The Happiness Challenge

2021 was a year. After five zillion (yes, that’s the official number) days of remote school and wearing masks so long we’ve forgotten what our own chins look like, we’re all ready to feel a whole lot happier in 2022.

The question is, how?

You might think it would take something big, like a million bucks, to radically improve your mood. But the truth is, there are easy ways to increase your joy. Experts say the key lies in adopting a few simple habits into your daily routine.

To put this theory to the test, we challenged two teens to try five expert-approved happiness habits every day for two weeks: Emmanuella Agyemang from New York and Daniel Espinoza from Maryland. Read on to find out what happened!

When you offer praise, you brighten a person’s day. You also strengthen your connection with that person, and connection with others is a key factor in happiness. Plus, giving compliments triggers a release of oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel good. (It’s the same one that’s released when you pet your dog or hug your mom.) The key to a good compliment? Be sincere and specific.

This habit showed Daniel that people appreciate compliments, even when they know they’ve done well. “I complimented my mom’s lasagna. She was really happy, even though she knew it was amazing,” he says.

Emmanuella loved complimenting others too. “I complimented my friend on his dog, my teacher on her hat, and my mother on a dress she made,” she says.

Make time for activities with no payoff other than the intrinsic joy they bring you—in other words, hobbies. Hobbies can reduce stress and give you a feeling of contentment.

Daniel got back into baking by whipping up a batch of blueberry muffins for his family. Emmanuella channeled her creativity by writing poetry.

So how did it go? “I came into this challenge with high hopes, and I wasn’t disappointed,” Emmanuella says. “It helped me realize that there is so much more to life than constantly doing schoolwork.”

As for Daniel? “The challenge made me notice my impact on other people and realize that it makes me happy to make other people happy,” he says.

Both teens plan to keep their new happiness habits. So what about you? Are you ready to take the happiness challenge?

^{This article was originally published in the December 2021 / January 2022 issue.}