Do happiness exercises actually last?
· Source: Seligman et al., American Psychologist, 2005; Woodworth et al., 2017
A week of three good things lifted happiness for months in a famous 2005 study. Later repeats suggest the habit matters more than which exercise you pick.
Do happiness exercises actually last?
Some lasted months. Then came the repeats. In a 2005 online study, writing down three good things each night for a week lifted happiness for six months, most for those who kept going. Later repeats found that a placebo exercise helped about as much. Pick the one you’ll keep doing. Tonight, name three good things, with one short line on what made each happen. Try it for a week, then decide. Three good things. Every evening. Halflight keeps them by date, so you can see what keeps coming up.