10 things you can do today to make your day happiers

Happiness is so interesting, because we all have different ideas about what it is and how to get it. It’s also no surprise that it’s the Nr.1 value for Buffer’s culture, if you see our slidedeck about it. So naturally we are obsessed with it.

I would love to be happier, as I’m sure most people would, so I thought it would be interesting to find some ways to become a happier person that are actually backed up by science. Here are ten of the best ones I found.

1. Exercise more – 7 minutes might be enough:

You might have seen some talk recently about the scientific 7 minute workout mentioned in The New York Times. So if you thought exercise was something you didn’t have time for, maybe you can fit it in after all.

Exercise has such a profound effect on our happiness and well-being that it’s actually been proven to be an effective strategy for overcoming depression. In a study cited in Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, three groups of patients treated their depression with either medication, exercise, or a combination of the two. The results of this study really surprised me. Although all three groups experienced similar improvements in their happiness levels to begin with, the follow up assessments proved to be radically different:

The groups were then tested six months later to assess their relapse rate. Of those who had taken the medication alone, 38 percent had slipped back into depression. Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better, with a 31 percent relapse rate. The biggest shock, though, came from the exercise group: Their relapse rate was only 9 percent!

You don’t have to be depressed to gain benefit from exercise, though. It can help you to relax, increase your brain power and even improve your body image, even if you don’t lose any weight.

A study in the Journal of Health Psychology found that people who exercised felt better about their bodies, even when they saw no physical changes:

Body weight, shape and body image were assessed in 16 males and 18 females before and after both 6 × 40 mins exercise and 6 × 40 mins reading. Over both conditions, body weight and shape did not change. Various aspects of body image, however, improved after exercise compared to before.

We’ve explored exercise in depth before, and looked at what it does to our brains, such as releasing proteins and endorphins that make us feel happier, as you can see in the image below.

2. Sleep more – you’ll be less sensitive to negative emotions

We know that sleep helps our bodies to recover from the day and repair themselves, and that it helps us focus and be more productive. It turns out, it’s also important for our happiness.

In NutureShock, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explain how sleep affects our positivity:

Negative stimuli get processed by the amygdala; positive or neutral memories gets processed by the hippocampus. Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala. The result is that sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories, yet recall gloomy memories just fine.

In one experiment by Walker, sleep-deprived college students tried to memorize a list of words. They could remember 81% of the words with a negative connotation, like “cancer.” But they could remember only 31% of the words with a positive or neutral connotation, like “sunshine” or “basket.”
The BPS Research Digest explores another study that proves sleep affects our sensitivity to negative emotions. Using a facial recognition task over the course of a day, the researchers studied how sensitive participants were to positive and negative emotions. Those who worked through the afternoon without taking a nap became more sensitive late in the day to negative emotions like fear and anger.

Using a face recognition task, here we demonstrate an amplified reactivity to anger and fear emotions across the day, without sleep. However, an intervening nap blocked and even reversed this negative emotional reactivity to anger

Heart touching real love story

Hi

There was a boy and a girl.
They were best friends for years and years.
They could talk for hours on the phone and text each others for days,
When they were together.

Not a single bad thought could cross their mind,
Every thing was great but one day;

The boy din't answer to call or reply to any text for a day..
The girl was worried something is wrong..
At night she couldn't sleep.., she was sitting in her room crying,
And it was then she realized hoe much he means to her ...?

THE next morning:
She woke up from a call; it was boy...:)

BOY:hey?
GIRL: i am so glad that you called me,what happened to you yesterday?
BOY: I was busy..

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( The girl understood something wrong but couldn't ask)

[ silence]

BOY: you know we should stop talking...!
GIRL: what..? but why??
BOY: sorry, bye..!

[ He disconnected the call the girl felt somebody has slammed the door on her face]

Every thing else flashed in her mind ,
Tears;
Cars running by her.
Roof of some building and sunset...
She couldn't understand any thing..
She started feeling lonely, rejected and broken..:(

That was the answer to every thing! his words were pouncing on her.
Her heart wanted to jump out.!
He was the one! "why".....?
She screamed at the top of her voice:
Then she made up mind to make a last try to get him back....!

[ she called him up]

GIRL: HI!
BOY: WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME??
GIRL: i need to tell u something...
BOY : go ahead.
GIRL: I just wanted you to know something before we stopped talking.
BOY:tell me !

GIRL: Are you alright??
[ She broke off ......!
She tried but maybe he really doesn't care for her,
She thought !
She wasn't her friend for first place......
TEARS were slowly running worst,.....:((
She left the house with a note....!

{ 5 HOURS LATER}

Phone rang in boy's room,
It was girl's mum,
The girl was lying in the Hospital got hit by car,:-(
The boy rushed to the hospital were she was.

She Opened he eyes with boy's name...,
He took her hand..

BOY: I am sorry its all my fault....! but?
I promise when U Get better I'II MAKE IT UP TO YOU..(

GIRL: I wont get better.
BOY: NO..! Don"t say that...(
GIRL: just tell me one thing why did you do it??

Boy told her that he had heart problem 'n
he didn't want her to be worried;
'n there was a risk he would have died..!

BOY : I did that because I...I...I...I LOVE YOU...?
GIRL ; I LOVE YOU TOO..? after that her heart stopped beating ..... she died..!
The boy died after 10 minutes later from heart attack ....

HE COULD NOT LIVE WITH THE THOUGHT THAT SHE DIED BECAUSE OF HIM..

- MORAL
if you love sm1..?
Then don'y hold back your feelings..
Because love is the reason to live..
LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL...!????

15 Facts Everyone Should Know, but Most People DonT know

Someone posted the question, "What fact should be common knowledge, but isn't?" and it received over 1,800 responses. Here are the most popular, backed with evidence.

1. Goldfish bowls are really bad places to keep goldfish.

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They're too small to allow for adequate filtration and don't provide enough oxygen. Goldfish bowls are the equivalent to putting your goldfish in the toilet and expecting him to show you his best colors, grow to the size of a softball, and never get sick.

The natural lifespan of a goldfish is years, not weeks. These two facts are related. This goes for Beta fish as well.

2. If you put the lid down in a porta-potty, the smell will vent out that tube in the top and not into the john itself.

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Hopefully your next music festival will be a bit less smelly.

3. The sites you see when you Google for something are different from what others see if they Google for the same thing.

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Google builds a user profile and shows you sites that align with what you previously clicked on. As time goes on, this positive reinforcement makes you think the world agrees with your ideas more than it actually does.

4. If you are unfortunate enough to need to go to the hospital uninsured (in the US) the astronomical bill they give you is NOT what they intend on you paying.

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Call them and tell them your situation. No hospital expects a patient to come up with 100k for a surgery, the bill is intended for the insurance company because they haggle prices to get to a final bill. They will GREATLY reduce payment if you cannot afford it. Too many people go without care because they think that a hospital visit will bankrupt them when its not true. Some hospitals will even wave the bill completely under certain circumstances.

5. Claudette Colvin was the first black woman not to give up her seat to a white woman on a bus, not Rosa Parks.

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Parks was Secretary for the NAACP at the time and when Colvin's actions hit the news the NAACP thought the tactic was a great way to bring eyes and ears to their cause. Since Colvin was merely a child (15 years old) they didn't want to seem like they were exploiting her so they chose Parks as the "face of the movement". When Rosa Parks boarded the bus that day it was under instruction to refuse to give up her seat in the front of the bus; copying Colvin's actions and refocusing the attention on an adult who was better suited to handle the media attention and interviews.

6. Feeding bread to ducks is harmful to them.

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Any artificial feeding of waterfowl leads to a surplus of fecal bacteria, poor animal nutrition and even affects migration patterns. White bread in particular distracts ducks from their natural healthy diets and can lead to unhealthy diseases.

7. Ctrl+Shift+T restores your closed tabs in Chrome, and Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T restores entire closed windows.

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This will save you a lot of frustration. You're welcome!

8. Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses.

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So if you have what is probably a viral infection (like a cold or most throat infections) do NOT take them and don't pester your doctor for them. The number of doctors who hand antibiotics out like sweets because patients expect to be given something is ridiculous. You have an immune system. Antibiotics kill bacteria only!

9. Ιf you plug in earbuds/headphones іn the microphone jack, they'll functіon as microphones.

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Internally the components are very similar. Try it!

10. Your blood isn't blue inside your body.

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It's always red. It only appears blue because of the way light interacts with your skin.

11. Humans do, in fact, use 100% of their brain.

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Just not all at the same time. That would result in a seizure.

12. Alcohol is a drug.

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So are cigarettes (nicotine) and caffeine. Anything that alters your state of mind is a drug.

13. Frankenstein is the doctor.

Ge

20 Meals You Can Buy In India For 20 Rupees Or Lessâ

We Indians love food. So we live a King's life when we get our paycheck or allowance at the end of the month. We treat ourselves (and most generously our friends) to the best that is available and end up spending eight parts out of ten of our money in the first two weeks. Then begins the struggle to find cheap meals twice a day.
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Worry not! Indians have the choicest variety of food available at unthinkable prices. Whether you are a cash strapped traveller who will scourge the city to find food at cheap prices or the broke student, you can find one of the following twenty meals in India which won't set you back for more than twenty bucks:

1. Rajma Chawal @ Rs. 20/plate

Perhaps the most filling dish one can find in the narrow alleys and the bustling college canteens of North Indian cities like Delhi. A big ladle of rajma over a plate of steamed rice is enough to fill one up for a while. If the vendor is generous and serves onion rings on the side, your day is made!

2. Momos @ Rs. 20/plate

These steamed dumplings have stormed the streets of the country. One can find vendors at tiny tables with hand made posters in the front declaring the assortment of momos they carry in the steamers. The deep red concoction of red chillies and spices that they pour on the side makes both the eyes and the mouth water.

3. Egg Curry @ Rs. 20/plate

So you are a hardcore carnivore but don't/can't shell out much at the moment-a plate of steamed rice and egg curry is the answer. A generous sprinkling of chopped coriander and green chilli on the top is recommended.  In the narrower streets and lesser known markets you can find a plate for 20 bucks.

4. Litti Chokha @ Rs. 10/plate

Wheat or sattu balls baked with a decent helping of ghee over fire is litti for you. The traditional accompaniment is a spiced up baigan ka bharta cooked with tomato and potato which complements the dry and ghee-laden littis. This dish can be found for less than 20 rupees in Bihar and certain regions of UP.

5. Chhole Kulche @ Rs. 20/plate

A dona of spicy chhole topped with chopped onions accompanied with two kulchas warmed over the tawa is one of the best meals one can rely on to fill oneself up. The occasional mirch ka salan on the side makes it even better. Reach the local market in North India and spot the big copper matka. A good dish will cost 20 bucks.

6. Dosa @ Rs. 12/plate

Fermented batter of rice and dal poured over a hot skillet and cooked into a crisp and thin delicacy--this is a reliable and cheap staple of all Indians. The sambhar cooked with a combination of all good vegetables and spices raises the nutritional value  as well as the taste of the meal. You can find a plate for as little as 12 rupees in certain villages in Chennai and college canteens in Delhi.

7. Thukpa @ Rs. 20/bowl

A Tibetan soup cooked with noodles, one might find it the most easily available staple in the higher reaches of the Himalayas in the North East and freely available in the lanes of Kolkata's College street for as less as 20 bucks. From veggies to chicken, anything can supplement the noodles in this steaming dish.

8. Vada Pao @ Rs 15

The deep fried ball of potato stuffed between a slit bun layered with powdered chilli and topped with a slit green chilli is all one needs on a rainy day walking on the streets of Shirdi. A cutting chai on the side is enough to satisfy a grumbling tummy and together with two Vada Paos won't cost more than 20.

9. Maggi! @ Rs. 15/plate

Chhoti ya Badi-all kinds of hunger is satisfied by this one name in India. There is a lot of scope to explore different flavors and a customer is hardly ever disappointed with what is on the plate. Ranging from the summits of the Himalayas to the college canteens, one can rely on this dish ev

12 Signs Of A Girlfriend From Hell

Any couple who have been in a long relationship will tell you at times it's hard work! There's no such thing as a fight-free, completely smooth sailing relationship. Sometimes guys get it all wrong & can be quite inconsiderate. However, there are some women too who give their men a real hard time.  Here's a list of things certain girls do that really annoys their boyfriends, a hell lot.

1. Take hours to respond to a text, which he sends, and act outraged when he brings that up.

2. Unleash the fury of hell when you send him a text and he doesn't respond within exactly 35 seconds.

3. Feel betrayed and abandoned if he says that a plan has to be cancelled because he's neck deep in work.

4. Get pissed off at an incident that happened in their relationship light years ago.

5. Cross-examine him on every FB comment he writes under any girl's photo.

6. Repeatedly ask him the tricky question 'Why do you love me?' for which there is no known correct answer.
CHECK THIS ALSO 14 THINGS THAT EVERY INIAN BOYFRIEND DOES

7. If, for some reason, he says that he doesn't find Adele that great then two weeks of cold cold silence follows.

8. Showing up an hour late for a date and then getting mad if he’s ever late.

9. Give him the stare of death if he teases you playfully in front of his friends. Or your friends. Or any friends.

10. If he replies with a simple 'nice' when you ask him 'How do I look?' then he will be made to eat his words!

11. Take it as a personal insult if he calls some celebrity 'hot and sexy'.

12. Complain for hours if he chooses to watch the latest episode of his favourite show over watching 'Pretty Woman' for the 15th time.

14 annoying things indian boyfriends do

No one ever said love is a bed of roses. When things go south in a relationship, the fault is never one-sided. A few days we wrote a post on the 'girlfriend from hell'. Well, just to even things out, we figured it's time to talk about some of the things that guys do wrong. And, no, this doesn't apply to every single guy so relax. But look around you and you can see that there are some who test your patience. Here are 14 Annoying Things That Guys Do Which Annoy Their Girlfriends.



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1. Burp loudly during a romantic dinner date and then proudly laugh it off.

2. Not notice when you've got a completely new hairstyle.

3. Breaking big news like "I'm travelling outside India for a week" just a few hours before it happens.

4. Making weird rules like "Sunday is me day. So no calls, no text messages, no nothing."

5. Give long tiring lectures on why watching porn is healthy for a relationship.

6. Mocking your gay friends in a totally chauvinistic and homophobic manner.

7. When something upsets you, instead of lending a supportive ear, dismissing it by saying "You're overreacting."

8. Calling you things like "dude" "bro" or "bhai".

9. Losing their temper if you speak to them during any televised sporting event.

10. Believe in ridiculous shit like "Treat a girl bad and she'll want you more."

11. Expects you to be buddies with all his friends but will do anything to avoid meeting your friends.

12. Demands you to become best friends forever with his best friend's girlfriend so they can hang out together all the time.

13. Keeping in touch with exes but keeping it away from you because "It's no big deal but I knew you won't understand".

14. Never ever making the first move to make up after a fight.

5 Things Not to Forget in your Bag

You’ve crammed all you can into your bag but you may have forgotten a few important items. Before heading off to the airport double check you’re covering your bases.
Snacks
Many tourist destinations require long periods in the car/bus between stops. Bumping and grinding down the dusty roads of India may not  require much exertion but the constant walking up and down the stairs of temple, forts and palaces can work up an appetite. Your stomach may not be as iron clad as needed for the roadside stops so pack some of your favorite snacks for the trip. I use the space in-between the roller bars of my bag to stuff cereal bars. These are an easy-to-reach-for snack that fill me up and smooth out the rich excess of North Indian foods.
Slip on Shoes or Sandals

Temples temples temples. Nothing wastes more time then the constant on and off of shoes during a day (or weeks) of sightseeing. Make it simple…pack a pair of non-lacing shoes or sandals in your bag. Some mornings I leave the hotel already prepared for a day of temple hopping. My shoes and socks are packed within easy reach in case my plans change. Also keep in mind the random temple shoe thieves. I’d rather lose a pair of flip flops than my comfy trekking shoes that needed to get me through my trip.
Hand Wipes
Soap and water work great when found together yet most times you’re faced with just a well used wash basin. Skip the hassle of digging through your toiletry bag by packing wet wipes. Hand sanitizer works too but over time can really dry out your hands. Wet wipes are formulated to clean hands, kill germs and keep hands moisturized. I grab the travel packs found at most stores and stuff them, along with my snacks, in the undercarriage of my roller bag. Once in India, I keep a pack handy for the numerous times I need a quick but through cleaning. *See also 10 Ways to Traveler’s Diarrhea in India.
Towel
Budget travelers know from experience that towels are a luxury usually found in mid-range to 5 star locations. But even then, occasionally the towels provided don’t pass the sniff test. The easy solution is to travel with your own quick dry towel. Cotton towels require long dry periods and frequent cleaning which does not work well with an Indian tourist itinerary. Quick dry towels hold a tremendous amount of water for their size and are easily rung out for storage. Many are coated with an anti-bacterial formula allowing a near infinite amount of reuse.
Tissues & TP
5 Star travelers need not keep reading. Your rooms will be well stocked with paper products. But for the mid to budget range tourists, make room in your bag for tissues and toilet paper. Unless you plan to “Go Native” overnight, relying on the infamous spigot next to the toilet for washing and one finger on the nostril to clear the pipes, you’ll need some small luxuries. Tissues and TP can be found with reasonable pricing at many of the popular hill stations, but not as common in the more remote areas. Local brands look and feel like sandpaper so do your bum a solid and tote your favorite brand from home.