activities, such as gardening and arts and crafts, were associated with enhanced life satisfaction, especially during the five months of quarantine most of us remember clearly. Similarly, in winter, feelings of dissatisfaction and a lack of energy play a significant role in how we feel, according to licensed psychologist Dr. Leah Kaylor.
“During this time of year, we’re craving something whether that is comfort food, social connection, or just an extra cup of coffee,” she says. “There is a scientific reason for this craving: our brain’s dopamine levels can dip in the cold, dark winter months.”
Humans have many ways to assess their own happiness, but the Cantril Ladder may be the most influential, even if you’ve never heard of it. It goes like this:
Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?
This single, carefully calibrated inquiry is how the World Happiness Report—the annual, much-covered study run by academics at Oxford University, among others—ranks every country in the world on professed happiness. Around 1,000 people from each country, across a spread of representative demographics, by phone or in person, contribute to the study each year. And lately, each year, there is the same result.
In 2025, while the U.S. slid to an all-time low of 24th out of all the world’s nations in life satisfaction, Finland again reigned supreme. The nation has held the top spot for the past eight years running. Finns were happier during the peak COVID years, even, than Americans have ever been.
Think about the last time you were excited for or happy about something: what did the sensation feel like in your brain and body? When we experience joy, our brain releases endorphins—a set of happiness hormones that increase our dopamine and lower cortisol levels. “While exercising is one way to achieve a healthy release of endorphins, there are many ways to achieve this that will give you a good mood booster,” says clinical psychologist Dr. Erica Rozmid. “Take advantage of your brain’s natural mood booster by focusing on activities that make you feel good.” To help craft some ideas for natural ways to increase your endorphin output, we asked mental health experts for their favorite mood-boosting activities.
When it comes to getting older, there are many factors that help you live a fulfilled, healthy life — ones that go beyond working out and eating your vegetables (although that’s part of it, too).
“Aging well, in my opinion, consists of three different components,” said Dr. Parul Goyal, a geriatrician at Vanderbilt Health in Nashville. These categories are physical health, emotional connection and mental support, Goyal said.
These elements come together to help you live a life that’s rewarding, lively and healthful. Doctors say there are lots of behaviors that contribute to your physical, emotional and mental health as you grow older, and some clear signs that you’re taking care of yourself in these ways.
Below, geriatricians share the indicators that someone is aging well, along with a little advice if you feel like you’re not hitting the mark.
Just about everybody has the blues from time to time. But if you've ever struggled with the feeling that nothing is enjoyable anymore and there's no point in trying anything, your sadness has a name: anhedonia. A symptom of various health mental health conditions, anhedonia appears to mimic boredom—but one key distinction is that it's usually coupled with a lack of motivation to even try to regain your spark. So how can you overcome anhedonia and find your zest for again? Here, experts weigh in with everything you need to know about the condition.
Except for a downward blip during the COVID-19 pandemic, American life spans have been getting longer and longer—men can expect to live to their mid-70s, while the average woman will be blowing out candles on her 80th birthday. But we all know that living long and living well are not necessarily the same thing. “One of the greatest gifts of the past century is the doubling of our life span,” says Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., a cognitive neuroscientist and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas. But living to 100 may not seem so appealing if you picture yourself frail, homebound, and unable to do the things you enjoy or remember the people you love.
That’s why it’s just as important to focus on your health span—the number of years you remain in good health, sound of mind and body—with positive intentions. “We can take simple steps to optimize our brain health year by year, extending it into late life,” Chapman says. In addition to being physically active, eating healthfully, and staying socially connected and intellectually stimulated, one key to aging well is finding something to feel joyful about every single day. For inspiration and sensible, actionable tips, we asked experts on aging—including some impressive seniors who are walking the walk right now—for their advice on a happy, meaningful older age.
When it comes to happiness, it’s well-known that the Nordic countries regularly score high on surveys of life satisfaction. In fact, Finland has held the top spot in the World Happiness Report’s list of happiest countries for years — even as the country deals with cold weather, long winters and no daylight for part of the year in certain parts of the country. (For reference, the United States was 23rd on the World Happiness Report’s list.)
Even with these things seemingly against the country, the people of Finland thrive when it comes to their life satisfaction for a myriad of reasons, according to mental health experts.
A huge part of that is because Finland has systems in place that make aspects of life less stressful — education is largely free, time off of work is plentiful and health care coverage is guaranteed. Plus, the country is much, much smaller than the U.S. (the population is smaller than the population of New York City), which also makes certain things easier.
Beyond these systems, though, there are habits and beliefs that Finnish people hold that help them regularly secure the top spot on the World Happiness Report’s list.
When you feel bogged down by your work and home responsibilities and a never-ending to-do list, taking time for an activity you enjoy can do wonders for your mental health. Hobbies “add a much-needed sense of meaning and purpose to our lives,” and that can make you happier, says Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, LPCC-S, a psychotherapist at LifeStance Health in Beachwood, Ohio.
Research backs this up, says Latechia Hester, LCPC, a licensed clinical professional counselor at BetterHelp: A 2020 study published in Neuropsychology found that people who engage in leisure activities generally had fewer symptoms of depression. Studies also show that hobbies may reduce your risk of chronic disease and cognitive decline, boost mental well-being and improve overall life satisfaction.
Growing older gets a bum rap. In our youth-obsessed culture, landing on the AARP mailing list can feel like the beginning of the end. But science consistently shows that the opposite is true. After quantifying data on well-being from hundreds of thousands of people in 145 countries, Dartmouth College economist David Blanchflower, PhD, reported in 2021 that most people, regardless of educational, marital, or employment status, experience high levels of happiness when they’re young adults, followed by declining happiness that bottoms out in their late 40s, then, beyond that, steadily increasing happiness.
We don't need data to confirm that we're stressed—but there are countless studies and polls out there doing it. Case in point: The most recent Censis-Eudaimon Report, which revealed that 31.8% of people feel close to burnout due to work stress.
It makes sense that social media is filled with stress-busting remedies. And while some of them should fall into the realm of old wives' tales, others may just be legit. The most popular one right now? A viral drink recipie claiming to lower cortisol, restore energy, relieve tension, and balance hormones. Besides the catchy name—the Cortisol Cocktail—could it be real? We dive in (and drink up).
The billionaire cofounder of Scale AI, Lucy Guo, has a message for anyone who craves work-life balance: Maybe you’re in the wrong job. This millennial wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and doesn’t clock off until midnight—and it’s a philosophy that’s catching on among founders now openly embracing China’s 996 grind.
Work-life balance has become the holy grail of modern employment. It’s the non-negotiable perk that trumps salary and title—with Gen Z and millennial workers willing to walk away from jobs that don’t deliver it in abundance.
But what if instead of walking out on jobs that don’t provide balance, they should leave the jobs that make them crave it instead? That’s because, according to Lucy Guo, the 30-year-old billionaire cofounder of Scale AI, the need to clock off at 5 p.m. on the dot to unwind might signal that you’re in the wrong job altogether.
Guo, who dropped out of college and built her fortune in the tech industry, says her grueling daily schedule—waking up at 5:30 am and working until midnight—doesn’t feel like work to her at all.
Have you ever been out to dinner with friends, or on a walk through your favourite park, and found yourself curiously unmoved by any of it? The atmosphere is great, the food is good, the weather is beautiful – but you find no pleasure in what should be a distinctly pleasurable experience.
The word for this is anhedonia, from the Greek words ‘an’ and ‘hedone,’ which collectively mean ‘without pleasure.’ Occasional instances of anhedonia are a normal part of the human experience. But longer-lasting anhedonic spells might mean something else is going on.
Sometimes it has to do with a mental illness, but, for other people, higher than normal stress can be enough to suck the joy from your existence.
Recent research has begun exploring how stress, whether that’s from a difficult job, hectic family life or other things, actually changes the way our brain’s reward system functions, reducing our ability to feel sparks of joy in response to things we like.
Some questions remain in this line of research, including how susceptibility can differ between people, and what exactly the best therapy is. But the basic takeaway at the moment is clear: stack up the stressors in your life, and you may be stealing your happiness away.
In Pixar’s Soul, the richly imaginative 2020 film exploring life and purpose, jazz pianist Joe Gardner often loses himself in a rapturous piano solo. As his fingers dance across the keys, the world around him melts. Later, a character named 22—a disembodied soul living in “The Great Before,” a realm where souls are prepared before birth—explains: “You know how when you humans are really into something and it feels like you’re in another place? Feels like you’re in the zone, right?” For 22, this “zone” is a mystical Astral Plane where people are transported when they’re doing what they love—a literal place where time vanishes and the soul expands. It’s a cinematic expression of what neuroscience now recognizes as a measurable brain state: flow.
Flow is a state of intense focus, reduced self-consciousness, and peak performance. And just like in Soul, scientists are turning to musicians to understand how the brain enters this intriguing peak-state of consciousness. In March 2024, a neuroimaging study published in the journal Neuropsychologia studied 32 jazz guitarists, some highly experienced, others less so. Each musician improvised six pieces while an electroencephalogram (EEG) measured their brains’ electrical activity. After each session, the players rated how “in the zone” they felt, while expert jazz critics rated the creativity of the output.
The study tested two competing theories: Is flow about laser-sharp focus? Or is it about deep skill and letting go? The data pointed to the second. The most experienced musicians—those most likely to report being seamlessly immersed—showed increased activity in auditory and sensory regions, and decreased activity in both the frontal lobes (which govern conscious control) and the default mode network (the part of the brain associated with self-focus and daydreaming). In other words, creative trance-like focus seemed to emerge when the practiced brain quieted its inner supervisor and allowed automatic brilliance to take over.
A few days ago, LinkedIn cofounder and serial investor Reid Hoffman shared a polarizing take on work life balance on X. It’s only 16 words, but it’s pretty brutal:
If a founder brags about having “a balanced life,” I assume they’re not serious about winning. — Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) May 22, 2025
The post has quickly gone viral; at time of writing this article it’s received more than a million views, over 500 comments, and several responses from popular business builders. 37Signals founder Jason Fried called Hoffman’s take “stupid.” And Small Bets founder Daniel Vassallo replied simply, “A balanced life is the winning.”
I have nothing against Hoffman, but his take on work life balance may be the worst I’ve ever seen. It violates core principles of emotional intelligence, which are founded on the concept of keeping priorities and emotions in balance, so you make decisions you don’t later regret.
To understand why this thinking is dangerous, let’s take a closer look at the definition of winning, why a balanced life is so important to achieving that, and how you can truly win at life. (Want more practical tips for understanding and managing emotions? Sign up here for my free email emotional intelligence course.)
You’ve heard the tips before: Smile more! Make a vision board! Spend money on experiences, not things!
It’s not that these ideas never help (and we’ve suggested some ourselves), but here’s a universal truth that shows the limitations of even worthwhile advice: Life comes with ups and downs, and forcing yourself to exude happiness and positivity when that’s the last thing you feel can backfire.
A better game plan is to focus on building quiet little habits proven to tee you up for more contentment, no matter what obstacle you face, whether it’s dealing with chronic pain, having no place to walk in your neighborhood, or coping with a crazy schedule that leaves you with little time for yourself. To the extent that these happiness-supporting behavioral tweaks become habits, they won’t feel inauthentic or exhausting.
The solution starts with acknowledging and accepting the fact that happiness is not always available on demand, and you’re not required to feel happy 24/7. “The more we give ourselves permission for things to suck, the more we can see that our lives are going to be filled with tough moments, so we might as well use them as opportunities to find one thing to help us feel even a little better,” says Dan Harris, host of the podcast 10% Happier and author of 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works—A True Story. “I think it’s great to aim for messy, marginal improvements over time.”
The coast has long been a place of healing. In 18th-century Europe, doctors prescribed beach time for ailments ranging from tuberculosis to leprosy. Patients spent their days bathing in (and often drinking) mineral-rich sea water, and at night, they fell asleep to the sounds of briny winds and crashing waves.
While elements of this early sea therapy have since been disproven, modern science continues to find that nature is good for us. Researchers got an early inkling of this in a landmark 1984 study that showed post-op patients whose hospital rooms had views of natural spaces tended to have shorter and more pleasant stays than those whose rooms faced a brick wall.
In the decades since, the field of environmental psychology has investigated why humans are hardwired to feel better outdoors. Most of their work has focused on green space—parks, forests, and the like. But a more recent wave of researchers is turning their attention to far bluer realms.
Mat White, an environmental psychologist who is also avid surfer and outdoor swimmer, is an early pioneer of this work. In 2010, White and his colleagues discovered that people tended to rate photos of natural and urban environments as being more attractive and restorative when they had some sort of water element.
The coast has long been a place of healing. In 18th-century Europe, doctors prescribed beach time for ailments ranging from tuberculosis to leprosy. Patients spent their days bathing in (and often drinking) mineral-rich sea water, and at night, they fell asleep to the sounds of briny winds and crashing waves.
While elements of this early sea therapy have since been disproven, modern science continues to find that nature is good for us. Researchers got an early inkling of this in a landmark 1984 study that showed post-op patients whose hospital rooms had views of natural spaces tended to have shorter and more pleasant stays than those whose rooms faced a brick wall.
In the decades since, the field of environmental psychology has investigated why humans are hardwired to feel better outdoors. Most of their work has focused on green space—parks, forests, and the like. But a more recent wave of researchers is turning their attention to far bluer realms.
Mat White, an environmental psychologist who is also avid surfer and outdoor swimmer, is an early pioneer of this work. In 2010, White and his colleagues discovered that people tended to rate photos of natural and urban environments as being more attractive and restorative when they had some sort of water element.
If you ask someone what makes their life good, many people might respond with a list of things that make them happy. But not everyone measures their lives with happiness, and some people value happiness more than others. Humans have struggled to define the ingredients for a good life or for well-being in terms beyond simple happiness for millennia.
Aristotle famously distinguished between hedonia, which refers to pleasure, and eudaimonia, which refers to a deeper, longer-lasting form of happiness. Eudaimonia is the “idea of a truly flourishing life being about using your strengths in line with a valued pursuit and having virtue which is different than being happy,” says David Yaden, a psychedelics and well-being researcher at Johns Hopkins University.
Today, the most popular model of well-being builds on this dichotomy between hedonia and eudaimonia. It involves both fluctuations in mood and life satisfaction. But researchers still debate whether happiness is at the core of well-being across the world. While the question might seem more philosophical than practical, answering it could drive broader social policies that influence the well-being of not just individuals but also communities and even countries.
We’ve heard a lot lately about how miserable young Americans are. In the recently released World Happiness Report, the United States dropped to its lowest ranking since that survey began—and that result was driven by the unhappiness of people under 30 in this country. So what’s going on?
The simplest forms of self-care get all the glory: exercise (hello, endorphins!), stretches and meditation (for stress relief), nutritious foods (for energy to fuel your other healthy habits), and therapy (for when anxiety and depression start to creep in). And rightly so, as a breadth of scientific evidence shows that sticking with these practices consistently can help you function better and feel happier too.
But your mental health is defined by more than the daily habits in your routine. It’s just as much about feeling creative, deepening your connections, and leaning into moments that make you feel alive as it is about limiting screen time, taking deep breaths, and decluttering your space.
That’s why we asked prominent experts in the mental health space—licensed therapists, clinical psychologists, social scientists, renowned authors, and more—to share aspects of mental health we tend to overlook. Consider them just as crucial as the basics.
It's the little things that add up to make a huge difference in our everyday existence. So Redditor momsvaginaresearcher asked, "What improved your quality of life so much that you wish you did it sooner?"
There is a mountain of self-help books, online gurus and social media trends telling you how to improve your mental health, but do they actually work? While some of the tips you might have heard can make a real difference to your day-to-day mental health, there are equally those that are more fiction than fact.
"When people immerse themselves in a hobby, they often find an escape from daily pressures, creating a calming space where they can unwind and recharge," says Patricia S. Dixon, a licensed clinical psychologist in Florida. "As they hone their skills, they may experience a boost in self-confidence. Additionally, if the hobby presents a challenge, it encourages cognitive growth and problem-solving. And participating in a shared interest can lead to meaningful social interactions, enhancing feelings of belonging and connection." And that's just the beginning of the benefits of grandma hobbies.
The United States is continuing its downward path on the global World Happiness Report, having dropped to a record low on the global rankings list.
Last year, the U.S. fell out of the top 20 for the first time in the report's history, landing at No. 23. The 2025 report, published Thursday, shows Americans dropping another level down to No. 24.
Several organizations conduct the annual report that ranks countries from the most to least overall happiness. Once again, Nordic countries lead the list, dominating the top 4 spots.
The World Happiness Report also shares illuminating information such as the fact that declining joy and social trust is a contributor to a rise of political polarization in the U.S. and parts of Europe.
You’ve undoubtedly heard the adage that you are what you eat. It turns out that it may apply to brain health nearly as much as physical health. Research increasingly supports the idea that eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones may improve your mood and emotional well-being over time.
“Just as we recognize that diet plays a role in conditions like heart disease or diabetes, we now understand that food choices can affect brain function, mood, and mental health disorders,” says Wolfgang Marx, deputy director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia and president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research, a growing field that explores how diet influences mental health and brain function.
“Diets high in ultra-processed foods and low in nutrient quality are consistently associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety,” says Marx. Indeed, a study by Marx and colleagues in a 2024 issue or BMJ found that people who consume high amounts of ultra-processed foods have a 48 percent increased risk of anxiety and a 22 percent increased risk of depression.
By contrast, research has found that improving your diet can improve major depression. And a review of 13 studies published in the February 2025 issue of Nutrition Reviews found that the Mediterranean diet could reduce the risks of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children and teenagers.
What is happiness? Is it feeling good all the time? Having a sunny disposition? Feeling like you are where you want to be in life?
People who want to be happier often think about what it means, says Gretchen Rubin, author of several books on the subject, including The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, and host of the podcast Happier. But the emotion can be hard to describe.
Instead, Rubin says to ask yourself: "Will this make me happier?" People usually have a lot more clarity on the answer. Making choices that can make you happier in the long or short run can move you "in the right direction" toward a life filled with more joy and contentment.
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably tried to follow a new big habit just to find yourself faltering a few days later. Maybe you made it a goal to follow a plant-based diet only to find yourself reaching for bacon at breakfast. Or maybe you promised yourself you’d read four books a month only to scroll social media instead.
There’s a reason it’s hard to adhere to a new behavior. “Many people struggle with motivation because they set goals that are too ambitious or require drastic lifestyle changes,” said Israa Nasir, a therapist and author of “Toxic Productivity.”
This is where a certain type of approach ― known as a micro-habit ― comes into play.
“Micro-habits remove that overwhelm,” Nasir said, noting that they “improve well-being by reducing the gap between intention and action.”
Can you drink your way to a better mood? Not exactly, but there are certain nutrients in healthy beverages that can help give your mood a little boost. (And no, a glass of wine isn't among them!)
So if you're feeling the winter blues or experiencing a lot of stress right now, consider taking a sip of one of these nutritionist-approved, mood-enhancing drinks to help you feel a little better.
Katie, a 40-year-old woman in the county of Devon in England, has battled depression most of her life. She’s received lots of treatment, including with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The latter approach did help, she says. “I am prone to catastrophizing, and CBT helped me reduce those fears and some self-harming behaviors,” Katie adds, “But I never felt joy.”
CBT is the gold standard therapy for treating depression and anxiety, one or both of which will afflict around 20 percent of people during their lifetime. It may be the best remedy we have, a growing number of scientists say, but it doesn’t help everyone. Research shows that only half of patients benefit and that only half of those who do benefit do so long-term. CBT does reduce symptoms such as low mood and fearfulness. For many, however, it doesn’t restore positive feelings such as happiness or excitement.
“We had always assumed that by reducing negative emotions—anger, fear, anxiety, sadness—the natural consequence would be for positive emotions to rise on their own,” says clinical psychologist Michelle Craske of the University of California, Los Angeles. “And they don’t—well, not reliably.”
Feeling the pressing need to do better, Craske and other scientists are developing new treatments to fill this gap. They are using elements of CBT but turning it on its head. Instead of working to reduce patients’ unrealistic worries or self-defeating beliefs, the researchers focus on helping them identify and enlarge their positive emotions, no matter how transient or tiny. These new approaches are now being tested in large-scale clinical trials in the U.S. and the U.K. and are showing great promise.
Is it enough to feel indifferent towards our jobs, or do we need to love what we do every day? Research says yes, and two workplace experts explain the importance of career satisfaction, plus how to foster more of it.
New research has confirmed a common-sense conclusion — with some important takeaways.
People with a more positive outlook on life came through the COVID pandemic better than others did, scientists found. Not only that, adults with high levels of "playfulness" showed stronger resilience during the lockdowns compared to more serious individuals.
Everyone experiences stress at some point, from minor setbacks to major issues and traumas. While some people navigate these stressors with ease, it can be debilitating for others.1
Stress shouldn't be ignored or pushed aside. Chronic (long-term) stress can cause inflammation, weaken your immune system, and increase your risk of digestive issues, heart disease, weight gain, and stroke.2
For this reason, it's important to know how to reduce your stress levels in meaningful and practical ways.
These days the internet is crowded with videos, articles and hacks promising the route to reset your brain's reward system and rediscover the joy in life's simple pleasures. One method, in particular, has gained traction and is being touted by influencers as a quick fix for restoring focus and lowering your level of stimulation.
It's called dopamine detoxing, and its advocates claim it can quickly help reset your brain's neurochemical balance.
How? They argue that temptations like social media, video games, junk food, online shopping, coffee and alcohol have burnt out your brain's dopamine-based reward system. In other words, we’re so used to the near-constant buzz of these hits that our dopamine levels become depleted, leaving us unable to focus on what matters or appreciate the finer things in life.
The basic idea behind dopamine detoxing is to cut out all the quick and easy pleasures in our lives for a set period, with some programmes suggesting starting with a single day and then building up to weeks at a time. This, proponents claim, will help your dopamine levels reset to a healthier balance.
At first glance, this might seem like straightforward biology, but how much real evidence supports it? Well, as with many pop psychology fads, there’s a grain of truth to the idea, but it’s often oversimplified –sometimes to the point of cartoonish neuroscience.
Ever feel like you’re three steps behind on everything you want to do? We know how it feels to be completely overwhelmed while trying to juggle a zillion things at the same time. Between staying on top of work, trying to have some semblance of a social life, and wanting to eat something that isn’t takeout, it’s no wonder we’re all teetering on the edge of burnout.
Enter the Eisenhower Matrix—a productivity hack that can help us sort our chaos into manageable chunks. It’s a tool for understanding our priorities and addressing them based on how important and urgent they are, says Aimee Daramus, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Clarity Clinic, Chicago.
This simple yet powerful matrix can help us prioritize tasks, ditch the distractions, and focus our energy on what really matters.
Remaining healthy and sharp are goals for most people as they age. But one group of people — known as “SuperAgers” — is said to have this all down as they go through life, even into their later years.
The term SuperAgers was created by researchers at Northwestern University, who define it as “adults over age 80 who have the memory capacity of individuals who are at least three decades younger.” Northwestern University is one of just a handful of institutions in the country that have SuperAging research programs.
Experts stress that SuperAgers are not the same as people with good longevity, with the main difference between them being one’s brain. Studies show that SuperAgers’ brains resemble those of much younger people.
Specifically, less brain volume loss is seen in SuperAgers in comparison to a person who just has good longevity, according to Northwestern Medicine, an affiliate with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. For example, someone who is, say, 87 years old with good longevity, may have a brain that also matches their age.
Regardless of whether romance is on the menu for you this Valentine’s Day, your brain is always trying to reward your investment in social interaction or motivate you to bond with others when human connection is in short supply.
In platonic or romantic love, there's no getting around the body's need for human-to-human interaction.
"Love is a biological necessity that is as vital to a person’s wellbeing as fresh water, food, and exercise," says Stephanie Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Oregon and the author of the book Wired for Love: A Neuroscientist’s Journey Through Romance, Loss, and the Essence of Human Connection.
While the heart usually gets the credit, most of the benefits associated with love originate in the brain which is evolutionarily programmed to produce and release hormones when we experience attraction, affection, and attachment.
The actions we take every day—whether dopamine-boosting or energy-depleting—have a direct impact on our mental health. In fact, a 2023 study showed that certain creative activities, such as gardening and arts and crafts, were associated with enhanced life satisfaction, especially during the five months of quarantine most of us remember clearly. Similarly, in winter, feelings of dissatisfaction and a lack of energy play a significant role in how we feel, according to licensed psychologist Dr. Leah Kaylor.
The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, a correctional facility located on the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay, seems an unlikely place to find happiness.
But the Rev. George Williams, a chaplain there, is flourishing. He leads Catholic masses for about 200 incarcerated men on Sundays in English and Spanish and offers pastoral support during the week. Sharing his faith with inmates has been a source of joy for the bespectacled and soft-spoken priest.
“I look forward to going to work every day,” Williams, who has served as a prison chaplain for 30 years (and at San Quentin for about half that time), told me. It’s like “drinking grace from a fire hose.”
Researchers have found a strong link between faith and happiness—a relationship Williams has experienced at San Quentin as he practices his faith by serving those behind bars. In recent years, social scientists have surveyed people around the world to ask how happy they are. In many cases, they’ve found meaningful correlations between people’s self-reported rankings of happiness and whether they take part in organized religious services.
The life expectancy among Native Americans in the western United States has dropped below 64 years, close to life expectancies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. For many Asian Americans, it’s around 84 — on par with life expectancies in Japan and Switzerland.
Americans’ health has long been unequal, but a new study shows that the disparity between the life expectancies of different populations has nearly doubled since 2000. “This is like comparing very different countries,” said Tom Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations and an author of the study.
Called “Ten Americas,” the analysis published late last year in The Lancet found that “one’s life expectancy varies dramatically depending on where one lives, the economic conditions in that location, and one’s racial and ethnic identity.” The worsening health of specific populations is a key reason the country’s overall life expectancy — at 75 years for men and 80 for women — is the shortest among wealthy nations.
Between doomscrolling social media, replacing breakfast with coffee and not getting any fresh air, we are certainly aware of the behaviors that are harmful to our physical and mental health. But, unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into these behavior traps.
What seems to be harder is following habits that actually help you feel better and set you up for a more well-rounded, supportive and fulfilling life.
Positive psychology experts, who focus on the strategies and behaviors that help people flourish, say there are definitive, research-backed habits that can let you do just that. And these are practices they personally swear by, too.
The behaviors they follow are likely things you’ve heard before, but the good they do for your emotional and mental state cannot be overemphasized.
There’s a reason why the sounds of nature — chirping birds, flowing streams, falling rain — are often sound options for white noise machines and meditation apps: They’re calming.
A new small study published in Molecular Psychiatry further underscores this. The study found that a one-hour nature walk reduces stress when compared to a one-hour walk in a bustling city environment.
The study followed 63 people who were randomly assigned a nature walk or an urban walk. The nature walk took place in a forest in Berlin and the urban walk took place on a busy street in the city.
Participants were instructed not to check their phones or stop in stores while on their walk. They were given a bagged lunch and a phone with a 30-minute timer that instructed them to turn around.
Before the walk, participants filled out a questionnaire and then underwent an fMRI scan that measured two tasks.
The first task measured brain activity during a “fearful faces task,” in which participants were shown 15 female and 15 male faces that either had a neutral or scared expression. The second task measured was brain activity during an “Montreal Imaging Stress Task,” which is designed to create a level of stress in participants. During the task, participants had a set amount of time to solve challenging arithmetic problems.
After the walk, participants filled out another questionnaire and underwent another fMRI scan that measured the same tasks they conducted before their walk.
The results showed that nature significantly improved people’s stress levels.
In a culture of toxic positivity, it can feel particularly bad when you wake up and aren’t feeling totally happy. This is likely exacerbated when you open up your Instagram or Facebook feeds only to see smiling friends on vacation or at their wedding.
It’s easy to feel like you just should be happy, but experts say it is much bigger than that ― and there are probably some behaviors and beliefs that keep you from feeling your best.
When it comes to happiness, it’s well-known that the Nordic countries regularly score high on surveys of life satisfaction. In fact, Finland has held the top spot in the World Happiness Report’s list of happiest countries for years — even as the country deals with cold weather, long winters and no daylight for part of the year in certain parts of the country. (For reference, the United States was 23rd on the World Happiness Report’s list.)
Even with these things seemingly against the country, the people of Finland thrive when it comes to their life satisfaction for a myriad of reasons, according to mental health experts.
A huge part of that is because Finland has systems in place that make aspects of life less stressful — education is largely free, time off of work is plentiful and health care coverage is guaranteed. Plus, the country is much, much smaller than the U.S. (the population is smaller than the population of New York City), which also makes certain things easier.
Beyond these systems, though, there are habits and beliefs that Finnish people hold that help them regularly secure the top spot on the World Happiness Report’s list. Below, Finnish mental health experts share why they think people in the country are happier and how you can use some of the country’s tools for happiness, too.
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