How to Be Happier by Living in a Bubble

I live in my own bubble.

And by this, I mean that I created a life set up to help keep me in a certain mood or state, and in my case, that is one of peace, calm, and happiness.

Here are some examples of how I live in a bubble:

My friends are those that feel good.
I frequent places where I feel welcomed and accepted.
The work I do feels like something other than work.
I don’t read the current news (except for product tech news for a part of my work).
My family knows I’ll always listen to their personal experiences, whether negative or positive. Still, they also learn to not project worries and fears on me.
I’m willing to remove my presence in gatherings or places that don’t feel good.
My rituals and routines are consistent in my life.
I protect my eyes from disturbing my peace and calm, including videos, posts, and movies.

There’s more, but you get the idea.

I recently shared this with a new friend who said, “You should be around people that are not likeminded as well.” And I promptly responded, “Nope. I value my peace and happiness.”

It got me thinking that there had been studies on happiness around creating a bubble-like environment.

Interestingly, yes, there are a lot of them. Keep in mind that the term “bubble environment” is not a recognized term in psychology or science research. Still, the concept of it has been studied multiple times.

I will highlight four happiness studies in this article, break them down into their findings, and give you practical tips on implementing the concept into your life to be just a little bit happier.

What is the meaning of living in my own bubble?

As I mentioned, “living in my own bubble” refers to cultivating a life experience that keeps you in the mood or state you want.

In the studies, the concept of living in a bubble relates to practices that participants did to cultivate feelings of happiness.

I’ll continue to use the terms bubble environment or living in a bubble. Though these are not used in research or psychology, the studies’ concept is the same.

Studies on the concept of living in a bubble:

“Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change” by Sonja Lyubomirsky, Kennon M. Sheldon, and David Schkade (2005). In this study, the researchers wanted to find out how people can stay happy for a long time. They looked at people’s habits and activities to see which ones help maintain happiness. They used scientific tools to measure people’s happiness over time.
“Positive affect and health-related neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and inflammatory processes” by Andrew Steptoe, Jane Wardle, and Michael Marmot (2005). The team was curious whether happiness can make you healthier. They studied a group of people, checking their happiness levels and physical health. They used medical tests to measure heart rate and hormone levels to see whether happier people were healthier.
“The Science of Subjective Well-Being: A Tribute to Ed Diener” by Acacia C. Parks, Matthew D. Della Porta (2012). The researchers wanted to understand what everyday activities make people happier. They asked participants to keep track of their daily activities and feelings. They then studied this information to see which activities were linked to feeling happier.
“World Happiness Report 2015” by John Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey Sachs (2015). The team wanted to understand what makes people happy around the world. They collected information from thousands of people in many different countries. They asked people about their lives and how they felt and looked at things like how much money people make, how healthy they are, and how they get along with others. They then used this information to figure out what factors make people happier.

A big part of the Just a Little Bit Happier Project is breaking down the findings, so let’s talk about it.

Findings of Happiness Research and Living in a Bubble

Here are some of the findings from the studies above on how lifestyle choices can affect our happiness.

People can maintain long-term happiness by regularly engaging in intentional activities.
These intentional activities should be enjoyable and meaningful to the individual.
The effect of these activities on happiness is not temporary but sustainable over time.
The study suggests that about 40% of our capacity for happiness is within our power to change. That’s huge!
There is a positive link between happiness and physical health.
Happier individuals have healthier heart rates and stress hormone levels.
Positive emotions provide a protective effect on health.
The impact of positive emotions on health-related biological processes is independent of negative emotions. So, your positive emotions increase health, even though you also have negative emotions.
Daily self-improvement activities significantly influence our happiness.
Building and nurturing positive relationships is vital to making us happier.
Managing stress can significantly contribute to happiness in a long-term way, not just short-term.
Groups and communities that feel supportive of you can contribute to happiness.
The effects of social connections on happiness are consistent across different countries and cultures. It’s part of our human needs.
Income and health are essential, but social support is critical for happiness.
Volunteering and helping others within a community can improve happiness.

I want to point out a couple of these even more.

You are in control of 40% of your happiness.

That’s a lot! That means that you have the power to be happy for a good part of your life, regardless of circumstances.

Money and health matter, but isn’t it amazing that social connections are almost more significant than money and health for our happiness? Humans need humans, but we need humans who lift us up and feel positive for us.

And choosing to care for our physical wellness, doing intentional activities (here I think of living in a bubble), placing ourselves in situations that increase our positive emotions, and choosing daily to do at least one self-improvement activity can make us happier.

So, what are the practical steps to increase happiness even just a little by using these findings and creating bubble-like existence that sustains happiness?

Glad you asked!

9 Tips to Sustain Happiness Through Lifestyle (aka Living in a Bubble)

Be intentional about the activities you do. Choose activities that feel good to you. If you have to do activities you don’t like, see if you can change your mindset to enjoy part of the activity.
Practice gratitude daily by focusing on what is going well in your life and what you’re thankful for.
Set goals and work towards them, but be mindful of setting goals that feel positive and good.
Look for ways to help others, as kindness and volunteering increase happiness.
Be picky about what activities you so to maintain positive emotions. The more positive emotions you have, the better your health will be, and the more you increase happiness.
Prioritize your self-improvement. If it means you say no more, so you can say yes to yourself, do that. Choose activities that improve you in some way.
Hang around people who feel good and are positive in your life and build strong relationships with them.
Manage your stress with activities like breathing, yoga, or meditation techniques.
Move your body, and stay active. It doesn’t matter what exercise you do, but you do one you enjoy and can stay consistent.

Happiness is more of a journey than a destination, which is why I call this project Just a Little Bit Happier.

It’s the accumulation of things we do that make us happy.

By applying the findings from these studies, you can make small, intentional changes to your everyday life that can lead to significant increases in happiness levels.