--- title: Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy description: It can be as simple as counting your blessings canonical: https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-13T04:01:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:42.120Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy og:description: It can be as simple as counting your blessings og:url: https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt972937c9c504120f/698782f5e53aba7b3c4d7fda/181011589-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: man-yacht-arms-wide-open og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy twitter:description: It can be as simple as counting your blessings twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt972937c9c504120f/698782f5e53aba7b3c4d7fda/181011589-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 13, 2015 4:01 AM CUT  man stands at bow of yacht with arms outstretched man stands at bow of yacht with arms outstretchedGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 13, 2015 4:01 AM CUT Training your mind to look for errors and problems (as happens in careers like accounting and law) can lead you toward a pervasive pessimism that carries over into your personal life. Via [One Day University Presents: Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness (Harvard’s Most Popular Course)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049B2G1M/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0049B2G1M&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Why are lawyers 3.6 times more likely to suffer from depression and more likely to end up divorced? [They have trained their minds to seek out the bad in life because pessimists excel at law](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-are-lawyers-so-unhappy-and-how-can-we-use "undefined"). Is there a way to get your mind out of these negative loops? Yes. You must train your brain to seek out the good things in life: * It can be as simple as [counting your blessings](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/was-grandmom-right-about-counting-your-blessi "undefined"). Merely [listing three things you are thankful for each day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/the-most-proven-technique-for-increasing-long "undefined") can start training your mind to focus on the positive. This technique has been proven [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/was-grandmom-right-about-counting-your-blessi "undefined") and [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-quick-little-things-you-can-do-to-in "undefined") and [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-any-of-this-make-yourself-happier-stuff "undefined"). One of the reasons old people are happier is because [they remember the good and forget the bad](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/why-are-older-people-happier "undefined"). * [Retrospective judgment](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-two-techniques-can-we-learn-from-natural "undefined") is a technique naturally happy people unknowingly use. It’s putting a positive spin on negative past events so you remember them as good. It’s very effective. * Expect things to get better. Optimism [can make you happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-two-easy-things-you-can-do-to-be-hap "undefined"). Even the army teaches soldiers to be optimistic because [it makes them tougher and more resourceful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-3-techniques-does-the-army-use-to-instil "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/can-you-train-your-mind-to-be-happy-can-you-a/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 161,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") [The 8 Things The Happiest People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/ "undefined") [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. Getty Images _Read next:_ [_This Is the Easiest Route to Self-Improvement and a Long, Healthy Life_](http://time.com/3738915/this-is-the-easiest-route-to-self-improvement-and-a-long-healthy-life/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/"},"headline":"Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy","datePublished":"2015-03-13T04:01:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:42.120Z","description":"It can be as simple as counting your blessings","url":"https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt972937c9c504120f/698782f5e53aba7b3c4d7fda/181011589-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt972937c9c504120f/698782f5e53aba7b3c4d7fda/181011589-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"man-yacht-arms-wide-open","caption":"man-yacht-arms-wide-open","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3738824/train-mind-happiness/","name":"Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy"}}]}] ```