A blog of happy things and advice for life. Sometimes I need to remind myself to be happy and to do things that will bring me that happiness. This blog is my reminder.Tumblr (3.0; @howtogethappy)http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/<blockquote><p>The OECD (<a title="Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_for_Economic_Co-operation_and_Development" rel="wikipedia">Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development</a>) came up with a tool to measure subjective well-being. On their website, you can see the <a href="http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111">Better Life Index</a> which compares 36 different countries according to 11 categories. The categories are:</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/06/13/the-happiest-countries/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/52896942776http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/52896942776Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:49:12 +0100AustraliaBest countries to liveBrazilGermanyHappiest CountriesHappiness rateLife satisfactionOECDOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentSubjetive well-beingSwedenUnited StatesWork–life balance<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/8a0b26ccba59d52a8ba58610b33258a9/tumblr_mnohh3ixtX1qcpifao1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://wbsloan.tumblr.com/post/51822454362">wbsloan</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wbsloan/8904601833/" title="You're Never Going Back">You’re Never Going Back</a></p> <p><span>“Life is an adventure of passion, risk, danger, laughter, beauty, love; a burning curiosity to go with the action to see what it is all about, to go search for a pattern of meaning, to burn one’s bridges because you’re never going to go back anyway, and to live to the end.” </span><br/><em><span>― </span><span>Saul D. Alinsky</span><span>, </span>Reveille for Radicals</em></p> </blockquote>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51914054623http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51914054623Sat, 01 Jun 2013 22:51:26 +0100<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/11d6b280064059bcaf965de2c0381f09/tumblr_mnopwvjGcs1qiln3bo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51913699901http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51913699901Sat, 01 Jun 2013 22:46:29 +0100<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/0aa49798e3ffcdf46cb105d4a60f5a11/tumblr_mnmqbvhp8o1r0mub4o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>10 Questions To Make You Think - May</big></p><blockquote><p>It’s always to reflect upon ourselves so every month I post 10 questions to make you think about…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/05/30/10-questions-to-make-you-think-may/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51748408351http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51748408351Thu, 30 May 2013 21:59:55 +0100achievementsCreativityhappinessImportant questionsMotivationquestions to make you thinkself-assessmentSelf-knowledgeWhat do I want?Who am I<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/0610974631de992642e91e5e33c669bd/tumblr_mnagkbUO0S1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Break Your Rules</big></p><blockquote> <p>Life is short and we shouldn’t waste it. The worst thing you can do is be a slave of your own…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/05/24/break-your-rules/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51208810112http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51208810112Fri, 24 May 2013 06:57:47 +0100anxietyBreak your rulesFree yourselfhappinessRules we make upSelf-judgementStress<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/fd3fe6ee7fb4776c04391ec07fb56b53/tumblr_mn802dusxf1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>New Happy Theme</big></p><blockquote><p>Hello happy followers!</p> <p>I decided to change The Happiness Box theme because I didn’t like  how all…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/05/22/new-happy-theme/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51099006037http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/51099006037Wed, 22 May 2013 23:06:13 +0100CraftyCute fishFish smilingHappy fishNew themePracticitySmiley fish<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/c3a3bab3ee34bc1f1702eaea73f9f15b/tumblr_mn1enuLx241r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Find Out What To Do With Your Life</big></p><blockquote><p>Don’t know what to do with your life? Here are 3 websites that actually help. They are not…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/05/19/find-out-what-to-do-with-your-life/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/50799485421http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/50799485421Sun, 19 May 2013 09:38:17 +0100awarenessCareerFeeling stuckFind out what you wanthappinessHow to change your lifeIn a rutLost in lifeMind ToolsSelf-knowledgeWhat to doWise Bread<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/37857ea1b0124a5d1fba1211cb5f945a/tumblr_mm6u5aa3hT1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>10 Questions To Make You Think - April</big></p><blockquote><p>It’s always good to reflect upon ourselves and our lives so every month I post 10 questions to help…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/05/02/10-questions-to-make-you-think-april/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/49457054248http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/49457054248Thu, 02 May 2013 21:27:10 +0100April questionsFinding happinessKnow more about yourselfQ&amp;Aquestions to make you thinkReflectionself-appreciationSelf-knowledgeSolving problemsWho am I<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/a436960bb87afd6e1e25b3d1b5399f7e/tumblr_mlyq02AYjf1r0mub4o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Happiness Is A Skill</big></p><blockquote><p>That was said by a buddhist monk considered the happiest man in the world after studies were…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/04/28/happiness-is-a-skill/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/49082747067http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/49082747067Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:16:50 +0100buddhismFactors that influence happinesshappinessHappiness is a skillHealthHow to cultivate happinessMoney and physical beautyNoetic scienceScientific studiesStudies about happinessWhat science knows about happiness<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/f426a0c322e85e39d621b2fcfbaffe9c/tumblr_mlvedeRDzt1r0mub4o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Life is full of choices</big></p><blockquote><p><em><strong>“You’ve got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not…</strong></em></p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/04/26/life-is-full-of-choices/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/48935014699http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/48935014699Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:12:50 +0100Be happy nowChangeschoicesDepression (mood)Enjoy the journeyFind your passionhappinesslifelive the life you wantOpportunities<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/71b1bcbd5b320eef6d78d787b205488b/tumblr_mleustdj6p1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Do Something Different Today</big></p><blockquote><p>Sometimes, even when our life is going pretty well, we might feel that we are stuck in a rut.…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/04/17/do-something-different-today/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/48210025387http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/48210025387Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:48:29 +0100<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/aeebddd2bdbff58b0c46f2415cd043a9/tumblr_ml392sLOUa1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>10 Questions To Make You Think - March</big></p><blockquote><p>This one comes a bit late because I was away in Brazil having too much fun but I haven’t forgotten…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/04/11/10-questions-to-make-you-think-march/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/47694261888http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/47694261888Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:25:39 +0100<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/1e39b35fe4c54693791ebf5c84f6192d/tumblr_mjti5aBlag1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>The Nature of Ambition</big></p><blockquote> <p></p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/03/17/the-nature-of-ambition/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/45603174745http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/45603174745Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:31:58 +0000<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/d8950aa8c0635008477a728964269240/tumblr_mjgg95riKQ1r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>How To Find Out What Job You Love</big></p><blockquote><p>Some people are blessed with this certainty about what they want to do with their lives from an…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/03/10/how-to-find-out-what-job-you-love/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/45035761826http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/45035761826Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:22:17 +0000“I found that every single successful person I’ve ever spoken to had a turning point and the turning point was where they made a clear, specific, unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50 and most never make it at all.”<br/><br/> - <em>Brian Tracy (via <a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://healthymind413.tumblr.com/">healthymind413</a>)</em>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44964549747http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44964549747Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:48:46 +0000<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/0610974631de992642e91e5e33c669bd/tumblr_mii9voeLxF1qcl7aoo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44964526898http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44964526898Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:48:27 +0000<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/9af711ef3f020324c630611f4ab7e9ce/tumblr_mj5s0oxOk91r0mub4o1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>10 Questions To Make You Think - February</big></p><blockquote><p>A bit late but here it goes, 10 brand new questions to make you think this month.</p> <p>This post is part…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/03/04/10-questions-to-make-you-think-february/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44571691270http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/44571691270Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:02:48 +0000<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/c683c5e295729c18ca4476560b72b8bd/tumblr_mio54aaSh71r0mub4o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>10 Relationship Pieces of Advice Not To Be Ignored</big></p><blockquote> <ol><li>If you’re not happy when you’re not in a relationship, you won’t be happy in one.</li> <li>It applies the…</li> </ol></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/02/23/10-relationship-pieces-of-advice-not-to-be-ignored/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/43794651470http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/43794651470Sat, 23 Feb 2013 10:28:58 +0000<blockquote><p>Sometimes we all need a little bit of inspiration, something to makes us think, something to motivate us. But there are so many resources online, so many videos, so many websites. Who has time for all that?</p> <p>Well, this is a selection of very short videos,…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://happiness-box.com/2013/02/18/5-inspiring-videos-under-5-minutes/">View Post</a></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/43420074280http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/43420074280Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:42:02 +0000<p>Ideas about in-groups and out-groups form the basis of a psychological theory called <strong>Social Identity Theory</strong>, first developed by the psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner (1979). The theory argues that our response to joining groups involves three key stages:</p> <ol class="oucontent-numbered"><li> <p>Social categorisation: Here we put ourselves and others into categories: for example, we label someone a rapper, a snob, a trekkie, a Christian, an Essex girl, and so on. These labels then become a shorthand way of implying other things about that person. (Didn&#8217;t certain images come to mind when you read those labels?)</p> </li> <li> <p>Social identification: As soon as we are identified as belonging to one group rather than another, we take up that identity in our own and others&#8217; eyes. We become defined in a way that also has some emotional or value significance. What we and our group do is ‘good’, ‘cool’ and so forth.</p> </li> <li> <p>Social comparison: As members of a group, we then compare our group with others. In the process, we will define our group in positive terms, thereby reinforcing our own positive view of ourselves. There is also a competitive element in our response to other groups. Out-groups are seen in negative terms, and perhaps even actively discriminated against. Thinking well of ourselves and bolstering group self-esteem therefore becomes linked with discrimination against, and hostility towards, other groups.</p> </li> </ol><p>Social Identity Theory highlights both how people&#8217;s sense of who they are is defined in terms of a ‘we’ instead of simply an ‘I’, and that in-group categorisation occurs in ways that favour the in-group at the expense of the out-group. People want to feel their own group (and therefore themselves) as being better than other groups.</p> <p>Social Identity Theory is one of many different psychological theories put forward to explain some of the causes of racist attacks and group conflicts and wars around the world. While it would be too simplistic to say that all group conflicts are down to social identity (you already know that there are multiple influences on people), research evidence backs up the ideas of in-group favouritism and out-group discrimination playing a part. <strong>Prejudice</strong> based on this is a way of bolstering self-esteem in that it allows ‘out-groups’ to be seen as inferior.</p> <p>The evidence suggests that the desire for self-esteem leads to inter-group competition and that these processes can escalate into open hostility and discrimination. In other words, simply categorising people into groups may be sufficient to generate conflict and prejudice between groups. The argument here is that individual differences between members of both in-groups and out-groups tend to be ignored. This results in stereotyping: the over-simplified, distorted, and one-dimensional portrayal of people, perhaps based on their sex, race, religion, profession or age. For instance, think about the stereotype of ‘dumb blondes’ which suggests that all blonde women are stupid when the reality is that intelligence is not related to hair colour. Then there are more serious examples of stereotypes, for example, when a Muslim is wrongly assumed to be a ‘terrorist’. This occurs in people&#8217;s thinking as a way of simplifying and organising a complex world. The problem with such unfortunate stereotypes is that they can have problematic, even critical, consequences.</p> <p>Psychologists who have studied this subject argue that as we seek to make sense of our complicated, confusing world, we inevitably stereotype people to some degree. In a sense, people have to simplify and make generalisations. The problem arises when negative caricatures result in prejudice and are used to justify discrimination against one group by another. Such portrayals can profoundly affect how we value ourselves and relate to one another in groups.</p> <p><span><a href="http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/psychology/starting-psychology/content-section-5.2">http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/psychology/starting-psychology/content-section-5.2</a></span></p>http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/42675966459http://howtogethappy.tumblr.com/post/42675966459Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:28:44 +0000open collegesocial identity theorypsychologyprejudicediscrimnationsocial groups