Dr. Michael Fordyce was one of the first psychologists who focused on the study of happiness.

“Happiness… the one thing people want so much, is the one thing they know so little about…” — Michael Fordyce

Happiness is the ONE thing at the very core of everything we want in life.

• We want more money to make us happy

• We want strong relationships to make us happy

• We want a rewarding job that will make us happy

• We want delicious food because it makes us happy

Yet many of us struggle to “find happiness” even when we acquire the things that are supposed to make us happy. That’s because there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the actual mechanism that makes us happy.

We think it’s the end-products that bring us joy, but it’s the journey along the way that makes us most happy.

Throughout Dr. Fordyce’s career, he cited fourteen fundamentals that were “scientifically proven to noticeably improve the happiness of virtually everyone that has chosen to apply them.”

But here’s the thing.

You don’t need to know all 14 of them. You could drastically increase your happiness by practicing the first one alone.

1. Be more active and keep busy

Let’s unpack that a little further. When I’m doing things - productive things - that lead to achievement (whatever that may be), I feel insanely happy. I’m proud of what I earned and feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose in the world.

In contrast, if I’m laying on the couch for hours on end, scrolling my phone and getting nowhere, I feel like a piece of you know what. I’m not saying laying on the couch doesn’t have its place in the world (it definitely does), but the more active you are in seeking out achievement, the happier you will be.

Boom. Happiness knowledge bomb dropped.

Here are the other 13 ways for those who are curious.