<p> A mass participation experiment suggests that simple strategies for boosting mood – such as smiling and thinking about something good that happened yesterday – may actually work. A whopping 26,000 people took part in psychologist Richard Wiseman’s experiment to see whether four simple exercises could boost the happiness of the nation. The answer is a tentative “yes”.<br /><br />The participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups. People in each of the first four groups watched a different video, showing them a technique used to boost happiness, and were asked to carry out that technique every day for five days. The four techniques were forcing oneself to grin; performing random acts of kindness; expressing gratitude for something good in one’s life; and thinking about a happy occurrence the day before. <br /><br />The fifth group performed a “control” technique that involved simply thinking about the day before. All five groups reported feeling more cheerful during the experiment. <br /><br />But the most significant improvement was seen in the group that thought about something positive that had happened to them the previous day. This technique led to a 15% increase in happiness relative to the control group. Expressing gratitude and smiling led to 8% and 6% improvements ,respectively. <br /><br />Professor Wiseman had hoped that the happiness generated by these mood-enhancing tricks would prove infectious, with the benefits extending beyond the people who watched the videos to lift the entire nation’s mood.<br /><br />In an attempt to test this hypothesis, he commissioned national surveys before and after the study, each asking a representative sample of 2,000 people to rate their cheerfulness. Sure enough, the results suggested that Britain’s happiness had increased by 7 per cent by the end of the experiment. You can watch the videos at <em>www.ScienceOfHappiness.co.uk.</em></p>
<p> A mass participation experiment suggests that simple strategies for boosting mood – such as smiling and thinking about something good that happened yesterday – may actually work. A whopping 26,000 people took part in psychologist Richard Wiseman’s experiment to see whether four simple exercises could boost the happiness of the nation. The answer is a tentative “yes”.<br /><br />The participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups. People in each of the first four groups watched a different video, showing them a technique used to boost happiness, and were asked to carry out that technique every day for five days. The four techniques were forcing oneself to grin; performing random acts of kindness; expressing gratitude for something good in one’s life; and thinking about a happy occurrence the day before. <br /><br />The fifth group performed a “control” technique that involved simply thinking about the day before. All five groups reported feeling more cheerful during the experiment. <br /><br />But the most significant improvement was seen in the group that thought about something positive that had happened to them the previous day. This technique led to a 15% increase in happiness relative to the control group. Expressing gratitude and smiling led to 8% and 6% improvements ,respectively. <br /><br />Professor Wiseman had hoped that the happiness generated by these mood-enhancing tricks would prove infectious, with the benefits extending beyond the people who watched the videos to lift the entire nation’s mood.<br /><br />In an attempt to test this hypothesis, he commissioned national surveys before and after the study, each asking a representative sample of 2,000 people to rate their cheerfulness. Sure enough, the results suggested that Britain’s happiness had increased by 7 per cent by the end of the experiment. You can watch the videos at <em>www.ScienceOfHappiness.co.uk.</em></p>