For many, the holiday season brings a confusing mix of emotions. What often feels like “the most wonderful time of year” for one person can be exhausting and anxiety-inducing for another.
Close to half, 41% of U.S. adults say they anticipate being more stressed out around the holidays this year than last year, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Poll. And even more, 46%, are worried about finding and being able to afford holiday gifts.
Thirty-one percent of participants surveyed report feeling worried about being lonely. As more and more people report experiencing loneliness, experts say it’s important to be intentional about increasing the joy in your life — whether it be around the holidays or any time of year.
“The key to happiness is feeling loved and feeling connected to other people,” says happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky. That is also true in the face of elevated stress and anxiety.
Here Lyubomirsky offers up three simple acts that will make you feel more connected with others and closer to the people in your life. They are all “really powerful ways to be happier,” she says.
3 ‘really powerful ways to be happier,’ according to a happiness researcher
1. Have a conversation
A sure way to be happier is to connect with other people, Lyubomirsky says. And she believes that the No. 1 way to forge that connection is to have a conversation — with your partner, your kid, or even your barista.
The conversation doesn’t have to be a long one. Just 15 minutes is enough to reap the benefits, she says.
The key, she says, is to make sure you’re having a meaningful conversation and not a superficial one.
Lyubomirsky suggests sharing how you feel about a book you’ve just read or movie you’ve watched. You can also ask questions that are designed to push the conversation further, like “what’s the best thing that happened to you this year?” Or “what are you looking forward to in 2026?”
Make sure to listen intently when they speak, she says.
2. Practice gratitude
There are many benefits to practicing gratitude, including increased happiness. It’s a habit that Lyubomirsky recommends for those who want to feel happier and more connected to others.
This practice could look like calling up a loved one or sending a card in the mail to say “I was thinking of you,” Lyubomirsky says, and express how grateful you are for whatever role this person has played in your life.
It is a small but powerful gesture.
3. Perform an act of kindness
Research shows that performing acts of kindness or generosity is a sure way to feel happier. And anything you can do to make another person’s day easier works, Lyubomirsky says.
It can be a bigger gesture like helping a friend move or a small gesture like giving someone a compliment.
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