Being A Person Who Gives Happiness To Friends And Family

Happiness can be subjective, with each person conceiving of and pursuing this emotion in distinct ways. According to positive psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, happiness is the experience of joy, contentment, and well-being combined with a sense that life is meaningful and worthwhile. 

To get started, it may help to be willing to ask yourself why you lack emotional fulfillment and inner joy. You can use a few strategies to go about this and start supporting others.   

Are you struggling to find happiness in yourself?

Before you focus on others, ask yourself what might be keeping you from happiness in your life. You may have noticed that others feel distressed or worse when around you, or you may be creating scenarios about how they perceive you. Recognizing traits in yourself that may cause others to feel invaluable may reflect how you internally struggle with feeling valued by yourself.  

If your loved ones struggle to support you, you can seek support from a mental health professional. You may discover during therapy sessions that your mental health is the cause of your internal issues and that there are evidence-based ways to improve how you feel and act each day.  

Is there a connection between mental health and being a person who gives happiness?

Chronic stress and maladaptive thoughts can exact a toll on a person's mental and physical health. Additionally, unmanaged stress that does not subside can increase your risk factors for developing anxiety disorders, heart disease, and diabetes. 

You may be experiencing extra stress because of work or relationship conflicts. Depression can also be a stressful factor. If you’re a person who experiences inner turmoil, you might be uncertain how to offer happiness to others if you don’t feel it. However, if you can look within and practice positive thought engagement, you may find that your stress is relieved, and you can give happiness to others and yourself.  

Practicing emotional vitality 

What does it look like to be a person who gives happiness?

Someone who brings happiness may spread positive energy to those around them, attempting to make them feel valued. Contrarily, someone who doesn’t offer happiness and takes energy from others might exude an egocentric personality or ask for too much from those they care about. These behaviors of trying to be a good person, or how people talk about themselves, can impact the health of relationships. 

Neuroscience explains this effect, founded in mirror neurons – neurological pathways that fire when individuals observe behavior in a fellow human that mimics what was observed. Research has revealed that these neurons may be responsible for the effects of sadness or anger after seeing someone sad or angry. Concomitantly, witnessing joyous events or being around someone happy can lift your spirits and cause you to smile.

How to bring happiness to family and friends

If you wish to make others around you happy, start by internalizing a state of calm, humor, and contentment. Act confidently around those you love and set healthy boundaries without drama so you do not spend time with others when you’re not ready to. Below are a few other options you can consider.  

Perform acts of kindness 

When you ask someone to define happiness, they may give you different perspectives. Some people feel it is a state of joy, and others may feel it is an achievable state of satisfaction or well-being. In psychology, there is a distinction between the two states of being. 

• Writing a kind note to someone you love
• Performing acts of service, like taking out the trash when someone is sick or helping your younger sister with her chores
• Opening a door for a stranger
• Helping someone when they fall 
• Being empathetic in the face of adversity 

A person who gives happiness shows gratitude

Positive psychology research has shown that the act of gratitude is directly correlated with increased levels of happiness. When you send a thank you note or express gratitude to someone near you, you show them you recognize their actions and encourage goodwill. Furthermore, spending time each day to reflect and write down what you are grateful for can improve your outlook and help you appreciate what is around you.

Volunteer

Smile

A person who gives happiness practices kindness

Write a heartfelt note

Show appreciation for family, friends, and loved ones

Be a person who gives happiness and enrich your own

When you become the person who gives happiness, it has a ripple effect on other people. That means while you're making others happy, you are also enriching your own. By sharing joy, you build stronger bonds with other people and improve your health. The happier your environment will be, the more meaningful your life becomes.

Cultivate happiness with online therapy

According to the American Psychological Association, well-being is a state of happiness and contentment characterized by low levels of distress, a healthy state of mind, a healthy body, and a high quality of life. While these characteristics may seem impossible to attain at once, working daily for your well-being can impact your ability to manage stress. 

The effectiveness of online motivational therapy

Research shows that virtual therapy is as effective as in-person therapy. For example, studies have found that online counseling is a highly effective tool for people experiencing a lack of emotional vitality or happiness. In a study published in Internet Interventions—a peer-reviewed scientific journal—researchers examined the effects of online motivational therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in people struggling with adverse thinking patterns and poor motivation. Researchers found that online interventions created positive changes, with participants reporting favorable outcomes after treatment. Combined with CBT, these therapy approaches help individuals understand and replace maladaptive thoughts with affirmative thoughts and actions.