Smile more, stress less: Why you should make a conscious effort to be happier at work
It’s the International Day of Happiness (20 March 2018) – 24 hours solely dedicated to turning your frown upside down.
Did you know that the average person spends 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime? And while the words ‘work’ and ‘happy’ are not often associated with one another, making a conscious effort to be happier at work is one of the most beneficial actions you can take.
Studies show that happy people are less stressed, more likely to get ongoing promotions, and are more productive, creative, and healthy – both physically and mentally.
In its extensive research program ‘The Science of Happiness at Work’, iOpener Institute found that:
- Happy employees stay with their companies four times longer than their unhappy counterparts.
- Employees that are happy in their organisation commit twice as much time to their tasks than those who aren’t happy.
- Happy team members have 65 per cent more energy than unhappy employees.
Happy employees are central to business success. How could you make your team happier? http://t.co/ynTnou06re pic.twitter.com/mDu71Et3on
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) June 19, 2014
7 ways to be happier at work
- Avoid negativity and choose to be happy at work – yes, it’s largely a choice.
- Make friends – liking your co-workers is a hallmark of a positive work experience.
- Be grateful – train your brain to remember the good and not the bad.
- Smile – it tells your brain to be happy and it’ll make your co-workers smile too.
- Find ways to learn and help others – it can be as small as a cup of coffee.
- Do something you love every day – whether that means a small action or a career change.
- Take charge of your own development, both personal and professional.
How happy is your country?
According to the World Happiness Report 2018, Finland has jumped from fifth place in 2016 to number one this year, followed closely by Norway, Denmark, Iceland and then Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Australia has slipped to the bottom of the top 10 and the US has dropped four places to number 18.
The top countries rank highly on all factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, health, honesty, income and good governance.
The UN just announced the happiest country on earth, according to its World Happiness Report. Hint: it's not the United States. pic.twitter.com/HJH3pT69OR
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) March 19, 2018
Our 5 favourite quotes to inspire positivity today
- "Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." – Dalai Lama XIV
- "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." – Albert Schweitzer, writer, humanitarian and philosopher
- "In business, the ability to use humour to instantly connect with others is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to engage, influence or sell." – Allan Pease, author
- "Having a few laughs was the cornerstone to one of RedBalloon’s original business values – ‘a sense of humour and fun’. No matter what happened in the day, we knew if we were having fun then so too would our customers." – Naomi Simson, entrepreneur and founder of Red Balloon
- "They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." – Tom Bodett, author and radio host