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25 Great Ways to Live a Happier Life
Simple advice for tracing a path to a deeper sense of joy and fulfillment
18-minute read
Don’t let rainy days (or Mondays) get you down. Follow these tips to find happiness wherever you go.
Sam Island
Key takeaways
- Happiness can grow from small daily habits, such as making your bed and getting enough sleep.
- Strong relationships, gratitude, volunteering and curiosity are linked to greater well-being.
- Movement, nature, healthy foods, laughter and slowing down can all support a happier life.
AARP wants to help you find your happiness, so we interviewed authors, podcasters and other gladness gurus and compiled 25 of their most promising pointers. Give our tips a try for a happier, healthier you.
1. Slow down
For many people, the problem isn’t knowing how to be happy. Rather, it’s that they’re moving too fast to remember, says meditation teacher Alex Snider, author of Sometimes You Should Be Late: The Quiet Rebellion of Slowing Down in a World Obsessed with Speed. “I believe our relationship with time is central to happiness,” says Snider, who is also cofounder of Mindful Fed, a wellness community for government workers. “When we rush, feel behind or sense that life is slipping away, we become reactive. Our brain’s primitive fear response takes over. When we slow down, we regain access to a wiser, kinder, happier version of ourselves.”
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Slowing down means hurrying less, deliberating more and appreciating the current moment instead of constantly pining for the next one. “Slowness helps us choose the values that actually matter to us,” Snider says. “Slowing down helps us distinguish between what social media, status or convention tells us we should want and what might actually make us happy. That might mean turning down a promotion that would take us away from the early years of our child’s life, or choosing a lower-paying, lower-status job without a toxic boss. Slowing down helps us make choices aligned with our own values rather than someone else’s.”
2. Embrace bright colors and round shapes
Have brightly colored polka dots ever brought a smile to your face? It might be time for a bit more fun in your wardrobe and interior design. Industrial designer Ingrid Fetell Lee, author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, recommends seeking joy from color and shapes. “We know, for example, that children’s drawings typically use bright colors to represent joyful scenes, and they typically use dark colors like brown and black and deep purple to represent sad or angry scenes. That’s universal. So are round shapes. Round shapes are found throughout childhood in bubbles, balloons, balls, merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheels, Hula-Hoops — the list goes on and on.”
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If your life lacks joyful colors and shapes, your closet and home are good places to introduce them. “Accessorizing when you’re dressing can be an easy way to bring color into your life. Try things like scarves and shoes that add just a little pop of color,” Lee says. “Same thing in your home. Try buying colorful candles or table linens, or painting your front door.” For shapes, try round instead of square coffee tables, mirrors and picture frames, or polka-dotted socks and underwear.
3. Challenge yourself
What challenges you changes you, suggests Dr. Jamon Holzhouser, a psychiatrist at Serenity Mental Health Centers in Lehi, Utah. “As a psychiatrist, I often remind older adults that the brain remains capable of growth and adaptation throughout life — a process called neuroplasticity — and that gently challenging the mind and body can support not only memory and focus, but also a greater sense of happiness and purpose,” says Holzhouser, who cites literature from the National Institute on Aging and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The former notes that older adults can still learn new skills, form new memories, and improve vocabulary and language skills, while the latter reports that physical activity can support thinking, learning, memory and emotional balance.
“Activities such as learning a new language, practicing a musical instrument, taking an art class, joining a discussion group, or trying a new low-impact sport, such as tai chi, swimming, pickleball or beginner yoga, can help the brain form and strengthen connections while also increasing confidence, social engagement and enjoyment,” Holzhouser continues. “Each new effort gives the brain another opportunity to stay flexible, resilient and more fully engaged in life.”
4. Utilize your sniffer
For former educator Jennifer Eisenreich, the secret to happiness lies in the nose. “An unlikely lift for me has been indulging in self-care with beautiful, uplifting fragrances,” says Eisenreich, founder of Shift Show Communications, which helps educators rediscover the joy in their work. According to Eisenreich, the sense of smell is linked to the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes emotion and learning. “Nearly 75 percent of our emotions are by scent,” says Eisenreich. She ordered fragrance samples from an online retailer as therapy while she was struggling with a transition to a new career. Her favorite scent, a delicate blend of amber and musk, evoked cherished memories of parenting her daughter. Scientists echo Eisenreich: A 2025 study in the journal NeuroImage showed how “pleasant odors can modulate emotional processing.”
Simply making your bed every morning starts your day on positive footing.
Sam Island
5. Start your day like a Navy SEAL
While researching her book The Happiness Project, author, blogger and podcaster Gretchen Rubin spent a year of her life test-driving happiness habits and hypotheses. Of everything she recommended, making your bed is one of the practices that has most resonated with audiences. “It’s a small thing you can do to make your world seem more orderly,” says Rubin, who points out that Navy SEALs are required to make their beds every morning to precise standards.
The importance of making your bed to improve your overall mindset was echoed in the 2014 graduation address delivered by retired Navy Adm. William H. McRaven at the University of Texas. His speech went viral on social media and led McRaven to write the book Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life … and Maybe the World. McRaven asserted: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
6. Subtract what isn’t serving you
Being happier doesn’t always mean adding something to your life; oftentimes it means subtracting something from it, says self-described “subtraction activist” Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey (also known as Nell 3D), author of the Substack Subtract to Succeed. According to a 2021 study in the journal Nature, when people try to improve something — an itinerary or a recipe, for example — they almost always overlook subtractive solutions, even when removing something works better than adding something.
To add by way of subtracting, Nell 3D recommends conducting a subtraction audit. “My subtraction audit is a 10-minute weekly practice built on three moves: Stop long enough to notice what’s actually draining you; drop it as an experiment to see what might happen; and roll the energy you get back into what you’ve seen makes you happy,” she explains. “Do this consistently, and happiness stops being a place you’re trying to get to. You’ll have made enough room for it to move in.”
7. Be — and stay — curious
Curiosity can be life-affirming, according to Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. “Curiosity is the search for understanding,” says Shigeoka, who delineates between “shallow curiosity,” such as asking someone’s name, and “deep curiosity,” which would be asking someone to tell the story of how they got their name. “The deeper your curiosity goes, the more likely you are to achieve its benefits.”
Those benefits include reduced anxiety, greater social connection and even increased dopamine, your body’s “feel-good” hormone, notes Shigeoka, who says people who experience the most benefits practice three types of curiosity: inward curiosity, about themselves; outward curiosity, about external people, places and things; and beyond or metaphysical curiosity, about anything that doesn’t live in the physical world. Look for ways to nurture all three. Inward curiosity, for example, might mean researching your family tree or journaling about your emotions. Outward curiosity might mean researching an actual tree in your front yard to learn what it is, or learning about a neighbor who has a different culture or political persuasion than you do. And curiosity about the beyond might entail visiting a new church or reading about philosophy.
8. Take time to talk to strangers
As a graduate of the Happiness Studies Academy, created by positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar, life coach Shari Leid thought she knew a lot about happiness. She didn’t discover true bliss, however, until she started the 50 States Project, with the goal of meeting and sharing a meal with a stranger in every U.S. state. “As I’ve traveled through the United States, there are times where I’ve felt pangs of homesickness. I’ve found that by starting conversations with people who I meet along the journey ... my spirits are immediately lifted,” says Leid, owner of coaching practice An Imperfectly Perfect Life. “Not only do those pangs of loneliness go away, but I also then feel a connection to the place I’m at, which brings not just contentment but joy.”
9. Focus on gratitude
If happiness is a commodity, then one tool for mining it is gratitude, according to mindfulness and wellness expert Dorsey Standish, owner of workplace wellness company Mastermind. “Practicing gratitude supports mental health because it combats the human negativity bias and refocuses our attention on positive experiences,” says Standish. “Grateful people also exhibit more mental strength and resilience, and they take more positive action towards their goals.” An effective way to practice gratitude is to keep a daily gratitude journal, Dorsey suggests.
Or try writing a gratitude letter to someone you love, suggests Suzie White, assistant professor of education at the University of Cincinnati, where she created and teaches a course called Happiness in Action. “Think of someone still living who changed your life for the better and whom you never properly thanked. Write them a short letter, and be specific about what they did and how it shaped your life. Then visit or call them, and read it out loud,” White says.
Pets brighten our lives in so many ways, but you must be willing and able to take on the responsibility of caring for them.
Sam Island
10. Welcome a new pet
While there’s no substitute for human affection, animal affection can be just as powerful, according to animal advocate Carlyn Montes De Oca, author of Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse: An Animal Lover’s Guide to a Healthier and Happier Life. “Just looking at a dog you share a bond with can raise your levels of oxytocin, the love hormone, boosting happiness and an overall sense of well-being,” Montes De Oca says. Just make sure you have the financial, emotional and physical ability to take care of an animal. Pet ownership can be expensive and time-consuming, and many people who adopt pets are not fully able to care for them, resulting in crowded shelters.
11. Send out life updates
Simply staying in touch with friends and family can make you happier, suggests Alex Palmer, author of Happiness Hacks, who says researchers at the University of Kansas found that even a single brief interaction with a friend could increase happiness and reduce stress on a given day. And it doesn’t need to be face-to-face. Rubin says she gets a jolt of happiness from even quick virtual contacts. Once a week or so, she sends an email to her parents and sisters with the subject line “Update.” They do the same. Inside, the sender shares a brief “slice of life” from their day or week. And no one is expected to respond, which creates a sense of connection without obligation.
12. Find an exercise that excites you
Physical fitness can be just as consequential as social fitness, according to Marc Schulz, associate director of the long-running Harvard Study of Adult Development (read more about it below). He says research has found connections between exercise and long-term health, which, in turn, impacts happiness. “Health and happiness are absolutely connected,” says Schulz, who adds that healthy individuals are more mentally and physically able to do the activities that bring them joy.
The CDC notes that physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning and judgment skills sharp as you age; reduce your risk of depression and anxiety; and increase your ability to do everyday activities like climbing stairs, grocery shopping and playing with grandchildren. To get the full benefits of exercise, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week — anything that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat.
13. Bend and breathe
Although scientists aren’t sure how it works, research shows that stretching stimulates the release of calming chemicals in the brain that can positively impact mood and anxiety. Even the simplest yoga poses are like “happiness stretches,” according to Radha Metro-Midkiff, former executive director at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York. “Regular practice not only improves flexibility, but also releases those feel-good vibes,” says Metro-Midkiff, who recommends starting with yogic breathing, otherwise known as pranayama. “Breathe in, breathe out and feel the calm.… It’s like a soothing breeze for your mind. Studies reveal it eases stress and lets positivity flow.”
14. Connect with your emotions
Laughter really is the best medicine: In a scientific review published in May 2023 in the journal PLoS One, researchers concluded that spontaneous laughter was associated with reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting that laughter could serve as a secondary therapy to boost well-being.
“Make it a priority to do one thing that makes you laugh daily, whether it be to watch a funny movie or TV program, go to a comedy club, be silly or meet up with a friend who makes you laugh,” says Michelle Burke, coauthor of 15 Minute Pause: A Radical Reboot for Busy People and cocreator of Joy Cards, a deck of 48 motivational activity cards designed for self-care. “Most of us don’t laugh every day, so making it purposeful is key.” Crying can be just as therapeutic as laughing and may induce a similar hormonal response, researchers say. In fact, crying is so cathartic that people in Japan have crying clubs that are devoted entirely to rui-katsu, or “tear-seeking.”
Want to feel grounded and happy? Run barefoot through the grass.
Sam Island
15. Connect with the earth
Research consistently shows that green is good: A multinational investigation into the relationship between nature and well-being, published in March 2026 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, concluded that “nature connectedness is a robust positive predictor of well-being.” One way to maximize nature’s happiness effect is to not just look at it but physically touch it, says Tara L. Skubella, founder and guide of Earth Tantra, which provides workshops and retreats introducing people to the concept of “earthing,” or skin-to-nature contact with soil, dirt, sand, grass, plants or rocks.
“Earthing is the practice of touching the direct Earth with bare feet, hands, a back, belly, etcetera,” explains Skubella, adding that earthing (also known as “grounding”) is thought to improve health and well-being by tapping into the earth’s natural electrical conductivity. “The practice can be done sitting in a chair with your feet on the earth in your backyard; or you can lie directly on the beach sand with many of your body parts touching the earth; or you can lie down in a park with your head connected to the ground.”
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16. Give out hugs — with consent!
A 2025 study in the Journal of Public Health found that hugging other people daily was associated with a lower chance of depression and anxiety, and “may assist in preventing poor mental health.”
Physical touch has also been shown to reduce your heart rate, which is a sign of physiological well-being. “Warm physical touch … activates the parasympathetic nervous system,” says Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and founder of the Self-Compassion Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people learn self-compassion skills. “Heart rate variability increases. We feel calmer. We feel more supported.” Do note, however, that not everyone wants to be hugged, so always ask first.
If you don’t have anyone to hug, fear not: Neff says you can hug yourself by putting your hands on your heart. “Sometimes people do this naturally when they’re upset, but when you do it intentionally, it’s even more powerful,” she says. “We can be there for others, but we can also be there for ourselves.”
17. Strengthen your relationships
The Harvard Study of Adult Development is one of the world’s longest-running studies of adult life. Established in 1938, it has spent 84 years following the lives of more than 700 men as they age to determine the biological and social determinants of happiness. Schulz, the study’s associate director and coauthor of The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, says the study’s landmark finding is the importance of healthy, fulfilling relationships. “It’s relationships with others that keep us happier and healthier throughout our lifespan,” says Schulz, who likens loneliness to disease. “Research … suggests that loneliness is a risk factor on the order of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It has that much of a damaging effect on our health.”
To keep loneliness at bay, Schulz recommends increasing your “social fitness” by:
- Making plans now, not later: When it comes to connections, socially fit people seize the moment. For instance, when a friend crosses your mind, reach out right away with an invitation to engage. And instead of making sporadic and piecemeal plans, consider setting up standing social dates at regular intervals.
- Creating social opportunities: New friendships typically bloom from repeated contact over a sustained period. Joining a recreational sports league, having breakfast at the same café every day, going back to school or volunteering at the same place every week are all good ways to sow the seeds of friendship.
- Digging deeper: Because meaningful friendships require intimacy, vulnerability and authenticity, a willingness to reveal personal and intimate details about your life is important.
18. Spend your free time volunteering
A good way to be happier is to be more helpful. Studies have shown that people who perform acts of kindness may experience reductions in anxiety and depression, as well as a “helper’s high” that can improve mood, physical health and even longevity. This is especially true of people who sacrifice their free time to volunteer, according to White. “If you find yourself with more free time in your day, try giving a few of those hours away,” she says.
Helping others boosts happiness most when you use your unique attributes and talents, White adds. “Look for one small way you can use your strengths each week to help someone else,” she suggests. “If you are a natural nurturer, find someone who needs your care. If you were a teacher, look for people who need someone to see the good in them and believe in them. If you enjoy managing projects, help out at an organization whose mission you deeply care about.… When you see your own strengths make a real difference for someone, you find purpose in the act of serving them.”
19. Wax nostalgic
A common piece of advice for people seeking happiness is to avoid living in the past. But if you focus on positive memories instead of negative ones, it can actually be a good thing, according to research linking nostalgia to attributes such as social connectedness, personal meaning, self-acceptance, and motivated goal pursuit.
Consider a 2019 study from England’s University of Cambridge, which found that the ability to remember pleasant events in detail is associated with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Burke recommends making a list of your favorite memories, or telling a friend three joy-filled stories from your past. “Reigniting these wonderful memories improves mood and energy and a sense of well-being, making us feel happy,” she says.
Listening to your favorite music connects you to pleasant memories and boosts your mood.
Sam Island
20. Crank up some tunes
While you’re reminiscing, consider playing music from your youth: Studies show that music can trigger autobiographical memories while reducing stress and increasing overall well-being. “Listening to music relates to increased life engagement and better health among older Americans,” a 2018 study of music listening concluded. A favorite tune can also lift your mood if you’re having a rough day. “Music has an inherent ability to alter mood because of the way it’s processed in the limbic system and the way it releases feel-good chemicals in the brain,” says Laurie Keough, clinical professor of music therapy at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.
Listening to music regularly may help relieve depression symptoms, research shows, and the positive effects may linger even if you stop listening regularly. Different types of music were found to have the same effect, so whether you prefer rock, country, jazz or rap, turn it up.
21. Start a collection
Lee says two things that consistently spark joy in people are abundance (the cornucopian sense of quantity and variety) and surprise: that is, unexpected things that break the monotony of habit and routine. Whether you’re drawn to art, antiques, autographs, comic books, stamps, shoes or sports memorabilia, collections offer both in one package.
“Say you collect postcards that have a certain motif. When you go to a flea market, you’re not just looking at a bunch of stuff; you’re on a quest. And when you find a postcard, you get this little ping of surprise,” says Lee. You may derive even more joy from collecting by displaying the items in your home. “It’s ironic: We often have so much stuff around our homes, but the things we treasure the most — the collections — are often hidden out of sight,” Lee says. “Why not flip that? Put the other stuff away and showcase the joyful forms of abundance in your life.”
22. Go easy on yourself
On the quest for happiness, you might be your own worst enemy. Practicing self-compassion can help, according to Neff. “Self-compassion is giving yourself the same warmth, care, understanding and support when you’re suffering that you would naturally give to a good friend,” explains Neff, adding that self-compassion has been empirically proven to enhance mental and even physical well-being.
An easy way to practice self-compassion is to replace negative self-talk, such as “You’re so stupid,” with positive self-talk: “I really blew it, but that’s part of life. All human beings make mistakes.” “When you fail at something, write down what you just said to yourself,” Neff suggests. “Would you say that to a good friend who was in a similar situation? Usually the answer is no.”
23. Eat happy foods
You are what you eat. So if you want to feel happier, you need to eat more happy foods, research suggests. And no, that doesn’t mean more chips, cookies and cakes. “Happy” means “healthy,” as in more fruits and vegetables.
A 2024 review of scientific literature published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry concluded that “greater adherence to several healthy dietary patterns” — including the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet — “are associated with or can treat symptoms of depression.”
If you like to indulge, though, fear not: A March 2026 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition found that consumption of foods high in plant pigments known as flavonoids is associated with a higher likelihood of sustained happiness and optimism. Flavonoid-rich foods include onions, kale, berries, apples and citrus fruits, and even indulgences like cocoa and red wine.
24. Tap into awe
If joy is one route to happiness, then awe is another, suggests emotion scientist Dacher Keltner, codirector of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. “We know awe in our bodies — we tear up, we get goosebumps, we feel speechless — but it resists definition,” says Keltner, who describes awe as an emotion experienced in response to things that are novel, vast and mysterious. Because people coalesce around awe-inspiring experiences, this creates a sense of community and plugs people into a sense of meaning and purpose, which is associated with reduced distress and depression.
An easy way to infuse your life with more awe, Keltner says, is to plan “awe walks” — deliberate excursions to places that are vast or novel. Rubin takes her own version of an awe walk every day at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. “I go to the Met every day that it’s open,” she says. “It’s exercise, but it’s also a very intense sensory experience.”
25. Hit the hay earlier
You may be tempted to search for happiness at the bank, in the mirror, at the beach or on the menu at your favorite restaurant, but the best place to find it might be in bed. In fact, a 2025 survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that Americans who reported poor sleep were four times as likely to experience unhappiness as those who reported good sleep. Among those who reported good sleep satisfaction, 88 percent were “flourishing,” according to the survey.
“Our physical circumstances always influence our emotional and mental states, so getting enough sleep is really important,” says Rubin, who suggests setting an alarm not for waking up but for going to bed. “Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep, so give yourself a bedtime and try to stick to that bedtime.”
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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