Happiness - isn't that the thing we all strive to find and keep? Nobody is happy all the time, but some people are definitely more fulfilled than others. Studies reveal that happiness has little to do with material goods or high achievement; it boils down to your outlook on life, and the quality of your relationships.

• Be optimistic. In the seventies, researchers followed people who'd won the lottery and found that a year afterward, they were no happier than people who didn't. This hedonic adaptation suggests that we each have a baseline level of happiness. No matter what happens, good or bad, the effect on our happiness is temporary, and we tend to revert to our baseline level. Some people have a higher baseline happiness level than others, and that is due in part to genetics, but it's also largely influenced by how you think. So, while this article will help boost your happiness, only improving your attitude towards life will increase your happiness permanently.
  
• Have something to look forward to, always. It's important to work toward a goal you'll achieve by getting up every morning. Having something to look forward to makes you see the "big picture" and you won't feel as if you are just working every day towards nothing. Do something for someone else; when you are working on something bigger than yourself, you will find that inspiration naturally comes to you.
  
• Follow your gut. In one study, two groups of people were asked to pick a poster to take home. One group was asked to analyze their decision, weighing pros and cons, and the other group was told to listen to their gut. Two weeks later, the group that followed their gut was happier with their posters than the group that analyzed their decisions. Now, some of our decisions are more crucial than picking out posters, but by the time you're poring over your choice, the options you're weighing are probably very similar, and the difference will only temporarily affect your happiness. So next time you have a decision to make, and you're down to two or three options, just pick the one that feels right, and go with it. Never regret the decisions you make, though. Just live by the 3 C's of life: choices, chances, and changes. You need to make a choice to take a chance, or your life will never change.
  
• Stay close to friends and family: Or move to where they are, so you can see them more. We live in a mobile society, where people follow jobs around the country and sometimes around the world. We do this because we think salary increases make us happier, but in fact our relationships with friends and family have a far greater impact on happiness. So next time you think about relocating, consider that you'd need a salary increase of over $100,000 USD to compensate for the loss of happiness you'd have from moving away from friends and family. But if relationships with family and friends are unhealthy or nonexistent, and you are bent on moving, choose a location where you'll make about the same amount of money as everyone else; according to research, people feel more financially secure (and happier) when on similar financial footing as the people around them, regardless of what that footing is.
  
• Have deep, meaningful conversations. A study by a psychologist at the University of Arizona has shown that spending less time participating in small talk and more time in deep, meaningful conversations can increase happiness.
  
• Find happiness in the job you have now: Many people expect the right job or career to dramatically change their level of happiness, but research makes it clear that your levels of optimism and quality of relationships eclipse the satisfaction gained from your job. If you have a positive outlook, you will make the best of any job, and if you have good relationships, you won't depend on your job for a sense of meaning. You'll find meaning in interactions with the people you care about. This isn't to say you shouldn't aspire to get a job that will make you happier; it means you should understand that the capacity of your job to make you happy is quite small relative to your outlook and your relationships.
  
• Smile: Science suggests that when you smile, whether you feel happy or not, your mood is elevated. So smile all the time! In addition, having enough money to pay the bills allows you to focus your energies on more productive aspects of your life, such a the pursuit of happiness, as opposed to keeping the 'wolves from the door'.
  
• Forgive: In a study of college students, an attitude of forgiveness contributed to better cardiovascular health. You could say forgiveness literally heals the heart. While it is unknown how forgiveness directly affects your heart, the study suggests that it may lower the perception of stress.
  
• Make enough money to meet basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. In the US, that magic number is $40,000 a year. Any money beyond that will not necessarily make you happier. Remember the lottery winners mentioned earlier? Oodles of money didn't make them happier. Once you make enough to support basic needs, your happiness is not significantly affected by how much money you make, but by your level of optimism.***Your comfort may increase with your salary, but comfort isn't what makes people happy. It makes people bored. That's why it's important to push beyond your comfort zone to fuel personal growth.***
  
• Make friends. In a 2010 study published by Harvard researchers in American Sociological Review, people who went to church regularly reported greater life satisfaction than those who didn't. The critical factor was the quality of friendships made in church. Church-goers who lacked close friends there were no happier than people who never went to church. When researchers compared people who had the same number of close friends, those who had close friends from church were more satisfied with their lives. It's thought that the forming of friendships based on mutual interests and beliefs (and meeting consistently based on that) makes the difference, so if church is not your thing, consider finding something else you're deeply passionate about and making friends with whom you can connect regularly based on that. Furthermore, when you interact with people who share your interests, you will feel happier due to sensations of reward and well-being. This is because during such interactions, endorphin and dopamine -- neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of happiness and relaxation -- are released. In other words, your body is designed to feel happier when engaged in social interactions.