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10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy
I’m a science geek as well as a Buddhist geek, and recently when I was leading a retreat on how to bring more joy into our lives I found myself making a lot of references to an article published in Yes magazine, which touched on ten things that have been shown by science to make us happier. It seemed natural to draw upon the article because so much of the research that was described resonated with Buddhist teachings. So I thought it would be interesting to take the main points of the article and flesh them out with a little Buddhism. 1. Be generous“Make altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it,” Yes magazine says. “Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that those who spend money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend it on themselves.” And in fact Buddhism has always emphasized the practice of dana, or giving. “And which are the three factors of the donor? 2. This of course is an example of another fundamental Buddhist practice — mindfulness. 3.

http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/10-things-science-and-buddhism-says-will-make-you-happy

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