3 days ago
By 8:30 AM, most Americans know if it'll be a good day, recent survey shows
Having a good day can improve your happiness and make life feel less mundane. But what actually makes a day good?
Icelandic Provisions, a yogurt brand, polled 5,000 Americans, 100 people from each of the 50 states, to get a better sense of what leads to good days. The brand partnered with Talker Research for its second annual "Bowl Half Full: A Report on Optimism, Nutrition & Wellness."
About half of Americans polled (46%) felt that having a ritual or routine that made the day feel special was what led to a good day. For many, that ritual starts in the morning.
"Nearly half rely on a consistent morning ritual like preparing a healthy breakfast, walking, or journaling to set an optimistic tone," Icelandic Provisions said in a press release.
Most people could predict whether or not their day would be positive by 8:30 a.m., the study found.
Other contributors that stood out for people's good days were:
This aligns with what research shows helps people feel their happiest and even live longer.
In a longevity study from 2012, most centenarians had positive attitudes, Dr. Nil Barzilai, one of the study's co-authors, told ABC News. Typically, they were viewed by others as easygoing, optimistic and extroverted.
And an 87-year-long Harvard study found that the happiest people practice social fitness, maintaining close relationships and improving them over time.
"Invest in relationships, invest in connections and invest in the things you find meaningful," Dr. Robert Waldinger, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, said during an interview at the New York Times Well Festival.
"If you're doing more of that, you're more likely to be happy more of the time. You won't be happy all the time. But happiness is likely to find you more often."
