Put on something yellow
Colour psychologists, fashion designers, artists and interior decorators know that colours have a ‘feeling’ – some are cosy, others are exciting or cheerful. Although hard data is sparse and sometimes contradictory, a group of researchers at the University of Manchester have created a way to visually determine patients’ pain levels and moods – the ‘Manchester Colour Wheel. In their studies using the Wheel, yellow was the colour most frequently linked to a normal mood (as opposed to grey, which was linked with anxiety and depression). The colour “almost always creates a positive reaction,” Dr Mehmet Oz has said on his TV show – not only do people naturally associate the colour with optimism, but the colour also activates two colour-sensing ‘cone’ cells in our eyes at the same time, so it really grabs our attention.
Donate to a good cause
If you’ve ever spent an afternoon volunteering or swooped in to help a friend out of a tough spot, you already know how good that feels. One 2006 study by Jorge Moll at the National Institutes of Health found that giving money to charity lights up areas of the brain associated with pleasure and social connection. And researchers at Harvard Business School found in a 2008 study that gifting money to someone else made them happier than buying something for themselves. Researcher’s call it the ‘helper’s high’ – tap into it the next time you need an emotional lift.
Write about a good memory
Memory is a powerful thing. Instead of using yours to remember times when you were down or anxious like you may be right now, think about an intensely positive experience instead. Got one ready? Sit down and write about it for 20 minutes. A ground-breaking study by psychologists at Southern Methodist University found that people who did such ‘positive writing’ for 20 minutes three days in a row not only felt better right away, but the improvements in mood lasted for months.
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Source: RD.com
