Singing the Blues? These 14 Scientific Strategies Will Make You Happier
Episode 12 of the podcast
Estimated reading time: 17 minutes (Or watch the video!)
Today, we’re talking less about music and more about happiness. (Although music does come into play!)
Once upon a pandemic, I was struggling with severe depression and anxiety. After losing my former job from COVID—and while in the midst of a toxic relationship—I started searching for things like “how to improve happiness” and “ways to relieve depression and anxiety.”
I discovered these 14 tactics to increase happiness, all supported by neuroscience and/or psychology. They helped me from the inside out! If you’re struggling with your mental health, or you’re in a low point, I hope they help you, too.
Here, I outline the research, provide tips for putting each method into use, and share proven insights on how to increase dopamine and serotonin—without drugs or medication. You’ll find actionable advice, and suggestions for how to enhance your wellbeing.
While this subject matter is a slight departure from our normal fare, the topic of happiness is certainly related to the project. I felt that anyone interested in this might also be interested in learning more about happy songs associated with people’s memories, and vice versa.
1. Program happy moments into your day
This comes from an episode of The Science of Happiness podcast called “How to make time for happiness.” The main idea is that setting daily blocks of time for small, meaningful experiences—like enjoying coffee or tea, a phone call with a loved one, or stepping outside—will accumulate to uplift your mood and counterbalance negative stress.
It’s about being intentional with dedicating time to things that make you happy. Never be too busy for your happiness.
2. Manage your physical and emotional energy
This comes from another article on Inc.com about 10 scientifically-proven ways to be incredibly happy. A huge part of that is about taking care of your body and managing your energy. Here are some ways to do so:
Exercise consistently.
I know we all come up with a lot of excuses for not exercising, but it's amazing for you. It's good for your body, your brain, your relationships… for literally every facet of your life.
Daily exercise is ideal, but according to an article from MindBodyGreen.com:
“The general consensus is that a multitude of beneficial and chronic changes for a healthier brain and mind can happen if you exercise for an hour a day, three days a week.”
Consistent exercise relieves depression and helps manage anxiety.
“You've probably heard that exercise increases endorphins, but it also increases many more brain chemicals that make you feel happy. ‘When you exercise, it increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid—these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, confident, capable, less anxiety and stress, and even less physical pain.’”
Exercise reduces stress and anxious/nervous energy.
It also reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation.
“When you get your heart rate up, when you use your body, when you engage your muscles, it changes your brain chemistry in a way that makes it easier to connect with others and bond, [and to] trust other people.”
Group exercise increases a sense of connection and provides a sense of belonging.
“Because of the way exercise alters our brain chemistry and outlook, you start to feel a true sense of connection with the people that you're moving with. … It really does give us a sense of belonging.”
Exercise also helps regulate sleep.
“… moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of [deep sleep] you get … where the brain and body have a chance to rejuvenate. Exercise can also help to stabilize your mood and decompress the mind.”
Tip for exercise: According to an article from the National Health Service in the U.K., you can get at least some of these benefits by going for a quick walk, even if it’s as little as 10 minutes a day.
Get sufficient sleep—both quality and quantity—and don’t snooze.
This method comes from an article on the Huffington Post which outlines all the ways that sleep contributes to one’s happiness and emotional wellbeing. More about sleep and snoozing:
Quality sleep helps regulate emotions. If you don’t feel well rested, you can more easily become cranky and moody.
Snoozing can make you feel groggy and disoriented for hours.
“When we repeatedly drift in and out of sleep, our bodies never get the chance to fully rest and recharge. And this can lead to all sorts of problems, both mental and physical. … People who frequently hit snooze are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. They’re also more likely to be overweight, have trouble concentrating, and report lower levels of satisfaction with their lives. … [They are also] more likely to suffer from headaches, neck pain, and fatigue.”
I am a recovered snoozer. I broke that habit back in 2018, and it's one of my proudest and biggest accomplishments because I had done it all my life. Afterward, I noticed a huge difference in mental clarity.
Tips for better sleep:
Adjust the light settings on your devices so they enter Night Shift after sunset. Otherwise, the blue light they emit will disrupt your body clock.
Stop using screens an hour before bedtime, to give your brain and body a chance to wind down. Turn on some mellow music, and journal or read.
Sleep in a bed—not on a chair or couch.
Sleep quality is improved if you get into a bed that is made rather than unmade. “it's a way to begin the morning in an organized manner and with a clean slate that helps to make the most of your day. … Just as a straightened bed seems to be a powerful signal (for some, at least) that it's time to start your day, a made bed may also be more pleasant to slip into at bedtime.”
Sleep in pajamas, not in your clothes.
Block out all sources of light and sound, and/or wear a sleep mask and ear plugs. (I started using those on layovers a few years ago and noticed a drastic improvement in the quality of sleep.)
Work around your energy levels.
Schedule tasks that require strong mental focus during your peak hours, and do busywork during your afternoon slump. This is a tip from episode 399 of the How to Be Awesome at Your Job podcast, called “Maximizing your mental energy.” (I highly recommend that show, by the way! I’ve been listening for years, and they have a wealth of insights that apply across multiple fields, positions, and industries.)
Do creative tasks when you’re a little tired, since the brain is more creative when it’s drowsy. You can even drink 2 beers to replicate the effects. (The original article by Tanner Christensen on Creative Something is no longer available since his blog is no longer active, but this is the author’s website.)
Schedule tasks in blocks of 90 minutes to 2 hours. Your ability to focus maxes out after 2 hours of attention. Recover with a break of 15–20 minutes after each block.
Make sure your breaks are activities that allow you to mentally reboot—like walks, stretches, breathing, hydrating, coffee/tea, socializing, or naps. This comes from episode 532 of How to Be Awesome at Your Job, titled “Achieving more through smart energy management.”
Take a nap to reset. (This is another tip from the episode mentioned above.) You can set a timer for 30 minutes total to ensure that you get at least 10 minutes of rest. Afterward, a great way to re-energize is by going for a walk.
Tip for energy: Spend a week or two tracking your energy levels every hour of the day. Note what tasks you’re working on during those times, and whether they increase or decrease your energy, or if they have no effect. Then, you can optimize from there.
3. Recite positive affirmations
Maybe it sounds silly to describe affirmations specifically as “positive,” but we give ourselves negative affirmations all the time—I’m lazy, I’m not good enough, I’m overweight, etc. Whatever beliefs you affirm about yourself, positive or negative, will show up in your life somehow due to how those thoughts affect your subconscious. By repeating a belief, you’re affirming it, so make it positive!
An article from PositivePsychology.com outlines the science behind positive affirmations. It says:
“Incorporating affirmations into your routine enhances motivation, reduces stress, and supports overall wellbeing by promoting a healthier self-image. … An adaptive, broad sense of self makes us more resilient to difficulties when they arise.”
According to that article, these are some ways positive affirmations contribute to happiness:
Decrease stress
Lower rumination
Increase optimism
Help us perceive threatening messages with less resistance (including interventions)
Make us less likely to dismiss harmful health messages
The practice of writing and/or reciting positive affirmations will feel weird at first because you’ll be saying things you don’t actually believe yet. The whole point is to keep saying them every day until they feel natural.
Tips:
Do a quick search for “affirmations about [topic you’re struggling with or want to improve].” There are some for anxiety, depression, compassion, even finance! Basically anything.
Create affirmations in the present tense, because ones set in the future will feel perpetually out of grasp.
Write your affirmations by hand—even better if it’s repeated a few times in a sitting. This gives you a stronger conceptual understanding of the content.
Say your affirmations aloud while looking at your reflection. This is also called mirror work. “It is a form of self-reflection that encourages personal growth, self-love, and emotional healing.”
Repeat your affirmations a few times a day.
4. Act like a happy person—smile and sing!
Smiling creates a chemical reaction in the brain which produces dopamine and serotonin. This is true even if the smile is forced. An article from NBC provides this explanation from one neurologist:
“Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness. Serotonin release is associated with reduced stress. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and aggression. Low levels of dopamine are also associated with depression.”
Singing elevates your mood in these ways:
Activates the right temporal lobe of the brain, releasing endorphins such as oxytocin, “which result[s] in heightened states of pleasure, bliss, bonding and love. These chemicals also enhance neuroplasticity of our brains, boost our immune system, fight illness, depression and strokes and help us handle pain better.”
Activates pleasure center of the brain
Oxygenates the blood
Reduces anxiety through the deep breathing required
Tips:
Do something that makes you smile! Watch a funny or feelgood movie, look at photos from a fun time in your life, or put on a show that makes you laugh.
Turn on some music you enjoy singing along with. Effects are enhanced when singing with a group.
Listen to the playlist of the 5 happiest songs according to science!
Try listening to “your song”! (The one that reminds you of a happy memory.) Just don’t get stuck in it like I did. For more about that, read my other post, “Is Music Holding You Back, or Propelling You Forward?”
By the way, would you like to help me put together a playlist of uplifting songs? What music do you listen to when you need to “emotionally recharge”? If you're struggling, or when you're exhausted or overwhelmed, burnt out, etc, what are some encouraging songs that help you find the energy to keep going? Send your recommendations to hello@HappinessSoundtrack.com, or DM me on Instagram @HappinessSoundtrack!
5. Invest in your relationships
“Good relationships keep us healthier and happier.” This is from a book called The Good Life by Drs. Waldinger & Shulz, about the Harvard Study of Adult Development. That study is famous for tracking several aspects of health and happiness across its subjects for several decades, even through their deaths.
People in satisfying relationships tend to live longer and have fewer health problems.
Healthy relationships can increase life satisfaction and encourage/support healthy behavior. Unhealthy or toxic relationships can worsen your health by encouraging unhealthy habits, elevating stress, increasing likelihood of depression and anxiety.
“Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. But a bad relationship is worse than being alone.”
The quality of your connections counts as much as the number of social ties you have.
Social support reduces our biological stress response.
Researchers also note that setting socially-focused, meaningful goals (such as endeavors that contribute to others) leads to more sustainable well-being than purely self-focused goals.
For additional reading, check out “Do relationships make us healthier and happier?”
6. Do kind things for other people
Research shows that random acts of kindness—anything from helping a stranger, giving a compliment, or quietly doing something nice—do more than feel good in the moment. Kindness actually lights up our brain's reward centers, flooding us with serotonin and dopamine—the same feel-good chemicals that fuel emotional wellbeing. So doing something kind for someone else isn't just a feel-good gesture. It literally lowers stress, strengthens your immune system, and reduces anxiety and depression.
Even smiling at or helping someone can shift our focus from our own desires to something deeper and more fulfilling.
When we surprise someone with generosity—like helping a stranger cross the street—it's powerful. It cultivates trust, joy, and emotional payoff for both sides.
To hear more about how a stranger’s kindness affected me, read my story, “There is always time to connect”!
7. Practice deliberate gratitude
Neuroscience shows that gratitude lights up our brains’ reward and emotional-regulation systems. Studies reveal that a regular gratitude practice rewires your brain, enhancing resilience, boosting contentment, and deepening connections. Even small practices—like listing a few things you’re thankful for every day or every week—can reshape your brain and your life.
“The neuroscience of gratitude shows it activates brain regions associated with reward, enhancing feelings of contentment and emotional wellbeing.” So expressing gratitude stimulates the brain's dopamine and serotonin pathways, creating genuine, positive emotional feedback—making gratitude feel good and reinforcing the habit.
“Regular practice of gratitude can lead to long-term positive changes in the brain, supporting mental health and resilience.” Consistent gratitude isn’t just nice—it’s neuroplastic. It strengthens neural circuits related to emotional regulation, empathy, and positivity, which helps build daily resilience.
Gratitude strengthens social ties by fostering appreciation and connection—and stronger relationships provide emotional support and enrich overall well-being.
Personally, I have a daily gratitude practice. I've been doing this every day for years now. (Probably since compiling all of these findings during COVID.) Every night, I write down three things I'm grateful for, or three things that went well that day.
I find the daily practice incredibly powerful. Because I know I have to write those things every night, it helps me notice more good things around me, and appreciate little things.
One thing I’m grateful for today is the amazing cup of coffee I had this morning! I bought some fresh coffee beans yesterday, and they’re delicious, so I’m grateful for that. Plus, I’m also grateful for having the time to brew them myself this morning. I don’t get to do that when I’m traveling.
By the way, to everyone who has ever written in the Happiness Soundtrack journal, I have been grateful for you at the end of the day. I count every entry at the end of the day, and then record a little voice note about that interaction and the memory. Every single day, I write you guys in my gratitude list, and I wanted you to know that!
Tips:
Start a running list on your phone of things you’re grateful for, and add one thing to it every night. Or you could keep a notebook right by your bedside and jot one thing you’re grateful for that day as you’re laying down for bed.
Instead of gratitudes, write about one thing that went well that day. Anything to cultivate a daily practice of noticing things that you appreciate.
8. Incorporate meditation and practice mindfulness
I can't speak into the long-term effects of meditation from a personal perspective because I have never been able to keep the habit, but I do have research here that shows how much it helps you.
In an article from Inc.com about how to be happier, one strategy is to develop a consistent meditation practice. They cite research from Massachusetts General Hospital which says:
“After completing the [meditation] course, parts of the [16] participants’ brains associated with compassion and self-awareness grew, and parts associated with stress shrank. … Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating, we experience feelings of calm and contentment, as well as heightened awareness and empathy. And, research even shows that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness.”
Here’s more about how meditation changes the brain:
Stress points shrink over time, reducing emotional “edge” and improving calmness.
Increased self-awareness and compassion support healthier emotional regulation and social connection.
Quieter mental chatter means fewer intrusive thoughts and better focus.
Ongoing brain rewiring strengthens resilience, offering better emotional responses long after meditation ends.
In an article about mindfulness from Psychology Today, we learn how adopting a habit of mindfulness can also enhance one’s happiness:
Mindfulness increases positive emotions like joy and compassion
Attention and focus on the present moment deepens awareness and emotional clarity
An open, accepting attitude reduces stress and resistance
Basically, by slowing down and tuning into your body, emotions, or surroundings—without judgment—you give yourself permission to fully feel and release. That openness leads to deeper well-being.
So, back to that cup of coffee: Mindfulness would be savoring the flavor and thinking, “What do I like about this? What do I enjoy about this moment?”
9. Do work that gives you meaning and delight
This comes from the episode “Happiness by Design [with] Paul Dolan” from the podcast A New Way of Being.
In his book, Happiness by Design, author Paul Dolan lays out a simple but powerful idea: real happiness comes from the intersection of pleasure and purpose. He argues that true joy isn’t just a mindset; it’s action. So, doing work that delights you and matters to others isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the formula for happiness. When you're energized by what you do and feel like you're contributing to something worthwhile, happiness flows naturally.
We may not always have control over the career we go into, so doing work that gives you meaning and delight could look different for everyone.
Maybe you don't feel a sense of meaning and purpose in your main source of income, so you dedicate time to something outside of that. And if you don't, perhaps you should consider that? I recommend listening to that episode or reading that book for more ideas.
10. Make fun a priority
This one makes me smile because it’s one of the funnest ones on here (besides singing): Give yourself time to do the things that have no purpose other than bringing you joy!
There's evidence here from Psychology Today that making something with your hands is really fun and meaningful. So things like drawing, painting, woodworking, cooking, baking, embroidery, beadwork, etc. In the article, we learn that:
“…Creating or tending things by hand enhances mental health and makes us happy. … Making things promotes psychological well-being. … When we make, repair, or create things, we feel vital and effective. It isn’t as much about reaching one’s potential as doing something interesting—less about ambition and more about living. When we are dissolved in a deeply absorbing task, we lose self-consciousness and pass the time in a contented state.”
You can also eat foods that help stimulate dopamine, such as apples, dark chocolate, avocados, peanuts, or my favorite—bananas. 😀 Or you could produce the same effect by indulging in a meal or dessert that you enjoy. (Enhance the effects by incorporating practices for mindfulness while you do so!)
We already mentioned the benefits of listening to music you enjoy—and singing along—but it’s worth saying it again here.
11. Anticipate and reflect
This insight comes from Gretchen Rubin, an author (and podcaster) known for her work about happiness. She says:
“To feel happy, it’s not enough to have an absence of bad feelings; you have to have a source of good feelings as well. Pleasant anticipation is an important source of happiness; having something to look forward to makes you ‘feel good’ and may also give ‘an atmosphere of growth’ to your life, because the future seems bright.”
Rubin states the 4 stages of happiness around an event:
Anticipation
Savoring the moment
Expressing your excitement (sharing the experience with others)
Reflection (taking time to record and relive the moment later)
The time we spend anticipating and being excited about something, as well as reflecting on it later, lasts much longer than the moment itself. So enjoy the planning process, relish the experience when it does arrive, and record it so you can think back on it later.
Ways to put this into action:
Plan a trip or event
Plan a meal you really enjoy, then make it yourself or with someone you care about
Compile a reading list of books you’re really looking forward to
Journal about your experiences later. Why did they mean so much to you?
12. Spend time out in nature
According to an article from Psychology Today called “Your heart and brain on nature”:
“Being in nature has a profound impact on our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety, brooding, and stress, and increase our attention capacity, creativity, and our ability to connect with other people.”
An article from Business Insider also reveals that awe-inspiring outdoor experiences—such as hiking in a valley or stargazing—help reduce stress and increase life satisfaction. In one study, participants who took a 90‑minute walk in nature reported experiencing fewer negative thoughts afterward, compared to those who walked in urban areas.
Brain scans also revealed reduced activity in a “region that may play a key role in some mood disorders and has been linked with patterns of negative thought.” This effect was not seen in the city-walk group.
We also know from an article by Healthline that sunlight stimulates production of serotonin and dopamine, which are hormones that contribute to mood.
And in research from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, we found that Bacteria in soil produce similar effects as antidepressant drugs, such as releasing serotonin. Low levels of serotonin cause depression.
Tip: When go for your daily 10-minute walk, try to do that in a park or on a trail. Anywhere that allows you to enjoy some sunlight, greenery, and the awe of nature will maximize those effects.
13. Work with your strengths
According to episode 34 of The Science of Happiness podcast called “Finding your strengths,” working on your strengths increases well-being and feelings of happiness, and reduces symptoms of depression.
In this episode, guest Cindy Wilson and the hosts discuss firsthand how intentionally focusing on and applying personal strengths—not ruminating on weaknesses—significantly improved well-being.
Tips:
List your strengths, and rank them from strongest to weakest.
Spend one week using your top strengths in a new way, or focus on improving your weaker ones.
14. Spend more on experiences than on possessions
This comes from an article by Psychology Today called, “Want more in-the-moment happiness? Buy experiences, not stuff.” For long lasting happiness, you should invest your money in moments and experiences more than on material objects.
In the article, one experiment found that:
“People derive more satisfaction from experiential purchases (e.g., travel, entertainment, outdoor activities, meals out) than material purchases (e.g., clothing, jewelry, furniture, gadgets), both in prospect and in retrospect.”
Buying things does bring a more immediate rush of satisfaction, but it also fades quickly, since you acclimate to a higher level of happiness. Investing in something that will give you memories provides a deeper and more intense sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Follow-up questions
Are there any of these strategies that you already use?
What is something you do that enhances your mood, whether or not there's any science behind it?
Which one of these tactics will you try first?
And again, what music do you listen to when you need to “emotionally recharge”? What songs encourage you or boost your spirits? Help me compile a playlist!
Share your thoughts below!
For more about happiness
Check out the 5 happiest songs, according to science!