Tal Ben-Shahar’s 6 keys to being happy

We do not need to have everything we think we lack to be happy, nor wait for everything we want to arrive, nor stop ourselves from not reaching the top to be happy. Being happy is a matter of enjoying what I now have, being happy is being calm and fulfilled with what I have. This is how Tal Ben Shahar, the happiness professor, explains it.

Tal Ben Shahar is a professor at Harvard and became famous for his classes on happiness, which he defines as “that general feeling of pleasure and meaning; “A happy person enjoys positive emotions while considering that his life is full of meaning.” In the following video, Tal Ben Shahar explains and defends his theories on how to face life with enthusiasm and joy.

Some of Tal Ben Shahar’s keys to being happy

Among his theories on positive psychology and the development of a happy life, some stand out that, always defended by science, generate in us that feeling of pleasure and meaning. Some of his advice is:

Face to face relationships: Interpersonal relationships face to face with others and not through screens, generate in us a feeling of pleasure that leads to happiness. When we spend time in contact with the people we love, we also invest time in ourselves and our well-being.Simplify life: Sometimes we insist on going fast, on doing many things at once to finish faster, on focusing on what is going wrong to try to solve it and we get lost in it. Simplifying life is making it easy, knowing that there are problems, but that we have tools, knowing that everything will not always go well but there will always be something that will go that way. Focus on what we do, on just one thing and enjoy it.Physical exercise: Performing physical exercise helps release tension, improves our circulatory system and generates endorphins, which promote a feeling of well-being. “With thirty minutes of regular physical exercise three times a week we will not only be healthier but also happier.”Gratitude expressed: Being grateful and realizing what we have and valuing it generates a feeling of happiness in us. Being aware of everything we have and being grateful for it takes us on the right path to pleasure and well-being.Permission to be human: We all get emotional, we all feel and react to what happens to us, we should feel free to express ourselves and not be afraid of what people will say. Emotional intelligence gives us the key to knowing ourselves and developing in our relationships.Dedicate time to our hobbies: Obligations are present in our daily lives, but making time for what we enjoy is what makes us feel like we have a full and happy life and that is why it should be a mandatory task for everyone.

Can you learn to be happy?

According to Professor Tal Ben Shahar, you can learn to be happy and, in fact, it should be taught in schools. Being happy is not being good all the time, Being happy is knowing how to tolerate discomfort and not stop being well or feeling fulfilled even when you are in a bad situation or with bad conditions.

Tal Ben Shahar tells us that we can learn to be happy if we know how to make decisions. From the smallest ones that we might come to believe are insignificant, such as, for example, I decide to leave my cell phone when I spend time with my friends, to the most important ones, such as what I decide to study or if I dedicate my time to my work.

If we manage to teach self-improvement techniques, emotional intelligence, resilience, interpersonal relationships, from a young age in schools, we will be achieving From a young age we program our brains to be happy, to overcome adversity and enjoy the little things.

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