I read this in Allure (February 2008) and cited a few good lines. So, how to get happy:
1. Think fast.
Since depression is characterized by slow thinking, it only stands to reason that making your brain race could give you a mood boost. In study published in Psychological Science, when subjects read statements quickly, they felt happier, more energetic, and more creative afterward--even when the content of tte statements was depressing, says lead researcher Emily Pronin, assistant professor of psychology at Princeton Unviversity.
2. Don't dwell.
With all due respect to Socrates, many psychologists find that the unexamined life can in fact be well worth living. "Rumination--whether rehashing things from the past or worrying about the future--worsens and lengthens periods of depression and can make everyday bad moods more intense," says Susan Nolen-Hoelsema, professor of psychology at Yale. Break the contemplative cycle by doing something constructive to dsitract yourself: go for a run, get a manicure, play with your dog--just avoid television. (It's pretty mindless, so its' easy to ruminate while you're watching," Nolen-Hoeksema says.) Even looking at pretty pictures can be enough to improve your mood. For a study, Nolen-Hoeksema left one group alone with their thoughts and showed another group pleasant images. "After only ten minutes, the people who'd been looking at pictures were happier and more motivated; the ruminators were in a bad mood," she says.
My comment: it makes sense that when you stop dwelling on things you cannot change, you will be happier since your mind is not on the unpleasant things that bothers you. However, the study result may be due to the fact that the ruminators were left alone and felt annoyed being part of a nothing-to-do research.
3. Change your tape.
"Our brains are like tape recorders, and they often replay the same negative thoughts," Domar says. Needless to say, the refrain doesn't do much for your mood. Write down a negative though you often have--for example, "I'm a slob." Ask yourself: does this thought contribute to my stress? Where did I learn this thought? Is this a logical thougt? Is this thought true? "These quesitons will help you get at an accurate restructuring of your original thought, " Domar says. In this case, you might end up with: "My house is cluttered, but pretty clean." By repeating that thought, you'll stop generating anxiety with unreasonable negativity.
My comment: it's not just our body get used to certain behaviors and keeps doing it. For instance, drinking coffee, smoking, playing with your pencil when you are thinking. Our brain gets used to certain thoughts and cannot stop think about it either.
