With the season bringing cold snaps and the sunlight bidding fair well, here are a quick 5 hacks to help feel better! Each tip is backed by the science of positive psychology – founded in 2000 by Martin Seligman – it is the “scientific study of what makes life most worth living”.

1. Eat (dark) chocolate. Foods like chocolate, tofu, and salmon are high in Tryptophan – an amino acid that your body uses to make serotonin (more commonly known as the “happiness hormone”). While exercise or sunlight, can also help – a good snack provides a quick and tasty lift while the November days stay gloomy.
2. Help out! Or maybe just hang out. Studies show that volunteering your time to a good cause increases happiness – a double whammy, with both dopamine and oxytocin (the love hormone) being released through social bonding. If volunteering is a bit out of reach, a ‘mini’ version can be having a positive social interaction, like complimenting someone’s nails. 
3. Look on the bright side! Gratitude always shows up on lists like these, and for good reason – extensive studies show being thankful helps to brighten the mood, and to feel more connected to those around you (oxytoxin again!), but that doesn’t mean there’s no benefits to…
4. Look on the dark side? A 2008 study showed that thinking about how your situation could be worse – known as mental subtraction – lead to increased positive emotions over control groups. So when someone says “it could be worse”, science says they’re not wrong.
5. Use your strengths. One model of happiness in positive psychology is the PERMA model, standing for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishments. Accomplishments are most easily fulfilled by doing something you’re good at! The Greater Good Science Centre at UC Berkley recommends making a list of your strengths, and each day consciously choosing to use one of them in a new way. A 2005 study boasted boosted happiness for up to 6 months!

So there you go! 5 science tips to see you through the dark and gloomy nights of Autumn, and into the even darker and gloomier days of summative season. Whether you choose chin up, or chin down, remember, as the old adage goes this too shall pass. 

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons