Happiness is something most of us want, yet it can feel surprisingly difficult to define. Is it pleasure, calm, confidence or a a contented sense that life is going well?
Psychologists often use the broader term subjective wellbeing, which includes positive emotions, life satisfaction and relatively fewer negative emotions (Diener, 1984). Happiness does not mean feeling cheerful all the time. Difficult emotions are natural and useful responses to life. Sustainable wellbeing is better understood as the ability to experience positive moments, cope with setbacks and live in a way that feels meaningful.
The encouraging news is that happiness is not simply something we either possess or lack. Although temperament and circumstances matter, our habits, relationships, attention and behaviour can all influence how we feel.
What helps us become happier?
There is no single formula for happiness, but research highlights several practical areas that can make a meaningful difference.
1. Pay attention to what is going well
The human brain naturally notices possible problems and threats. This is intended to protect us, but it can also mean that good experiences pass almost unnoticed.
Practices such as writing down three things that went well, expressing gratitude or deliberately reflecting on enjoyable moments can help redirect attention towards positive aspects of life. Positive psychology interventions have been associated with improvements in wellbeing and reductions in psychological distress, although their effects vary between individuals (Bolier et al., 2013).
This is not about pretending that problems do not exist. It means allowing positive experiences to receive some of the attention that worries already command.
2. Invest in connection with others
Social connection is one of the most consistent contributors to wellbeing. Close relationships can provide affection, perspective, belonging and practical support. A major meta-analysis also found that stronger social relationships were associated with a greater likelihood of survival, demonstrating that connection matters for physical as well as emotional health (Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton, 2010).
Connection does not have to involve a large social circle. A thoughtful message, a shared meal, a
regular walk with a friend or an honest conversation can all strengthen relationships. 
The quality of our connections often matters more than the number of people we know.
3. Move your body regularly
Physical activity can support mood, sleep, confidence and stress regulation. A systematic review found a consistent association between physical activity and happiness, although the direction and strength of causation can be difficult to establish in some studies (Zhang and Chen, 2019).
Exercise does not need to be punishing to be worthwhile. Walking, gardening, dancing, swimming or gentle strength training can all count. The most helpful form of movement is usually one that is realistic, enjoyable and sustainable.
4. Ensure a good sleep routine
Sleep and emotional wellbeing have a two-way relationship. Stress can disrupt sleep, while inadequate sleep can make emotions harder to regulate. A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found that improving sleep produced benefits for mental health, including symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (Scott et al., 2021).
Helpful habits include keeping a reasonably consistent routine, reducing late-night stimulation and creating time to wind down. Persistent insomnia, heavy snoring, breathing interruptions or severe daytime sleepiness should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional.
5. Choose meaning as well as pleasure
Pleasure is part of happiness, but wellbeing also grows through meaning, engagement, relationships and accomplishment. Seligman’s PERMA model describes five interconnected elements: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement (Seligman, 2011).
Meaning does not have to come from an extraordinary mission. It may be found in caring for family, learning, creating, contributing to a community or doing work that reflects personal values. The useful question is not simply, “What will make me feel good now?” but also, “What kind of life do I want to be building?”
6. Take small, achievable steps
Large goals can become intimidating, particularly when someone feels stressed or low. Smaller actions reduce the distance between intention and behaviour.
Instead of deciding to “be healthier”, a person might take a ten-minute walk after lunch. Rather than trying to “fix my social life”, they might contact one friend. Small successes can strengthen confidence and make further action feel possible.
How can Solution-focused hypnotherapy help?
Solution-focused hypnotherapy is an integrative approach that typically combines elements of solution-focused brief therapy with hypnosis. Rather than spending every session analysing the origins of a problem, it places greater emphasis on the person’s preferred future, existing strengths, useful exceptions and manageable next steps.
Solution-focused practice commonly uses questions such as:
- What would be different if things began improving?
- When is the problem less intense, and what is happening then?
- What strengths or resources have helped before?
- What is one small sign of progress that might appear this week?
Hypnosis is then used to encourage focused attention, relaxation and responsiveness to therapeutic suggestions. It is not sleep, unconsciousness or mind control. A person ordinarily remains aware and cannot be forced to reveal secrets or act against their values. Contemporary accounts describe hypnosis as a state involving focused attention and an increased capacity to respond to suggestion .
How might it support happiness?
Solution-focused hypnotherapy does not manufacture permanent happiness or remove every difficulty. Its potential value lies in helping people change patterns that interfere with wellbeing.
Shifting attention towards possibilities
When people are anxious or overwhelmed, thinking can become dominated by danger, failure and prediction. Solution-focused conversations invite attention towards resources, previous successes and evidence that change is already possible.
This is not forced positivity. A therapist should acknowledge the reality of distress while helping the client develop a more balanced picture – one that includes capabilities and options as well as difficulties.
Clarifying an achievable future
“Happiness” is too broad to function as a practical goal. Therapy can help turn it into observable changes. 
For one person, greater happiness might mean sleeping more consistently. For another, it could involve reconnecting with friends, feeling calmer at work or returning to an abandoned hobby. A clearly described preferred future makes it easier to identify the next useful action.
Supporting relaxation and emotional regulation
Hypnotic relaxation may help some people step away from habitual mental overactivity and practise a calmer state. Therapeutic suggestions can reinforce coping, confidence, perspective and rehearsal of desired behaviours.
Hypnosis is best understood as a collaborative process. The therapist guides attention and offers suggestions, but the client remains an active participant rather than a passive recipient.
Encouraging supportive mental rehearsal
During hypnosis, a client may imagine responding to a future situation with greater calm or confidence. This can make a desired response feel more familiar and achievable.
Mental rehearsal is not a substitute for action. Its value is in preparing for action – perhaps having a difficult conversation, approaching a previously avoided situation or following a healthier routine.
Building confidence through small steps to success
Solution-focused approaches often use rating scales and small-step questions to make progress visible. A move from three to four on a ten-point scale may not sound dramatic, but identifying what produced that movement can reveal practical strategies worth repeating.
Noticing change matters because people who feel stuck may overlook their own progress. Recognising effective behaviour can strengthen hope and personal agency.
What does the evidence say?
The evidence should be described carefully. Research supports hypnosis for some clinical outcomes, with especially strong findings in areas such as pain and distress associated with medical procedures. However, outcomes vary considerably across conditions and studies, and more comparisons with established treatments are needed (Rosendahl et al., 2024).
Research specifically examining solution-focused hypnotherapy as a combined approach is much more limited. A small pilot study involving 42 police personnel reported improvements in anxiety, depression and wellbeing after online solution-focused hypnotherapy, but the researchers also called for a larger randomised controlled trial (Barney et al., 2024). A promising pilot cannot establish that the approach caused the improvements or that the same results will occur in other populations.
The evidence for solution-focused brief therapy on its own is broader. A systematic review and meta-analysis found small-to-moderate benefits across psychological and behavioural outcomes, while also noting variation in study quality and results (Kim, 2008).
The balanced conclusion is that solution-focused hypnotherapy may be helpful for some people, particularly as a structured way to develop goals, recognise strengths and rehearse change. It should not, however, be presented as a guaranteed cure or as a replacement for every form of medical or psychological treatment.
A practical happiness plan
Rather than trying to transform everything at once, begin with a small weekly experiment:
- Notice: Record three things that went reasonably well each day.
- Connect: Arrange one meaningful conversation or shared activity.
- Move: Choose a manageable form of physical activity.
- Recover: Protect a regular period for rest and sleep.
- Act: Take one small step towards something that matters.
- Review: At the end of the week, identify what helped and repeat it.
Happiness is rarely a permanent destination. It is more often built through repeated moments of connection, engagement, recovery and meaningful action. Solution-focused hypnotherapy may support that process by helping people clarify what they want, recognise the resources they already possess and mentally rehearse constructive change.
Its most realistic promise is not constant happiness. It is the possibility of becoming less trapped by unhelpful patterns and more able to move towards a satisfying life.
References
American Psychological Association (2024) ‘Uncovering the new science of clinical hypnosis’, Monitor on Psychology, 55(3). Available at: (Accessed: 3 September 2026).
Barney, E., Treby, E., Johannes, G. and Seymour, K. (2024) ‘Understanding how online solution-focused hypnotherapy can support the wellbeing of police personnel and treat symptoms of anxiety and depression’, The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles, 97(4), pp. 828-841. doi: 10.1177/0032258X241228493.
Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G.J., Riper, H., Smit, F. and Bohlmeijer, E. (2013) ‘Positive psychology interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies’, BMC Public Health, 13, article 119. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-119.
Diener, E. (1984) ‘Subjective well-being’, Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), pp. 542-575. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B. and Layton, J.B. (2010) ‘Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review’, PLoS Medicine, 7(7), article e1000316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316.
Kim, J.S. (2008) ‘Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis’, Research on Social Work Practice, 18(2), pp. 107-116. doi: 10.1177/1049731507307807.
Rosendahl, J., Alldredge, C.T., Böhm, K., Deter, H.C., Häuser, W., Lam, T.H., Montgomery, G.H., Redeker, I., Schlarb, A.A., Walter, B. and Schmidt, B. (2024) ‘Meta-analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis for mental and somatic health issues: A 20-year perspective’, Frontiers in Psychology, 14, article 1330238. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1330238.
Scott, A.J., Webb, T.L., Martyn-St James, M., Rowse, G. and Weich, S. (2021) ‘Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials’, Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60, article 101556. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101556.
Seligman, M.E.P. (2011) Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press.
Zhang, Z. and Chen, W. (2019) ‘A systematic review of the relationship between physical activity and happiness’, Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(4), pp. 1305-1322. doi: 10.1007/s10902-018-9976-0.