If you’re interested in health, it’s likely you care about happiness too. After all, leading a wonderful life starts with a lively body. The two go together like avocado and toast.

However, it’s not always easy to identify the ingredients that contribute to happiness. Wealth? Fame? Power? New season activewear?

Actually, the raw materials for happiness are simpler and more accessible than you might imagine. Researchers have been digging into the science of what makes us happy for decades, consistently naming things like love and connection as essential – while money and possessions barely rate a mention.

Ready to discover the essential ingredients for a happy life?

Read on and start cooking.

Lashings of love.

One of the longest-running studies on human development of all time, the Grant Study, which followed the lives of 268 Harvard undergraduate students for 72 years, concluded: ‘Happiness is love. Full stop.’ 

Love means something different to everybody, but a life full of it is vital for feeling good. Have you made it a priority?

Self-raising relationships.

Time and again, strong relationships feature heavily in the lives of long-lived, contented people. In fact, researchers attribute the remarkable quality of life seen in ‘Blue Zones’ such as Ikaria in Greece and Okinawa in Japan to a sense of community and connection, rather than any magical superfood.

Ask yourself: How robust are my relationships? Can I spend more time cultivating quality personal and professional connections? Am I surrounded by people who value and accept me?

If you’re not entirely satisfied with your answers, it might be time to invest extra energy into the people in your life (or branch out and find new friends).

Mother’s secret ingredient: mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention in the present moment. It’s one of the simplest – albeit  tricky – states to inhabit in a modern world of bells, whistles and relentless smartphone notifications. Why does mindfulness contribute profoundly to human happiness? Because it promotes calm in the face of anxiety, gratitude for what we have now, deeper connections with those around us and an immediate sense of wellbeing.

Enhance everyday mindfulness by:

• Doing one thing at a time, rather than multitasking.
• Finishing each job before you start the next.
• Putting your phone on flight mode overnight – or at all times except when you need to call or contact someone.
• Concentrating on the flavour of what you’re eating, the feel of certain materials or fabrics, the sounds around you, the small but significant details conveyed to you via your senses.
• Listening completely and intently when you’re having a conversation.

Equal parts volunteering and beach volleyball.

(Or any type of regular exercise).

Did you know that volunteering time to a cause you care about has been shown to improve wellbeing, life satisfaction, decrease depression and promote longevity? It’s true! What causes are you passionate about? How can you build-in time every week, fortnight or month to give back?

Pair it with a form of physical exercise (planting trees, anyone?) and experience a significant surge in warm, fuzzy feelings. Keeping fit and active is strongly linked to improved mood and general happiness, likely due to factors ranging from better health, the release of endorphins, time spent in nature and connection to community.

A heaping cup of kindness.

Feeling good is a gift! Not to yourself, but to somebody else.

Studies have shown that kindness towards others and acts of generosity foster far greater happiness than spending money (or too much time) on ourselves.

Giving makes us happy. The best part? The happier we are, the more likely we are to do more good deeds – like a positive feedback loop. So… have you taken Mum out for lunch lately?

Garnish with gratitude.

By now you’ve heard the news about gratitude: it’s not just for sunny optimists, it’s for everyone – with profound benefits for health and happiness to boot.

Daily gratitude, whether it’s writing down what you’re thankful for, expressing it verbally, or simply stopping to notice what’s wonderful, is scientifically proven to boost happiness. By training the brain to ‘scan for the good’, seek out the positive, bring attention to all that we have, gratitude is an exceptionally subtle (yet powerful) staple in the lives of happy people.

Now, all that’s left to do is serve, sit and enjoy.

But wait! These things will spoil the dish.

While studies prove the above states contribute to happiness, the following detract from it.

Excess money. Above a certain amount, money does not bring happiness. In fact, it may come with complications and increasing personal dissatisfaction. Get rich with caution!

Perfectionism. Impossibly perfect standards thwart happiness by taking away from what’s good, what’s rough-but-worthwhile, the process. Try enjoying all aspects of a task, rather than just the end result.

Maximising. This word describes a tendency to take each moment so seriously that anything less than ‘life-changing!’ becomes a disappointment. Ensure expectations are healthy and time for rest, reflection, ‘nothingness’ is scheduled in, too.

Striving. Constantly seeking improvement can work against happiness. Aspirations are fabulous – so long as they’re balanced with a healthy appreciation of who you are and what you have now.

Things. Material possessions rate as relatively unimportant on the happiness scale. Contented people report that experiences are more valuable than objects. (That family holiday to Bali just paid for itself!)

Over to you. We’d love to hear how you promote personal happiness. What have you found to be effective? Do you agree with our list? Talk to us in the comments.