Eight Questions to Ask Yourself to Be Happy

Why questions are more important than answers: Neurobiology of self-reflection
A study from the University of Cambridge (2023) found that people who practice daily self-reflection are 37% more likely to report an improvement in their emotional state. But how do you turn abstract thinking into a tool to change reality?
1. "How am I feeling now - and why?"
Neuropsychologist Rick Hanson in his book “Buddha Brain” explains: awareness of emotions reduces the activity of the amygdala, responsible for stress. Practice:

• Record your emotions 3 times a day
• Use the “intensity scale” from 1 to 10
• Link feelings to specific events

2. What 5% of my life brings me 95% joy?
The Pareto Principle in Psychology: A study in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who focus on key sources of happiness are 2.4 times less likely to experience burnout.
3. “Who do I allow to influence my reality? ?
Social psychologist Roy Baumeister found that emotional contagion from a negative environment reduces productivity by 68 percent. Make a map of influences:

1. Divide your environment into 4 quadrants: energy donors/vampires
2. Evaluate the time spent with each group
3. Gradually shift the balance towards donors

Happiness is not an accident, but a skill that requires conscious practice. - Tal Ben-Shahar
4. “What would I do if I were not afraid? ?
Harvard Business School Experiment: Participants who visualized bold decisions increased their personal performance by 41% in 3 months.

5. “What stories do I tell myself about myself?”
Neurolinguists argue that the internal narrative shapes neural pathways. The technique of rewriting the script:

• Identify 3 repetitive negative phrases
• Give them antitheses.
• Repeat new formulas in the morning and evening

6. “What am I willing to let go for happiness? ?
A Stanford study found that emotional attachments to the past reduce cognitive flexibility by 33%. The practice of “ritual liberation”:

1. Write down on paper what is painful.
2. Burn or bury the leaf
3. Create a new symbol of freedom

7. “What little steps can I take today?”
The theory of neuroplasticity confirms that even 5-minute daily activities change the structure of the brain in 6 weeks. Examples of microsteps:

• Gratitude to 3 People Before Sleeping
• 7-minute morning stretch
• One conscious no per day

8. How can my happiness serve others?
The Nature Human Behaviour study found that altruistic actions activate areas of the brain associated with pleasure more effectively than selfish actions (by 19%).
Glossary
Emotional contagion
Unconscious copying of the emotional state of others
Neuroplasticity
The ability of the brain to form new neural connections during life
Internal narrative
Subjective system of interpretation of life events