Bad mood? Try these 5 fast happiness boosters

Even happy souls are occasionally in a bad mood. And that’s by no means a bad thing. After all, a bad mood usually points out that something’s off and requires attention – be it an aspect of your life or a relationship. It’s that proverbial kick up the butt you need to make a change.

Obviously, it’s easier to address problems and overcome obstacles when you’re feeling strong and energised. Fortunately, there are some shortcuts to happiness. Neuroscientists are saying we can control our mood. Namely, through neurotransmitters that tell the brain how you’re feeling or should be feeling. In many situations, it’s not just your body that produces these neurotransmitters; you can also actively influence their production.

One of the better known hacks is probably to pull up the drooping corners of your mouth and smile for ten seconds – all the more when you don’t feel like it. You’ll feel better immediately. This is because your brain’s not only scanning your environment, but also your behaviour to find out how you’re doing. This so-called biofeedback tells your brain, «Hey, I’m smiling, so everything’s fine.» The fact that it works has been proven in studies. So go ahead and release some of that happiness hormone, serotonin, feel-good stuff, oxytocin, and a few endorphins to go with it. The latter are neuropeptides that'll make you feel relaxed and at ease.

Enough of pulling faces? Here are five happiness hacks that also have what it takes to lift your mood in no time.

Happiness hack 1: have a drink

Drinking is a great way to cheer you up. No, I don’t mean alcohol, but water. Experts recommend drinking eight glasses a day to stay hydrated. That’s roughly the equivalent of two litres. Even slight dehydration will affect you – not only in terms of your energy levels and ability to focus, but also your mood. A lack of just 1.5 per cent of your body’s standard amount of water will mess with your productivity and mood, according to a study conducted by the University of Connecticut. And it’s not like this loss of water is caused by high-intensity exercise. Just a few hours of working on your computer without having a drink is enough to cause dehydration.

And don’t think your body will make itself known when it’s thirsty either. «People will not feel particularly thirsty until they’ve lost one or two per cent of water. But at this point, dehydration will have already set in,» says Lawrence E. Armstrong. One of the lead scientists working on the study and researcher in this field for more than 20 years. A lack of fluids has a particularly strong effect on the mental state of (young) women. While the male study participants became tired, tense and restless when mildly dehydrated, it was the general mood of the female subjects that took a turn for the worse.

The reasons for this haven’t been fully looked into. However, initial research suggests that neurons in the brain sense dehydration and send signals to other areas of the brain that regulate your mood. «This process could be part of a warning system that protects people from even worse consequences and reminds them that they need water to survive,» Armstrong says.

Happiness hack 2: listen to the birds

It’s no secret that regular exercise – especially when it’s outdoors – improves your mood. But you might not have heard that you’re better off leaving your headphones at home while you’re at it. Sure, some songs have been proven to boost your mood, as research has shown. But what’s even more effective is listening to the birds sing when you’re out on a walk.

This is what researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf found out in a study they conducted. Compared to many everyday noises, the chirping of birds, which is perceived as non-threatening, helps lift a bad mood and can even drive away fears and paranoid thoughts. What’s more, the activity of the amygdala, which is the area of the brain that’s activated by stress and noise, is reduced.

Don’t have a forest at your doorstep? No problem. Six minutes of birdsong from a CD was enough to lift the moods of the study participants.

Happiness hack 3: wish others well

A low mood will have you feeling listless and paralysed with no energy to do much about it. The good news is, you don’t have to do anything about it. According to researchers at Iowa State University, simply walking through your neighbourhood and silently wishing every person you see happiness is good enough.

But there’s one condition according to the study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies: your well-wishing needs to be heartfelt. «You really have to mean what you’re wishing others,» says Douglas Gentile, professor of psychology. «If you succeed in doing so, you’ll start feeling happier.» According to the study leader, one reason for this could be that we feel more connected to others with this caring, mindful and empathetic well-wishing. Even people with narcissistic tendencies benefited from this method.

Happiness hack 4: sigh out your slump

There’s a similarly simple hack based on research conducted at Stanford University. Sit or lie down, take two consecutive breaths until your lungs are completely full. Slowly exhale with a sigh until your lungs are completely empty again. This should make you feel better quite quickly.

In any case, this simple and structured exercise, among several other breathing and meditation methods tested, proved most effective in improving moods and calming nerves. Just five minutes a day is enough. This was discovered by Melis Yilmaz Belban and her team, who carried out a pilot study with more than 100 subjects. «There’s a reason why we naturally sigh in tense or sad situations,» Belban says. «Sighing directly targets brain structures related to tension and excitement, thereby potentially promoting calmness. It’s an effect we can use to our advantage.»

Happiness hack 5: be grateful

Gratitude isn’t just a nice feeling, it’s also a powerful tool to combat a bad mood. When you think of something or someone you’re grateful for, it’s not just the positive aspects of your life you’re focussing on. You’re also increasing the serotonin production in your brain. And an increased release of the neurotransmitter will lead to feelings of happiness.

This effect was described in detail by US psychologist Robert Emmons two decades ago in his book The Psychology of Gratitude. He recommends keeping a gratitude diary – not only to prevent lows, but also during phases of acute mood dips.

However, the problem is often that it’s hard to feel grateful if you’re feeling down. But simply trying to come up with something to be grateful for in your life is enough, according to a recent study discussed by neuroscientist Alex Korb in his book The Upward Spiral. Just thinking about it is said to have an effect on the density and efficiency of neurons, which is associated with higher emotional intelligence. «And with higher emotional intelligence, it’s easier to be grateful,» says Korb.

How to grow happiness

So it turns out it doesn’t take much to actively do something against a bad mood and live a happier life. Apart from your mental health, you can also do a lot for your physical well-being in a very short time. Remember the health hacks in a previous article of this series?

However, should your low mood persist over a longer period of time despite trying some of these hacks, a depressive mood or even depression could be causing it. If that’s the case, it’s not happiness hacks that you need but professional help.