Keeping with the Happy Theme; Scents, Colors, Foods, Sounds and Activities that Make Us Happy.

(Photo: freewebs.com)

 

Let's Forget Our Money Woes and Feel Good.

How can this picture not make you smile?!  While fiddling around online today, I saw this picture and it immediately put a huge smile on my face.  I wondered, "What sort of things, sensory wise, can make people happy?"  After all, who doesn't like to be happy?  Now, of course, having healthy relationships and fulfilling lives really should be what affect happiness.  But if other little things can make us even happier and help to forget our money troubles, then we should have at 'em!  So take a look at what I found out and remember to smile.

Happy Scents.  Different scents affect everyone differently.  There seems to be a strong connection between scents and memories.  A scent may remind you of a time when you were really happy and can change your mood whenever you smell it.  That same scent may have no affect on others.  I know that whenever I smell apple and cinnamon, it reminds me of the holidays and apple pie, leading to an immediate feeling of happiness. 

Color Me Happy.  Similar to the relationship between memory and scents affecting happiness, colors will also change your mood according to memories.  Yellow appears to be the most common happy color.  Most likely because of the general association with the sun.  

(Photo: prekinderdeer.blogspot.com)

Eat What Makes You Happy.  Some studies show that lack of certain nutrients and vitamins may actually make you feel depressed, so increasing certain nutrients can have the opposite effect.  Now I know why I love pasta so much; carbohydrates can increase serotonin which may help elevate your mood.  Folate rich foods can also help make you feel happy, such as peanuts, broccoli, spinach and strawberries.

Bring on the Music.  I think we all have certain songs that make us feel good or remind us of someone or a certain time in our life when we were especially happy.  So obviously there is a link between sounds and memories, which can affect your mood.  But music does more than just bring back memories.  It also can cause your brain to release dopamine which can give you a feeling of enjoyment and even motivate you.   

Exercise to be Both Happy and Healthy.  Studies have shown that exercising not only physically makes you feel good, but can affect you mentally as well.  Exercising releases "feel good" endorphins and may even make you feel better about yourself.

So let's see, we should work out while listening to music in a yellow room that smells like apple cinnamon (if you're me) and then eat a big bowl of pasta.  Now we have the answer to happiness.  You're welcome. 


References: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6741635/Men-prefer-smell-of-bacon-to-babies.html, http://www.blurtit.com/q941190.html, http://2leep.com/bar.php?s=54456, http://news.discovery.com/human/music-dopamine-happiness-brain-110110.html, http://www.alternet.org/health/111138?page=entire



 

Weekly Bet Ya Didn't Know (or just didn't care to find out...)

Fact: Flowers May Actually Make You Happy?  

(teleflora.com)

And no, it does not depend on how cute the guy was that gave them to you.  Take a look at this article I found while researching plants that survive in a sunlight deprived apartment (a story for another day).  http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/04/flowers_really_do_make_you_hap.php  The article discusses studies done and it looks as though receiving flowers, over some other gift, really does make a person happy.  And that goes for both men and women  Think about this when you have a friend or family member that is feeling down.  Just a few flowers could truly make them happy and brighten their day. One of my favorite online floral delivery sites is ftd.com, you can put yourself on their email list and be notified when there are specials or discounts...never pay full price.

Never Pay Full Price; Using Daily Deal and Coupon Sites

(searchenginepeople.com)

As a professional on a budget, my motto has become "Never pay full price if you don't have to."  Daily deal sites are all over the internet right now, helping me to live by my new motto.  Some of my faves are groupon.com, youswoop.com, restaurant.com and coupon.com.  All these offers and coupons can be quite tempting, even addicting.  I should know, I have purchased more deals online than anyone could ever need.  Here's the thing, these offers have the ability to save you a lot of money, but can also put you in a position where you are actually wasting money.  So through trial and error I've learned how to use these internet deals and offers to my advantage.  Here are a few things I've figured out:

1. Only buy deals for things you were planning to do beforehand.
Just because something looks like an amazing deal, doesn't mean you should buy it.  If you are trying to save money or at least live on a budget, paying for something you weren't otherwise going to use ends up costing your more, no matter how good the deal is.  Better to just wait for a deal on something you have already planned on using.  So if you buy a restaurant coupon, wait to use it for a night when you planned to go out for dinner.  These online deals shouldn't have you out more than you would have been before you discovered the deal.

2. Read the fine print.
There's nothing more painful than being excited to use that mani-pedi offer you bought, traveling to the spa and then finding out that it is only good for Sunday-Thursday and sure enough it's Friday afternoon.  If you're not going to read it before purchasing, at least read it before you show up and attempt to redeem it.  You'll save yourself from not only disappointment but also humiliation. 

3. Please, Please don't let your deal expire! 
Oh so frustrating is the great deal you let expire and now you've wasted your money and did not even get to enjoy the massage or eat at the restaurant.  I now put the deal in my calender a week before it expires and on the day it expires.  If they are small coupons that you can keep in your wallet or purse, then I recommend that as well.  Never will I let a deal expire again.  Trust me, it will put you in a very grumpy mood.

4. Make sure the "deal" is in fact a deal.
Most deals and coupons can't be combined with other offers.  If the bar you're at is having $1 drink night, you'll probably save more money going with that than wasting your $30 of drinks for $15 coupon that can't be combined with any specials.  Save that coupon for another night.  Take a second and do the math before you use your coupon. 

50% off or buy one get one always sounds so wonderful, but as we all know things really CAN be too good to be true.  Do yourself a favor and think before you click.