16 science-backed ways to be happier

Expert panel:

Dr Michael Plant, founder and research director of the Happier Lives Institute
Alex Ferguson, a registered counsellor and psychotherapist
Dave Gibson, sleep expert at The Sleep Site
Claire Barnes, nutritionist and director of The Happy Nutrition Co.
Emily Taylor, outdoors influencer and mountain leader

Also check out our other articles on 10 foods to improve your mood and whether vagus nerve stimulation can help.

As far as we know, there’s no magical shortcut to constant happiness – but if you were to learn of some simple, positive options to elevate your mood, in the short term or perhaps more lastingly, wouldn’t you be tempted to give them a try?

“There are plenty of small things people can do for their happiness, like talking to a stranger, going for a walk in nature, or writing down what you’re grateful for,” says Dr Michael Plant, founder and research director of the Happier Lives Institute.

“I’d think of these as ‘happiness snacks’: small-effort actions with short-term effect. These should be one part of your ‘happiness diet’ – and for that, you also need to think about friendship, love, meaningful work, activities you enjoy and looking after your mental health. Man cannot live on snacks alone!”

Peckish for a perk-up? We asked experts from a wide range of fields including nutrition, psychology and sleep science to assess some of the many small measures that have been scientifically shown to make people happier. Read on for their snackable, mood-boosting advice – plus some guidance on what to do next if you’re still left feeling glum.

Small, science-backed measures to feel happier

1. Be more sociable

The clue is in the word: we’re all ‘people people’, as far as our happiness is concerned. One of the most commonly studied drivers of happiness is being more sociable, with studies consistently linking time spent with others with better measures of mood.

However, we must be selective about how we socialise. “Strong connection with others is fundamental – but try not to force it, as this can activate experiences that make you feel worse,” says Alex Ferguson, a registered counsellor and psychotherapist at Wharf St. Practice.

2. Express gratitude

Giving and feeling thanks for the good in our lives has been shown to make us feel happier. You might think of gratitude as a feeling that depends on context – perhaps you’d experience it if someone gave you a helicopter, but to some extent it’s also a skill we can develop.

Ferguson sometimes encourages his clients to keep a gratitude journal. “We often struggle to receive kindness and feel gratitude, but if we write it down in a journal, rather than just thinking grateful thoughts, it is there and we can sit with it,” he says.

3. Talk to strangers

Rotten weather, isn’t it? Many of us shy away from talking to strangers, but chatting to the people we meet is a sure way to increase our relational diversity – i.e connecting with more people – which is linked to feelings of happiness.

If you despair at the thought of a natter on the train or at the bus stop, you might feel safer talking to strangers in a particular space such as a library or favourite cafe. What matters is that we should talk to those we don’t know well, as well as our nearest and dearest.

4. Smile!

There’s a degree of controversy over whether smiling makes us happier. Some of the research into the topic was confounded by unusual methods (in one case, test subjects were asked to hold a pencil in their mouths), but more recent research shows that a smile really can give your spirits a slight boost.

“Resting your face into a gentle smile tells the body: I’m relaxed, I can do this, I’m safe,” says Ferguson. “So, it’s valid to try smiling more – but don’t take that to a performative place.”

5. Reduce social media use

Might it be time to unfriend your favourite app? Studies have shown that going on a social media detox can quickly improve our mood.

If you’re going to cut down on social media, rather than cutting it out, bedtime would be a good time to switch off. “It means blue light, melatonin, doomscrolling, and time displacement – so you won’t put down your phone as soon as you expect,” says Dave Gibson, a sleep expert at The Sleep Site. “It’s nailed on that you’ll sleep better if you remove phone use overnight.”

6. Try napping

If you’ve underslept, research suggests that a nap could boost your happiness (although those who’ve had a good night’s sleep won’t necessarily get the same benefits from napping).

“Power naps restore the cognitive part of the brain – focus, concentration and memory – while longer naps could make you feel more positive, but groggy,” says Gibson.

7. Work on your sleep quality

The quality of sleep has been shown to significantly affect our happiness, as well as other quality of life measures including work stress and wellbeing. According to Gibson, there are several factors at play – but one of the key aims should be allowing for “the back end of sleep”: REM.

“When your sleep is fragmented, you lose that deep REM stage so you are not restored,” he says. “Without REM, the amygdala region of the brain runs unchecked and fight-or-flight is unrestrained. You might become negative and unhappy, and your memory can become poor.” So, creating the conditions for deep sleep is a must.

8. Use your hands

Whether this means finding a crafty new profession or simply taking on more manual tasks such as gardening, it seems that working with our hands makes us happier – perhaps because this taps into an 'effort-driven rewards circuit' in the brain.

“Creating something tangible is always a win, especially when what you’ve made has utility and looks beautiful,” says Jonathan Reid, one of the UK’s last traditional scissors-makers at Ernest Wright. “I find that I reach a positive, meditative state that gives me a sense of focus, which I definitely lacked in my previous web-based roles.”

9. Eat more fruit and veg

“One of the clearest nutrition messages for mood is to eat more fruit and vegetables,” says Claire Barnes, nutritionist and director of The Happy Nutrition Co. – surely the ideal interviewee for this article. “Higher fruit and vegetable intake is associated with better mental health outcomes, including lower depressive symptoms and better wellbeing.”

It seems that even a short-term uptick in fruit and veg consumption can have a positive effect – so go ahead and peel that pomegranate. “Aim to add more variety rather than eating the same few plants on repeat,” Barnes advises. “A rainbow of different coloured fruits and vegetables will provide a wider range of polyphenols and help feed a more diverse gut microbiome.”

10. Take on gut-friendly, fibre-rich foods

Having a healthy gut microbiome with a diverse community of microorganisms is associated with mental wellbeing. The two organs are connected via the nerves and chemical signals which collectively form the gut-brain axis.

“Fibre-rich foods help nourish beneficial gut microbes, which in turn produce compounds that may influence inflammation and signalling between the gut and brain,” says Barnes. “Look for simple ways to include a few gut-friendly foods each day, such as oats, beans, lentils, onions, garlic, mushrooms, live yogurt, kefir or sauerkraut.”

11. Cut down on UPFs

If you’d like to feel happier, removing UPFs from your diet could be key. Studies have linked these highly processed foods to conditions including depression and anxiety.

“Diets higher in ultra-processed and sugary foods are more consistently associated with poorer mood outcomes,” says Barnes. “Meanwhile, diets low in UPFs tend to be linked to steadier blood sugar balance, lower levels of inflammation, and better support for the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis.”

12. Eat oily fish (or walnuts!) for omega-3

“If there is one specific food group with the best evidence behind it for supporting mood, it is oily fish,” says Barnes. “Much of this is thought to relate to its omega-3 fat content, which plays an important role in brain function and inflammation.

“Aim for one to two portions of oily fish each week, such as salmon, sardines, mackerel or anchovies. Tinned fish can be an easy and affordable option,” she adds. And if you don’t eat fish, try taking on omega-3 from walnuts, chia seeds and algae oil.

13. Enjoy treats – in moderation

Treat foods and drinks are commonly associated with happiness. The strongest connections are with coffee and sweet items, which makes perfect sense to the author of this article.

Barnes isn’t necessarily anti-treat, but she urges some restraint. “Sweet, highly palatable foods can feel rewarding in the moment, but the better long-term mood story comes from steady, nourishing meals that support the gut microbiome, reduce inflammation and help keep energy more stable,” she says.

14. Add saffron to your dishes

As well as imparting an earthy flavour and a golden hue to your plate, saffron has been shown to benefit mood, reducing depressive symptoms in adults.

The same probably cannot be said for the price of saffron.

15. Spend time outdoors

The indoor world has its draws – easy access to cups of tea, relative warmth, excellent WiFi – but research consistently shows that we tend to be happier, healthier and more productive when we spend time outdoors.

“When leading group walks, I’ve noticed that even on wet weather days, not one person ends up regretting getting outside – even if it’s sometimes what we’d call ‘type 2 fun’!” says mountain leader, Emily Taylor. “We’re not supposed to be cooped up inside sitting still all day – we should be getting outside as much as possible.”

16. Exercise more

From archery to zumba, exercise is well established as a fast track to feeling happier. In the short term, you can expect a release of endorphins after the activity – and in the long run, you may experience health benefits which are conducive to a happier life.

“Having suffered with poor mental health in the past, I can say that making time to exercise regularly has undoubtedly helped,” says Taylor.

Are small steps enough to make us happier?

“Little steps to increase happiness absolutely can have a genuine impact on wellbeing, but in most cases they won’t create a fundamental shift,” says Ferguson.

“The notion of a quick fix implies that unhappiness is caused by a skill deficit, when happiness is in fact a consequence of a life lived in genuine connection with oneself and others.”

It’s a similar story from a nutritional perspective. “The benefits are likely to come less from one dramatic ‘happiness hit’, and more from supporting the brain and body in a steadier, more resilient way over time,” says Barnes.

The good effects of the happiness hacks above have been scientifically recorded, and it’s well worth incorporating a few of them into your life. But it’s important to look at the bigger picture, too.

Is it okay to feel unhappy?

Oh, for gladness’ sake. Even if you’ve tried being more sociable, you’ve spent some time outdoors and you’ve cracked open a tin of omega-3-packed sardines, you may still find yourself feeling unhappy. Paradoxically, this is something we might celebrate.

“Unhappiness isn’t a bad thing; it’s an alert system that we need,” says Ferguson. “If we felt happy all the time, we’d all die in unsafe situations.

“Happiness is when we feel that our needs have been met, we don’t feel in danger and we’re content. When we talk about the pursuit of happiness, this implies that it’s a state of nirvana to reach – but in reality, all of life is an experience of having your needs met or not met, and being safe or unsafe.”

There’s a huge volume of research that tells us small measures can indeed make us feel happier – and you can try many of them for yourself with minimal effort. However, for many people, identifying what makes us feel unsafe or discontented – the root of our unhappiness – will make a more profound difference in the long term.

“A nice way to start is to get curious with yourself and notice reactions to things without trying to fix or judge them,” says Ferguson. “Ask: ‘Did I edit myself?’, or, ‘Would I speak to a loved one like I just spoke to myself?’ These questions almost always lead to shame, or to a critical message we’ve received earlier in life. Unpacking that with a professional is a great place to go.”

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