Steven Hansen
The Magic of Flowers
October may be the happiest month – specifically the first two weeks (see “Make it to October”) -- but spring is a whole season when most...
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 12
- 1 min
Two Little Words Make All the Difference
Two little words can go a long way to making you, and the people around you, happier every day: “Good morning!” It works magic at home...
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Steven Hansen
- Mar 27
- 1 min
Take Your Brother Skydiving (Or At Least Out to Lunch)
Sure, having lots of money to burn and buying lots of cool new stuff – cars, clothes, the latest tech gadgets – might be fun and make you...
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Deena Ebbert
- Feb 19
- 2 min
In Search of Shiny Objects and Teenage Turkeys
On the days my system is running a happiness deficit, I keep coming back to the same thing. When I’m in a really sour, foul, miserable...
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Steven Hansen
- Jan 1
- 2 min
Hug Someone: Encircle Them with Comfort
Thankfully, hugging people is back in style! And the new year is a great occasion to start adding more uplifting gestures of love and...
145 views1 comment
Steven Hansen
- Dec 5, 2022
- 1 min
Create a Hyggekrog
Perhaps you’ve heard of it – Hygge that is. The Danish appreciation of things that provide a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being....
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Steven Hansen
- Nov 20, 2022
- 2 min
Thanksgiving Tips to Save the Day
Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. No gifts, no costumes or decorations required. Just a gathering together of friends and families to...
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Steven Hansen
- Sep 20, 2022
- 1 min
Treat Yourself to a Massage
Getting and giving nice long hugs has been proven to release oxytocin – the “feel-good” hormone – in our bodies. But hugs can be few and...
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Steven Hansen
- Sep 13, 2022
- 6 min
“If You Could Live Anywhere," How Do You Choose? Read On!
It started with the “digital nomads” of the late 1990s. Then the van-lifers of the early 2010s. Small groups of adventure seekers were...
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Steven Hansen
- Jul 26, 2022
- 1 min
Jump Up and Down!
Let me be the 11th person this week to rag at you that you need to get more exercise. Or the 12th, including your conscience. You’ll look...
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 29, 2022
- 1 min
Go Through Your Old Photos
Remember that one candid snapshot someone took of your grandma (or dad, or sister, or you) laughing like crazy at some fool thing...
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 12, 2022
- 2 min
Sing In a Choir
Everyone knows you feel better when you sing. Whether it’s a few rounds of “99 Bottles of Beer” revving up the night at the local dive,...
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Steven Hansen
- May 16, 2022
- 1 min
Pet a Dog
By now, we are all familiar with the growing popularity of emotional support animals, and therapy dogs in particular. You see them...
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 24, 2022
- 2 min
Live Near a Park or Forest
Wouldn’t you rather look at trees than other buildings? It just makes sense that people who live near parks and greenspaces are healthier...
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 1, 2022
- 1 min
Listen to Gregorian Chant
Can a medieval dirge make you feel better? Well, some experts believe that listening to Gregorian chants, specifically, can put you in a...
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Steven Hansen
- Mar 4, 2022
- 1 min
Move to Fremont, California
For the third year in a row, Fremont, California, has earned the title of Happiest City in the United States. The 2022 WalletHub study,...
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Steven Hansen
- Feb 17, 2022
- 5 min
Need a Shoulder to Cry On? How About a Papal Blessing? Or a Magic Spell?
Sometimes we just need a little extra help to get through a rough patch. Maybe it’s a tough time at work that you’re slogging through, a...
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Steven Hansen
- Feb 7, 2022
- 1 min
Get Your Zzzzzs
You know how crappy you feel when you don’t get a good night’s rest due to nuisances like squabbling neighbors or nagging work worries?...
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Steven Hansen
- Jan 8, 2022
- 1 min
Enjoy This 11-Hour, Hypnotizing Break
The holidays are finally over. Everyone has gone back home or returned to school and we’re taking a breather before getting back into our...
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Steven Hansen
- Dec 14, 2021
- 1 min
Surround Yourself with Happy People
Stefan James of Project Life Mastery has devoted his life to helping others create and live extraordinary lives. We all have the power to...
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Steven Hansen
- Nov 29, 2021
- 1 min
Sip the Mmm-magic of Matcha
It’s getting chilly out there these days. Great weather for enjoying a nice hot cup of tea. How about a cup of matcha? Matcha, the...
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Steven Hansen
- Nov 18, 2021
- 1 min
Change Your Name to Judy or Joshua
What’s in a name, you ask? How about the key to lifelong happiness and popularity. Psychologist David Holmes of Manchester (UK)...
33 views0 comments
HA Staff
- Nov 1, 2021
- 2 min
Create A New Ritual
A friend and his spouse have a simple holiday tradition. They go out for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. They go to the same cozy...
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Steven Hansen
- Oct 18, 2021
- 1 min
Take a Nap
Finally! Scientifically proven evidence that we’d all feel happier if everybody just took a nap! A study between napping and happiness...
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Steven Hansen
- Sep 25, 2021
- 1 min
Make It to October
“Tis June, the fairest month of all, bright June, the month of roses.” Kansan poet Elva May Root makes a good point about the sixth month...
32 views0 comments
Steven Hansen
- Sep 20, 2021
- 1 min
Listen to the Blues
That’s right. The Blues. Those heart-wrenching ballads sung by the genre’s finest -- and bluesiest -- singers like Muddy Waters, Ma...
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Steven Hansen
- Sep 14, 2021
- 5 min
Where Do You Belong?
As we continue to cautiously emerge from the bunkers of our pandemic isolation, it feels good to fall back into familiar routines once...
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Steven Hansen
- Aug 27, 2021
- 1 min
Listen to the Most Beautiful Duet Ever Written
ClassicFM.com gives top billing to the “Flower Duet,” on its list of the most-uplifting classical duets ever written. Even if you’re not...
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HA Staff
- Aug 16, 2021
- 1 min
Dance in the Rain
Maybe you had an especially challenging day, and to make matters worse, it’s pouring rain outside. But don’t let that get you down. In...
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Steven Hansen
- Aug 1, 2021
- 2 min
Torch Your Troubles Away
Fiestas de Santa Fe has been held since 1712 to celebrate the Spanish reconquest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1692 by Don Diego de Vargas...
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Steven Hansen
- Jul 30, 2021
- 1 min
Smell Good Things
Of our five basic senses -- sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch – research says that our sense of smell is the most powerful. Our...
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Steven Hansen
- Jul 27, 2021
- 1 min
Eat More Chocolate
Remember how good it felt the first time you nibbled a piece of really fine chocolate? I’m talking the real stuff -- a 72% single-origin...
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Steven Hansen
- Jul 20, 2021
- 3 min
Ear Bliss #3
Relax and take a well-deserved aural vacation listening to these five specially chosen selections that will help you escape a dreary or...
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 28, 2021
- 1 min
Get a Haircut
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. The Japanese have a term for it: kaizen (kai=change zen=good). It's a...
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 23, 2021
- 1 min
Get a Job that Matters
...And Don't Forget to Socialize A recent phone app survey of 22,000 people in the UK shows that work is ranked lower than any of the...
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 17, 2021
- 2 min
How to Have Good Dreams
Here are some simple tips that will help improve the quality of your dreams.
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Steven Hansen
- Jun 2, 2021
- 8 min
10 More Ways to Get Happier
Here are 10 more fun and easy hacks to feel happier right away.
91 views1 comment
Steven Hansen
- May 27, 2021
- 2 min
Grow a $750,000 Tulip
Tulipmania was a thing. Now you know why!
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Steven Hansen
- May 24, 2021
- 1 min
Savor Being 34
This is the age many people feel happiest
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Steven Hansen
- May 14, 2021
- 1 min
How to Attract Birds to You
This is how you entice forest birds to reveal themselves
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Steven Hansen
- May 9, 2021
- 1 min
Read an Uplifting Story
100 happiest books rated by readers
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HA Staff
- May 6, 2021
- 1 min
Breathe Deep...Relax...Sleep
These gentle flower fragrances induce powerful serenity
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 29, 2021
- 2 min
10 Most Beautiful Words to Pronounce
Just saying these 10 words out loud is fun!
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 24, 2021
- 2 min
Ear Bliss #2
Falling snow, a cat purring, jazz harp, New York traffic noise and a tiny love story. Listen and smile from ear to ear.
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 22, 2021
- 1 min
Grow Vegetables
Gardening is a joyful pursuit but growing vegetables is the ultimate rush
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 21, 2021
- 1 min
Gather Under the Cherry Trees
Japanese hanami is a fleeting but heavenly natural experience.
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HA Staff
- Apr 21, 2021
- 2 min
How to Slow Down Time
Our perception of time is malleable and you can actually slow it down.
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 19, 2021
- 2 min
Get Your Head in the Clouds
Are you a cloud aficionado? There's an organization for you to join!
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Steven Hansen
- Apr 15, 2021
- 2 min
Enjoy the Serenity of ‘Blue Spaces’
Like green spaces, "blue spaces" can also reduce negative moods and stress.
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