How it works

How it works

General

physical

mental

social

FAQs

Welcome to the W3llbeing Games

We are very pleased that you decided to join us for the very first W3llbeing Games. Get ready for 21 days of fun, prizes, and personal growth. We have quite the list of prizes lined up for you, as well as many different challenges based on the three pillars of well-being; physical, mental, and social.

You can start any day, it is never too late to work on yourself. Just do the test from day one and then continue with the current day.

Every day for the next month, you will be given three simple, fun, and effective activities based on these three aspects of well-being, designed to improve your well-being through physical activities, gratitude, and acts of kindness. All of which have been scientifically proven to work!

To further encourage you to work on yourself, we also have many prizes up for grabs; however, to be eligible to receive those prizes, you must post on social media by completing the Tweetable challenges! This measure helps prevent cheaters and scammers from winning our offered prizes because we want to make sure that only the people who honestly worked on themselves are being rewarded. It also helps spread the word to other people who may want to begin their own well-being journey with us because we believe the more people work on their well-being, the happier the world will be.

After you’ve joined the challenge for at least a couple of days, we will let you be the judge. We assure you that if you truly put these activities into practice, you will feel strong, fit, full of energy and positivity! By the end of the month, we will all be better versions of ourselves!

Push-up Challenge

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

We can guarantee that by exercising regularly and nurturing our bodies with good food, we will feel much stronger, healthier, and more fulfilled in our everyday lives.
Our regular exercise for this challenge will be push-ups. Why? Well, push-ups are an effective and very simple form of exercise. You can do them anywhere, and you don’t need any equipment! Doing push-ups will help us to improve our posture by strengthening our shoulders, back, and abdomen and lifting our chest, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time in front of our computers. Why not give it a chance to see if it will work the same for you?
Relaxing our bodies relaxes our minds (or have you heard of someone with neck pains having the day of their life?). We are sure you can recognize that tension builds up in our bodies, whether it comes from stiff muscles, tendons, and ligaments because of sitting too much, stress, or just everyday activities. Our conscious mind does not even have to be aware of the tension for it to affect our mood. That’s why, once a week, we will give our bodies a good stretch! Flexibility is just as important as building muscles, especially for people who do not stretch regularly!
And then, we can’t forget about nutrition. We are sure you have heard of the phrase “What we eat affects how we feel.” We have 30 trillion cells (yes, 30,000,000,000,000!) in our bodies; our hearts beat 100,000 times a day; we breathe approximately 20,000 times a day; and our eyes blink around 15,000 times a day. In other words, all of our 78 main organs work day and night for us to keep us alive.
You can compare our bodies to a huge factory. Just imagine how all the workers in the factory would perform when their working environment is unpleasant and unhealthy, the materials are faulty, or the salary is low. That would result in low morale and low-quality production. Such an unfortunate working environment does exactly the same for our bodies.
As a part of taking care of our physical wellbeing, we are going to appreciate all the work our cells do for us by giving them the right nutrition (good vitamins and minerals) with fun nutrition challenges a few times a week.

Gratitude Challenge

The reason why gratitude is a repeating theme in our W3llbing Games is because it has one of the strongest positive effects on quality of life, even more than optimism, hope, or compassion. The power of gratitude was already being recognized in ancient times when the Roman philosopher Cicero called it a top virtue. He did not see it as merely a stepping stone toward personal happiness but as a moral disposition that comes from the inside, an intrinsic motivation to not only feel good but to do good. Therefore, gratitude should not simply be used as a method or technique to improve one’s mood but as an opportunity to live a life with more awareness (recognize all the things you have to be grateful for!) and, according to Robert Emmons, a leading researcher on the topic of happiness, it can bring about a myriad of psychological, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual benefits.
What else? Those who express gratitude sleep better, are more hopeful, experience positive emotions more often, are more caring, empathetic, and less materialistic, and find it easier to forgive others. These striking statistics have led to the idea of a “Gratitude Journal” to see whether this exercise can boost our happiness and health. Studies have shown that those who keep a gratitude journal are 25% happier, sleep on average 30 minutes more per night, and exercise 33% more each week than those who do not.
They took 192 students and divided them into three groups:
  1. The gratitude group was asked to write down five things that they are grateful for every week for ten weeks. This could’ve been anything — from a certain relative or good friend to a sunny day or a delicious slice of pizza.
  2. The events group was asked to only write down five things that happened to them during the week, e.g., “learned CPR,” “flew back to Sacramento,” and “cleaned out my shoe closet.”
  3. Participants in the hassles group were asked to write down five things that angered them during the week. Some examples listed by participants included, “a messy kitchen,” “stupid people driving,” and “hard to find parking” etc.
The participants’ happiness levels were measured before, during, and after the experiment. Not only were satisfaction levels among participants of the first group 25% higher than those in the second and third groups, but these students reported suffering less often from physical ailments such as headaches, throat pain, nausea, and skin problems.
In the second part of the study, 64 adults with neuromuscular disorders were observed. Some of these patients (gratitude group) were asked to take part in the “Gratitude Journal” exercise, while the others (control group) were meant to write down things that happened to them during the day. After three weeks, the gratitude group reported that they slept better and felt more optimistic. Even the spouses of those in the gratitude group noticed that their partners were in better moods!
This is not it. There might be even more to it in the long run: Gratitude journaling lets you leave a legacy gift behind for yourself (or your children) to look back on years from now, allowing you to reflect on all the positive things that occurred in your life. This practice can help you take another perspective on yourself and renew your focus so that you can make room for positive changes in your life.
Practicing gratitude encourages us to shift our consciousness and way of thinking. Instead of focusing on the things in life that we are lacking, we learn to recognize the abundance that surrounds us and perceive them as gifts. The important thing is to train your mind to start paying attention to the gratitude-inspiring events that happen every day. This reconditioning of the mind helps us reevaluate stressful and negative situations in our lives, develop stronger coping skills, and strengthen our social relationships (remember how important these are!). What’s more, because you cannot feel positively and negatively simultaneously, the more gratitude we practice, the more we can ward off feelings of envy, hatred, anger, greed, etc.
Curious to hear some experiences? Here are some comments made by individuals who were asked to keep a gratitude journal while going through a tough time:
  • I am reminded that there is more to feel good about than to feel bad about.
  • When I’m sinking and get caught up in my problems, it helps me rise above them.
  • I actually feel better when I am thinking about all the gifts I have in my life.
  • It keeps me in touch with reality out there rather than my constant negative interpretations. I remember that others are there and can be supportive.
  • Writing about good things rather than bad things in my life makes me feel lighter inside.
Expressing gratitude is one of the most important (and easiest) steps to a sustainably happier life. It doesn’t take much effort and reaps wonderful results.
As a tip to help you expand your personal gratitude, you can consider the following facets of gratitude: intensity, frequency, span, and density.
  1. Intensity: How intense are your feelings when you feel gratitude?
  2. Frequency: How often do you feel grateful? Several times a day or hardly ever?
  3. Span: How many things are you grateful for at once? Only 1-2 or 10+ items?
  4. Density: How many people do you feel gratitude towards for any given positive outcome or event in your life? For example, someone with a strong gratitude disposition may be grateful to parents, elementary school teachers, tutors, mentors, fellow students, God, etc. for obtaining a new job.
Considering all four facets of gratitude will help you expand your gratitude practice as you develop it. Take a moment every now and then to ask yourself these questions and work actively to be more grateful. As R. Emmons so eloquently puts it, “When you grow in gratitude, you grow all over.”

Random Act of Kindness

While gratitude results from people receiving kindness from other people, kindness entails enacting kind behavior towards other people. One way to do so is to engage in random acts of kindness. These are all small and big kind acts that people do for one another on a regular basis in their daily lives. They’re not only about seizing opportunities like sharing snacks with a hungry colleague or letting someone with only a few items in front of you in the supermarket lineup, but also about creating opportunities like deciding to cook dinner for a loved one or taking out the garbage even when it’s not our turn.
Research showed that people who committed five acts of kindness one day per week for over six weeks felt better than people who did not. Not only that, but also levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are significantly lower in people who perform acts of kindness than those who don’t. Gestures of goodness simply make us calmer, healthier, and happier. Several studies highlight that random gestures of kindness affect our mental well-being positively as well.
What happens on the other side of the coin, to the people who receive the kind act? Surprisingly, “givers” report a higher level of happiness than “receivers.” Whether it’s time, emotional support or financial resources that they give, studies have shown that “giving” is linked to “happiness”. What’s more, people who spend money on others experience greater happiness than those who spend money on themselves. Isn’t it amazing that by helping others we are also helping ourselves? Just think of every human we can help while improving our own well-being. What a delightful win-win that is!
Did you know that kindness is contagious? The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brains of every person witnessing the act, improving their mood and making them more likely to ‘pay it forward’. This means one simple good deed can go a long way by creating a domino effect and improving the lives of so many.
The act of giving activates special centers in our brain that are associated with social contact, pleasure, and trust. When performing acts of kindness, the brain produces the “love hormone” oxytocin. It is this hormone that gives us a feeling of warmth, euphoria, and helps us connect while we feel intimate with someone. It further improves our self-esteem, self-confidence, and optimism. Additionally, when we are helping others, both serotonin and endorphins are released. These are known as the “happiness hormones,” as they simply make us feel good, energized, and confident. You can imagine how important these hormones are and how easily our brain produces them when you indulge in acts of kindness.It’s kind of like weight training. We found that people can actually build up their compassion “muscle” and respond to others’ suffering with care and a desire to help. – Weng, Helen
It has been proven that kindness is not something that is fixed but can be enhanced by training and practice. Regularly performing acts of kindness may even lead to significant changes in brain activity. The more we train ourselves to be kind and perform little acts of goodness, the stronger our compassion will be! In the end, this results in higher levels of happiness. One possible explanation is that feelings of compassion, selflessness, and kindness will leave less room for negative feelings.
So, let’s get started!

All You Need To Know

Getting Started

Anyone! If you want to challenge yourself and join other amazing people on a fun journey to improve your well-being, then the Well in Web3 challenge is for you. However, be advised, if you are facing any health issues please consult your doctor before any strenuous activity such as pushups.

It is designed to be used by individuals over the age of 13, those under the age of 13 must be supervised by a legal guardian at all times during the activity. Entrants under 18/21 (country dependent) must get consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) before entering. Parent(s) or guardian(s) of entrants under 18/21 must agree to the terms and conditions on behalf of the entrant. The legal age to participate is 18 years in all countries except in The United States, Kazakhstan, India, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and New Guinea where the legal age is 21 years old. For Paraguay, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Iceland the legal age is 20 years old.

It’s very easy! Go back to the linktree and choose the first tab – Challenge Day x. There you will find different activities (physical, mental, and social) that you can complete throughout the day. Every day, there will be different activities in the mentioned areas.
We would be delighted if you shared your experiences with us on social media using the hashtag #w3llbeing and joined our Discord server, Happy Nation.
Are you ready to feel great and join others on a journey to improve your well-being?

No, this challenge is completely free. It takes less than 15 minutes a day, and in return, you get to feel amazing and can even win an NFT medal at the end!

No, it isn’t. The priority of this challenge is to take care of our well-being through different activities. We want to improve how we feel physically, mentally, and socially.

That means you already do a lot of good for yourself and others. However, these games are for everyone, and not only will it be a fun journey, but it will also leave you feeling more energetic and uplift your mood as well. The Gratitude Challenge alone will take you to a different place and time in your life every day and have you reflect on all the positivity of those times.

Happy Nation is our passion project. Our goal is to build a place in the digital space and in real life where people can come together to work on their well-being. This well-being challenge is one of the many ways that we hope to make this dream a reality. The last few months were stressful for many of us. Coupled with the challenges we’ve all faced over the past few years, people all around the world are struggling. By coming together to take part in the Well in Web3 challenge, we can all give ourselves a big boost in energy and positivity. Our end goal is to encourage people to live a happier, healthier, and more compassionate life.

Actively working on your well-being is the biggest achievement you can get from completing this challenge. But you obviously deserve a reward for all your hard work. Therefore, when you have completed a majority of the challenge, you have the chance to win an NFT of a gold, silver or bronze medal. So you can feel proud whenever you look in your wallet!

General

No, we will be hosting the games twice a year; the summer games and the winter games. The next well in web3 games will take place in the winter! Similarly, the winter games will be simple, straightforward, and have their own set of challenges.

No better day to start than today! Even if the challenge has already begun, it is never too late to join so we can take care of our well-being together.

Thanks to these projects’ support, we could make this challenge as it is. Our partner projects have donated NFTs that you could win during our scavenger hunt! Please don’t forget to take a look at them because they do great things and work hard to make the world a better place!

No, having a MetaMask wallet is not required to participate in the games. However, it is needed if you want to receive one of our NFT medals, which you may have earned by completing the challenges, and also if you want to participate in the raffle at the end of our scavenger hunt for a chance to receive an NFT from one of our partner projects.

The most impact you can have is by participating in the challenge with us every day, and even better, by sharing your progress with the hashtag #w3llbeing, which will encourage others to join. As an early stage start up, we could use your help with spreading the word. So, tell your friends and family about it and try to encourage them to join. Post about it on social media. If you are in any groups (Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.), kindly share the promo video there. You could also ask the reception staff at your local gym, yoga studio, etc. whether they would be willing to display our poster for their members to see when they walk in or If your local supermarket has a bulletin board, you can print one of our posters out and pin it there, or print the small takeaway printout and tape it on traffic lights.

Filling out the form is only required if you want the chance to win a medal. The form is there to calculate participation. By doing so, we will know if you are eligible to win one of the medal NFTs.

Well, our challenges take up to 15 minutes a day to complete and are so effective for making you fitter, stronger, happier and more positive. After all, that is the whole purpose of the games. If you lie, you’ll just be lying to yourself. If you don’t do the challenge, you won’t feel any of the benefits and what is a medal worth if you know that you didn’t earn it? If you worked hard, flourished and won, this medal will always remind you of the good times you had.We trust you to be honest with us and with yourself. The w3llbeing challenges are about being the best version of yourself, improvement, and getting accustomed to a healthier lifestyle. The value of our prizes lies within you. If you joined the w3llbeing games purely to win one of our NFTs, you will have missed out on the journey and the destination will only disappoint you. Therefore, we encourage you to earn your prizes and be proud of what you accomplished during our W3llbeing games!

Our health is built on three pillars: physical, mental and social well-being. Therefore, to take care of our well-being, it is essential to find a balance across all three aspects of it to become the happiest versions of ourselves.

Did you know that the World Health Organization defines health as “a state of total physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than merely the absence of disease or infirmity”?

We want you to start your day on a positive note. So we have arranged it so that in the Good Morning(GM) tab you will find both a new inspirational or motivational quote and a video everyday , which have been handpicked by our team to help you get going! Do not feel obligated to watch the video though; it’s only there to brighten your day!

In the Good Night(GN) tab, you will find a form that needs to be filled out after you complete your tasks for the day. This is how we will track your progress for the medals and the community trophy, so do your best to fill it in every day!

Happiness is one of the things that is increased when shared. The more people you share it with, the more positivity will be spread. By sharing your journey, you will motivate others to join, and they will gain the benefits and have fun as well. So to win the golden medal, you should share. Additional points are awarded for every tweet, significantly increasing your chances of earning a medal.

Sharing your experiences and improvements on social media is optional. Sharing your face or personal profile is not required in order to share experiences. You can stay anonymous and still share via your Twitter or Discord account. It helps us reach more people. The more people participate in these games, the greater the chance of spreading happiness and positivity is, but if you do not feel comfortable with sharing, that’s okay.

We will actively work on all three pillars of our well-being; physical, mental, and social. Therefore, you’ll get to experience the benefits of moving your body, eating well, being grateful, and doing good to others as well as yourself. All of these areas come with an abundance of benefits. To mention a few, strengthening our bodies, feeling more energized and happier, as well as becoming a more compassionate individual. So, by participating in this challenge daily, we guarantee that you will improve your well-being and feel great!

It varies day-to-day, but normally it won’t take any longer than 15 minutes to complete all the 3 different tasks. Although, for example, on some days with the nutrition challenge, it can take a little bit longer if the recipe you choose has a lot of steps.

However long it will take, remember that you are actively working to improve your well-being, and that’s the most important part of this challenge.

Web3 and NFTs

When the internet was created It was in, what we now call, Web1. Web1 could be easily understood as “read only”, content could be consumed but not created. In the early 00s we saw the internet transition from just content consumption (Web1) to content creation what we now call Web2 and could be easily understood as “read and write”.

Web3 is the next generation of online activity. Like the transition from Web1 to Web2, we should expect to see changes between Web2 and Web3. In Web3 we will see more decentralized activity backed by blockchain technology. Web3 advocates emphasize user privacy and ownership of data. Web3 could be easily understood as “read, write and own” Here is a video explaining Web3 by Harvard Business Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FExp9YuTzbY

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. NFTs are digital assets similar to real-world assists and often take the form of art, music, videos, and in-game items in video games. NFTs are generally one of a kind, or at least one of a limited supply, and have unique identifying codes. They are bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency, and are also generally secured using the same software as many cryptocurrencies.You can learn more about the NFTs in our NFT Encyclopedia here.

Many important and successful people see NFTs as the next big thing. Like the internet in the 90s and Facebook in the 00s, Web3 and NFTs will change the way we use technology. Many celebrities are already in the NFT space like Paris Hilton, Snoop Dog, Reese Withespoon, Eva Longoria, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Eminem, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and many more.

Of course! This challenge is meant for everyone who wants to have fun taking care of their well-being together. The NFT is just an addon, you can do the challenge and enjoy the benefits without being in contact with the NFT space.

No, having a MetaMask wallet is not required to participate in the games. However, it is needed if you want to receive one of our NFT medals, which you may have earned by completing the challenges

When you win an NFT medal, there are a few different things you can do with it right away! First, of course, is to treasure it and look at it as a reminder of your achievements during this challenge. You can do this by following the instructions on how to view an NFT in Opensea in this tutorial: https://youtu.be/3VRHBiP9tlM

You can also create a listing for your medal and sell it on Opensea in exchange for cryptocurrency. Please note, that the sale of your NFT is not guaranteed and is dependent on demand. To learn how to create a listing, please see this tutorial:

https://youtu.be/xQs3hLz1YNI

You also have the option to gift it to someone else and transfer ownership to their digital wallet. In the NFT community, this is called an airdrop. To learn how to airdrop an NFT, please see this tutorial: https://youtu.be/9VK4_tyQWW4.

, and also if you want to participate in the raffle at the end of our scavenger hunt for a chance to receive an NFT from one of our partner projects.

Physical

When you perform push-ups the right way, it can help you avoid injury during day-to-day activities or other forms of athletic training.
Here is a little guide:
  1. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
  2. Your glutes should be down, not lifted.
  3. Your body should form a straight line. Don’t arch your back or let your body sag down.
If it feels too difficult for your body in the beginning – try doing push-ups against the wall or on your knees. You can gradually work your way up to perform full push-ups.

Here is a little video guide:

Most of us spend way too much time in front of a computer and pushups are a very effective tool for prevention and treatment of associated back pain. We chose push ups as our main physical activity for several reasons; they are easy to do anywhere, require no equipment, protect your shoulders and lower back from injuries, and Improve your balance and posture. It’s also a great way to notice progress and it’s memorable, especially for people that have never or seldom do push ups.

It is important, that we remember to stay active to improve not just our physical health, but also our mental health and overall well-being. Exercise can be a powerful tool to help us manage stress, reduce anxiety and even improve symptoms of depression. Conversely, studies have shown that people who don’t exercise or stopped exercising report lower levels of happiness.
Exercise is also a great energy booster for many people. When we feel like we don’t have any fuel left to be active after work, it is actually exercising that can make us feel more energized. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those with serious health conditions, according to a study. Regular exercise also improves blood flow to the brain and therefore improves brain health and memory (1).
Doing push-ups is one of the easiest ways to work on our physical well-being, and it has many benefits. For one, they test our whole body by engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips, and legs. Our muscular endurance within the upper body will improve by doing push-ups regularly as well as our bones and muscles will strengthen, especially our core strength.
Of many other benefits, one that sticks out is the improvement of cardiovascular health. The findings of the study suggest that the higher the baseline push-up capacity is (how many push-ups you can do), the lower the chance of cardiovascular diseases becomes. This same study showed that if you are able to perform 40 push-ups and more, you significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease events compared to if you can only do 10 push-ups (2).

Healthy eating, especially when combined with regular exercise, comes with an abundance of benefits. Eating patterns that benefit our body and mind include limiting foods that contain trans fats, added salt, and sugar (fast foods, processed foods) while increasing the consumption of more nutritious options (variety of proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables).
We can strengthen our immune system when eating wholesome and varied diets as well as our mental well-being. It was found that refined carbs (cookies, white bread, soft drinks) might trigger increased symptoms of depression and fatigue, while carbs from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have the opposite effect. When looking at long-term impacts, healthy eating also comes along with a much lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (3, 4).

You finished doing your push-ups for today! Congrats! Now, to record your progress, it’s time to fill out the GN form. Simply add up the number of push-ups you did and enter it into the form.

Social

Did you know that kindness is contagious? The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of every person witnessing the act, improving their mood and making them likely to ‘pay it forward’. This means one simple good deed can go a long way by creating a domino effect and improving the day of so many.

Research showed that participants who committed five acts of kindness one day per week, for over 6 weeks felt better than people who did not. Not only that but levels of stress, anxiety , and depression are significantly lower in people who perform acts of kindness than those who don’t. Gestures of goodness simply make us calmer, healthier and happier. Several studies highlight that random gestures of kindness affect our mental well-being positively as well.

The act of giving activates special centers in our brain that are associated with social contact, pleasure, and trust. When performing acts of kindness, the brain produces the “love hormone” oxytocin. It is this hormone that gives us a feeling of warmth, euphoria and helps us connect when we feel close with someone . It further improves our self-esteem, self-confidence, and optimism . Additionally, when we are helping others, both serotonin and endorphins are also being released. These are known as the “happiness hormones” as they simply make us feel good, energized and confident . You can imagine how important these hormones are and how easily our brain produces it when you indulge in acts of kindness.

It has been proven that kindness is not something that is fixed but can be enhanced by training and practice. Regularly performing acts of kindness may even lead to significant changes in brain activity. The more we train ourselves to be kind and perform little acts of goodness, the stronger our compassion will be! In the end, this results in higher happiness levels . One possible explanation is that feelings of compassion, selflessness, and kindness will leave less room for negative feelings.

Mental

This is our first challenge and our introduction to the world, so this w3llbeing challenge is only giving you a glimpse of what the Happy Nation has in store for you. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Asking someone to reflect on something they are grateful for is a relatively quick, simple, and effective process. By having only one exercise to complete for mental wellbeing, you will be able to clearly see its effects in one month. Our main challenges this summer games revolve around pushups, gratitude, and acts of kindness. However, our  winter games will have three new challenges.

Gratitude has one of the strongest and most positive effects on one’s quality of life – even more than optimism, hope or compassion. People who express gratitude sleep better, experience positive emotions more often, are more caring, empathetic and less materialistic and find it easier to forgive others.

Studies have shown that those who keep a gratitude journal are 25% happier, sleep 30 minutes more per evening and exercise 33% more each week than those who do not. These striking statistics emerged from a study conducted by Robert Emmons and his colleague, Mike McCullough, which tested the “Gratitude Journal” idea to see whether this exercise can boost happiness and health.

In their research, they took 192 students and divided them into three groups:

  1. The gratitude group was asked to write down five things that they are grateful for, every week for ten weeks. This could’ve been anything – a certain relative, good friend, sunny day, delicious slice of pizza, etc.
  2. The events group was asked to only write down five things that happened to them during the week e.g. learned CPR, flew back to Sacramento, cleaned out my shoe closet” etc.
  3. The hassles group was asked to write down five things that angered them during the week. Some examples listed by participants included a messy kitchen, stupid people driving, and hard to find parking, etc.

The participants’ happiness levels were measured before, during, and after the experiment. Not only were satisfaction levels among participants of the first group 25% higher than those in the second and third groups, but they also reported to suffer less often from physical ailments such as headaches, throat pain, nausea, and skin problems.

In the second part of the study, 64 adults with neuromuscular disorders were observed. Some of these patients (gratitude group) were asked to take part in the “Gratitude Journal” exercise while the others (control group) wrote down things that happened to them during the day. After three weeks, the gratitude group reported that they slept better and felt more optimistic. Even the spouses of those in the gratitude group noticed that their partners were in better moods.

So where do these powerful effects of gratitude stem from? Practicing gratitude encourages us to shift our consciousness and way of thinking. Instead of focusing on the things in life that we are lacking, we learn to recognize the abundance that surrounds us and start to perceive them as gifts. The important thing is to train the mind to start paying attention to the gratitude-inspiring events that happen every day. This reconditioning of the mind helps us reevaluate stressful and negative situations in our lives, develop stronger coping skills and strengthen our social relationships.

Social

Research showed that participants who committed five acts of kindness one day per week, for over 6 weeks felt better than people who did not (1). Not only that but levels of stress (2), anxiety (3), and depression (4) are significantly lower in people who perform acts of kindness than those who don’t. Gestures of goodness simply make us calmer, healthier and happier (5). Several studies highlight that random gestures of kindness affect our mental well-being positively as well (6).
What happens on the other side of the coin, to the people who receive the kind act? Surprisingly, ‘givers’ report a higher level of happiness than ‘receivers.’ Whether it’s time, emotional support or financial resources that they give, studies have shown that ‘giving’ is linked to ‘happiness’. What’s more, people who spend money on others experience greater happiness than those who spend money on themselves (7). Isn’t it amazing that by helping others we are also helping ourselves? Just think of every human we can help while improving our own well-being. What a delightful Win-Win that is!
Did you know that kindness is contagious? The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of every person witnessing the act, improving their mood and making them likely to ‘pay it forward’. This means one simple good deed can go a long way by creating a domino effect and improving the day of so many (8).
The act of giving activates special centers in our brain that are associated with social contact, pleasure, and trust (3). When performing acts of kindness, the brain produces the “love hormone” oxytocin. It is this hormone that gives us a feeling of warmth, euphoria and helps us connect when we feel close with someone (9). It further improves our self-esteem, self-confidence, and optimism (10). Additionally, when we are helping others, both serotonin (11) and endorphins (12) are also being released. These are known as the “happiness hormones” as they simply make us feel good, energized and confident (10). You can imagine how important these hormones are and how easily our brain produces it when you indulge in acts of kindness.
It has been proven that kindness is not something that is fixed but can be enhanced by training and practice. Regularly performing acts of kindness may even lead to significant changes in brain activity. The more we train ourselves to be kind and perform little acts of goodness, the stronger our compassion will be! In the end, this results in higher levels of happiness (13). One possible explanation is that feelings of compassion, selflessness and kindness will leave less room for negative feelings.

References

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