3. Be present
Although it may surprise you, attention is a key factor in our happiness – think about it. Being present, connecting to the people around you, being in the moment, it’s all part of being happy and it’s all connected to attention…and it’s all a little difficult at times. In a famous study conducted by Killingsworts & Gilbert, they saw that people spent 47% of their time wondering, which caused them to be unhappy.[3]
Another study looked at how hard it is for us to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts, because most people prefer to be with their phone or talking to someone than they want to sit without doing anything.
What can I do? Mindfulness decreases the activation of some of the “problem” brain regions that cause us to constantly crave outside stimuli (like the prefrontal medial areas and the anterior cingulate cortex).
