It's TIME to WAKE UP and SMELL the roses

What if the pursuit of happiness in the traditional sense – chasing wealth or power – is the very thing stopping you from being happy? Researchers are beginning to understand that spending time enjoying the simple things might be the secret ingredient to enjoying a happy, healthy life

- by DAVID COX

Anyone who's ever attempted a New Year reset will be familiar with the overwhelming feeling of trying to break well-worn habits and squeeze new activities – whether that's journalling, practising mindfulness, or trying to be more physically active – into a schedule already brimming with to-dos.

Psychologists have noted that while social media has never been more saturated with programmes and courses on how to revamp your life and achieve greater happiness in the process, this rarely seems to result in long-term fulfilment. One recent study suggested that while big corporates have invested heavily in mindfulness apps, resilience training and other workplace wellness programmes in the past few years, these don't actually appear to result in happier or more contented employees.

One of the reasons why such initiatives tend to fail, explains Richard Wiseman, a psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire, is that humans are not adept at making major changes. Instead, we fare better when making small adjustments to our lives. “When we monitor all the people trying to keep their New Year's resolutions, it's those who break down the big changes into lots and lots of little ones – so going to the gym, or doing more exercise once a week, and building up from there - who succeed,” says Wiseman.

Perhaps, as a result, the latest concept within positive psychology urges us to think small. Instead of chasing big, dramatic changes buying an expensive gym membership, setting ambitious self-improvement goals, or fantasising about winning the lottery - the idea is that true happiness may come from simply making time for, and appreciating, life's small pleasures. A growing number of academics have come to believe that the cumulative benefit of these ‘micro-joys’ can have an outsized impact on your quality of life - and even your physical health.

SMELL THE ROSES