MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

I spent 10 years studying what makes us happy in life—here’s the No. 1 thing I overlooked the entire time

Five takeaways:

Gretchen Rubin is a writer who explores happiness and success. After a decade of researching the components of human happiness, she noticed that she had overlooked the role of the body in making us feel more connected, less stressed, and more alive.

By intentionally channeling each of the five senses, Rubin found new and untapped sources of happiness. Here are her five tips for bringing this benefit into your own life:

1. Need a burst of energy and cheer? Use your sense of smell.
   The introduction of scents can provide an instant mood boost, heighten awareness, and bring you into the present moment. Everyday smells—like fresh towels or fine wood—can be uplifting. Specific scents, such as eucalyptus, may transport you to a meaningful past experience.
2. Stressed out? Use your sense of touch.
   Items like fidget spinners and soft blankets offer a soothing effect and can reduce stress immensely. This is why they are often used in palliative and pediatric healthcare settings. Rubin, before public speaking events, finds comfort in a single ritual: holding a pen.
3. Feeling distracted and unproductive? Use your sense of sound.
   The more you can control your surroundings, the less likely you are to be bothered by errant noises. Some may prefer the silence of a library; others might feel more concentrated or at peace amid the bustle of a coffee shop. Be intentional about creating an auditory environment that fits your preferences– it will build a more sustained feeling of comfort and attentiveness.
4. Need a creative spark? Use your sense of sight.
   Be intentional about noticing the small visual details around you. By setting intentional “noticing” challenges—like spotting a certain color while on a walk, or studying the details of old buildings—you can train yourself to see beauty and whimsy in everyday surroundings. The world is full of hidden patterns and colors. Noticing them enhances our sense of creativity and connection.
5. Want to feel closer to other people? Use your sense of taste.
   Enjoying unique foods and flavors with other people is one of the most ancient and universal human customs. So: eat with others. Rubin notes how invigorating it was when a recent gathering of friends tried to identify the five basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami in the food they were eating– and how it bonded the group.

By Gretchen Rubin for CNBC
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