At just 16, became interested in what people could do to maximize happiness, so he started studying philosophy.

Two decades later, Plant, 36, is a global happiness researcher at the . As the founder and research director of HLI and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, which publishes the annual , Plant knows a lot about what makes people happier.

Happiness, Plant says, is "the experience of feeling good overall. I think it's that simple."

Here's what he does every day to maximize his own happiness and overall wellbeing. Plus, his biggest takeaways from the research he's conducted about what it means to be happy — and what it takes.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

'A lot of our discussion about happiness is overly self-centered'

C온라인카지노사이트 Make It: What is the No. 1 lesson you've learned about happiness?

That's a really hard question to answer because you want to say something that is novel, evidence-based and life-changing, and it's pretty hard to come up with something that is all three of those.

I think I'd say two things.

The first is about the importance of mental health. When you look at the data, mental health has so much of a bigger effect than we seem to believe it does. So, tip number one is don't get depressed. I say that as half a joke, because, of course, people don't choose that, but it really is one of the worst things for you.

And if you are depressed, go talk to your friends, talk to a doctor. Therapy does work.

The second thing is that a lot of our discussion about happiness is overly self-centered. I think if you want to live a happy life, then don't just worry about yourself. You want to worry about making a difference in other people's lives. We want to .

What are some of the practices that stand out as actually helping people feel true happiness?

Think about the with other people.

Do you have a partner that loves you? Do you have friends who care about you and who you can share things with? Then, branch out: Do you have weaker ties with people who you see every now and then, who make you feel like part of a community?

You have to actively work to form social bonds.

What are your daily habits for your overall well-being?

I wake up and I try to , and I don't always succeed. I have my coffee and stare out of the window and see what's going on in the lives of people opposite me.

And what do we spend most of our lives doing? Working. I feel extremely lucky that I have a job where I feel like what I'm doing is useful and that I have good colleagues. We have good relationships with each other, and that's really important and rejuvenating.

I would hate to be, say, a corporate lawyer. I know that would be higher in status, and I would earn many times more, but I wouldn't enjoy my life day by day. That's the distinctive thing. On this odd entrepreneurial journey, I'm doing something that I think is important. I would recommend that to others. It's not always easy, but I think it's quite rewarding.

And then I have a habit of exercising basically every day, so I will make sure I get out of the house and do things.

Can you share the things you do to improve your mood and feel happier?

I have this mental checklist I run through that I write down. So if I'm in a bad mood, I check it. Have I eaten something? Have I left the house? Have I spoken to someone? And have I exercised?

Once I've run through those four, if I'm not feeling better, then it's quite serious.

For the big things, I talk to my fiancé. And I actually just recently stopped seeing a therapist, but I quite regularly see a therapist. That helps shift the bigger things that you don't want to necessarily burden your partner or your friends with.

How do you manage stress during tumultuous times?

Something that's worth saying is that I may be a happiness researcher and sort of obsessive, but I get upset, stressed and angry. All of these things happen. These are the unavoidable bits of life.

I use the serenity prayer. When I'm not sure what to do, that often comes to mind. So 'Can I do anything about what I'm worried about, or do I just need to accept it?' And often the challenge is knowing which one of the two it is. But often I'll realize that, 'Okay, I'm annoyed about this, but I can't actually do much about it.'

I then try and get myself out of the house, get some exercise, eat something or talk to my partner as a way to try to manage stress. People talk about '.' And actually, I don't think that's reasonable. We should try for good vibes mostly.

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