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The Art of Happiness at Work


Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are. Richard Branson


It’s easy to confuse success with happiness, and many people strive for professional goals (money or job titles) only to achieve them and realize it doesn’t provide them with the sense of happiness they were hoping for.

Until relatively recently, work and happiness weren’t really connected, but research is starting to show that there is a range of benefits for happy employees – for both the individual and the organization.

Some of the benefits of happiness at work include:


1. Better Decision Making & Creative Problem Solving

Happiness at work has a range of benefits for how our brains work and think. When we’re happier, we tend not to focus on the negatives or stressors as much, allowing more room to think about how to positively get on with challenges (Brockis, 2019).


2. Improved Individual and Team Productivity

Sgroi (2015) in a study for the University of Warwick found that happier employees tended to be 12% more productive, whereas unhappy employees were up to 10% less productive.


3. Better Customer Service Satisfaction

A study from Gallup (2017) found that happier employees were more engaged, which resulted in improved customer relationships, and a 20% increase in sales. When we feel happy, we’re more likely to express ourselves positively and want to help those around us.


4. It Might Help You Earn More

Tang (2006) found that feelings in life satisfaction were linked to higher salaries, however, this wasn’t consistent, and varied between genders. It’s also difficult to determine whether having a higher salary led to greater life satisfaction due to having fewer financial stressors.


5 Things You Can Do to Realize These Benefits in Your Life


Trying to feel happier in life might seem like a mammoth task to take on, but it doesn’t have to be. A few simple practices each day have been proven to help you realize and begin to reap the benefits of happiness:


1. Practice Gratitude

It’s easy to complain when things go wrong or you get stuck in the rut of thinking ‘why has this happened to me’ when you have a bad day, but practicing gratitude can help tackle that and improve feelings of happiness. Simply writing down three things you feel grateful for before bed can work wonders on your mindset (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).


2. Incorporate Some Movement

Exercise releases endorphins, which have a direct impact on our mood – in a good way! Adding in some aerobic exercise is proven to be effective in increasing feelings of happiness (Netz et al., 2005). This doesn’t have to be hitting the gym, it could be as simple as putting on your favorite music and dancing in the living room.


3. Get Back in Touch with Nature

Combine your aerobic exercise with nature and you’ll be onto something good. Spending time outdoors has been proven to aid our moods (Barton & Pretty, 2010). A good walk or run in a local park or woods or some gardening can spark some wonderful benefits.


4. Practice Mindfulness

Incorporating mindfulness can help you create better awareness for your everyday feelings, and let go of negative experiences, allowing for more room to appreciate positive experiences and emotions (Campos et al, 2016).


5. Spend Time with Loved Ones

Socializing with friends and loved ones have many health benefits (Troyer, 2016), including feelings of well-being and happiness. Making time for coffee with friends, or quality time with family members is a great way to realize the benefits of happiness.


A Take Home Message


I hope you’ve enjoyed reading more about the different health benefits of happiness, I know I enjoyed researching them! If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this article, it’s that cultivating more happiness or positive emotions shouldn’t become an exercise to be added to the ‘To-Do’ list.

Research shows that feeling happier is beneficial for our health, but not if forcing yourself to be happy or seek out happiness ends up causing you more stress.

Take your time and enjoy the process of identifying areas of life where you could potentially let some more happiness in.

Please share your experiences and email me, I’d love to hear about them!



 
 
 

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