What Do You Do to Live a Happy Life? Notice What Was Always There

As 2024 draws to a close, people look back to assess their lives and ponder what they can do in 2025 to live a fulfilling life. In doing so, you may discover a paradox: Why do you have great things in your life—perhaps a fulfilling job, a loving family, a nice home—but these things seem to have little impact on your day-to-day happiness? ?

At the same time, there can be terrible things that surround us—disruption in relationships, rudeness on the Internet, poor performance at work—and it seems that we often get used to these diseases, so we can’t change them. .

In other words, we lose sight of what was always there. Here’s how to change it.

Recognize the Habit

Habituation is a fundamental characteristic of our brain—the habit of reacting slowly to things that are not consistent or frequent.

Imagine walking into a coffee shop. At first the aroma of freshly brewed coffee is very strong, but after 20 minutes, you can no longer smell it. Your olfactory neurons stop responding – they become habituated. And when you get used to the smell of coffee, you will also get used to the most difficult parts of your life.

The challenge is to regain focus, to the great things in life, to feel joy, and the negative things we lost sight of that we can change if we try. So what about us? dislive?

Hold the Good

The answer lies in these wonderful words of the economist Tibor Scitovsky: “Happiness comes from the incomplete and partial satisfaction of desires.”

Think about your favorite song—would you enjoy it more if you listened to it continuously from start to finish, or with a few breaks? Ninety-nine percent of people say “no” to taking a break. However, research it shows that people enjoy music more when they listen and relax. Why? If you listen to music continuously, the happiness it brings at first diminishes over time. The breakdown, however, causes confusion, so every time the song resumes, the excitement returns.

In order to overcome addiction and develop pleasure, we need to eat the good things in life slowly. Whether it’s a Netflix show, chocolate cake, or a new love, it’s delicious, not just eating.

Swallow All the Evil

On the other hand, if you want to finish an unpleasant task – housework, administrative work – finish it at the same time. Research it shows that people suffer less if they have to listen to unpleasant sounds (such as loud noises) continuously than when they are resting. If you hear the noise continuously, the “pain” it causes at first will diminish over time. Breaking, however, causes dishabituation, so every time the noise returns, the level of suffering returns.

Experiments on Being

What about the parts of your life that you think are causing you stress and anxiety, but you don’t know how it’s affecting you because it’s always there, so you don’t try to change it? They look back like the constant noise of the AC—you don’t realize how much the noise affects you until someone turns it on and suddenly you feel better.

Think about social media: Does it affect you? One learningThe researchers paid half of the participants $100 each to stop using social media for one month, while the other half continued to live as usual. At the end of the experiment, the “quit” group was happy and less stressed. More importantly, they were surprised. They did not realize how the platform destroyed them.

In 2025, try to live. Take some things out of your daily routine for a while, one at a time, and add new ones. Measure and evaluate the impact your life has on your life, so you can keep the things that bring joy and purpose, and get rid of the things that don’t.