The Recipe For Happiness According To Dan Gilbert

Dan Gilbert is a psychologist, author and professor at Harvard University. He is famous for writing the book Stumbling on Happiness, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. He is also known to have found the recipe for happiness.

At first glance, what Gilbert says may seem superficial. The whole “recipe for happiness” seems almost like a self-help scam. However, he is a solid psychologist.

He is convinced that there is a recipe for happiness, but that there are also no shortcuts to get there.

Dan Gilbert believes that the first task is to know what makes you happy. He also says that one can neither should nor should be happy all the time.

If you were, you would not know if you were happy or not. Gilbert compares this to a compass that always points in the same direction. It also needs to change.

The science behind happiness

Dan Gilbert believes that it is easier than you think to be happy. Happiness is not hidden anywhere and neither is a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Nor is it the result of achieving any goals. Gilbert distinguishes synthetic happiness from natural happiness.

Synthetic happiness is when you get something you have been looking for, such as a job, getting married, traveling, winning first place in a competition, getting a “like” or basically anything.

He believes that this type of happiness is temporary.

On the other hand, we have natural happiness. It is not about a feeling but about a state of mind that arises by itself. It is there whether you have achieved a goal or not. You are born with it.

The recipe for happiness

The recipe for happiness has two ingredients that anyone can procure. The first is not to make the suffering greater than it is.

Many people always remember the bad times they have been through and fix them. That is why they over-magnify their suffering.

This ingredient is related to the second part of the recipe for happiness: to trust your perseverance. This means that you can solve all situations that bring pain.

Your lack of self-confidence and your inability to move forward through the pain is what has made you suffer from the beginning.

When you are paralyzed by the pain, you stop doing the things you love. In a way, you limit yourself by expecting pain.

The worst thing is that this suffering has usually already happened. You are not afraid of the pain itself. Instead, you are afraid that you will not be able to get over it.

The road to joy

The recipe for happiness is complicated by small things that you can do every day to strengthen your endurance. The Road to Happiness includes five simple activities that anyone can do.

Learning to be happy is like losing weight, according to Dan Gilbert: you have to do your part.

These five simple activities are to:

• Want to be happy. Happiness is a choice you make every day.
• Take care of yourself. Eating healthy, exercising for half an hour each and sleeping seven hours a day are the foundation of happiness.
• Establish and maintain healthy relationships. We avoid relationships that make us feel bad and build better bonds with the people we love the most.
• Engage in activities. Make a list of the things you enjoy doing the most and prioritize them.
• Be grateful. For yourself, for your life and for everything that gives you something, that teaches you or that allows you to grow in some way. Helping others can also make you happier.

Natural happiness is a state of mind that you build every day, step by step. The good news is that everyone can be happy. Believing in yourself and motivating yourself will give you the energy you need.

Learning skills such as emotional intelligence will make the transition easier for you. It is in a way the recipe for happiness: the desire to enjoy life.