Do you want to be happier? Here are 5 habits to adopt!

(CNN) — If you look around at your friends and family — and even at yourself — it is apparent that some people perceive the glass to be half full, while others view it as half empty.

“Some people are just happier than others. They don’t have to work at it, right? They just are,” social psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky recently told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his podcast Chasing Life. “(They’re) kind of like people who are thin naturally, and they don’t have to work hard at it.”

Lyubomirsky, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, has been studying happiness for more than 35 years. She has also written a few books on the topic, including “The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

As an abstract concept that is subjective, happiness is a slippery topic to study: The emotional state is hard to define, let alone measure objectively.

“Happiness has two components,” Lyubomirsky said, noting that you need both aspects to be a “happy” person. “The experience of positive emotions — so people who are happy are more likely to experience fairly frequently like joy, enthusiasm, calm, curiosity, affection, pride — that’s one component. The second component is sort of having a sense that your life is good, that you’re satisfied with your life.”

Researchers measure those components by asking people questions such as “How frequently do you experience joy, calm, curiosity?” and “How satisfied are you with your life?” Some aspects of happiness can be quantified by examining brain structures and facial features and even doing a voice analysis. Rather than having a happiness set point, Lyubomirsky said, individuals have a set range.

You can listen to the podcast’s full episode here.

I’m already happy with my life, what about you?

Source: CNN