As we struggle with the gloom of Scandinavian-like skies and our own tragic variants of SAD, we thought it would be useful for Futures readers to hear from the world of psychological research about how to be happy. Yes, believe it or not, there are happiness specialists out there.

A lightning survey of the findings reveals these tips:

• A sense of progress brings happiness because most of us are motivated by achievement. Set yourself several achievable goals rather than obsessing about one major goal. So for instance, if your aim is to re-activate old friendships, set a target of making one phone call a month to an old friend rather than trying to contact everyone in your phone book.
• Adopt the Buddhist attitude of enough. Above a surprisingly small amount of money, wealth does not bring happiness. Rich people are no happier than those many thousands of times poorer.
• Stay open to new experiences. Unhappiness is often generated by inflexibility. Look for novelty, whether in food, friends, beliefs or experiences.
• New goals are likely to mean new skills. Consciously look to learn new skills and seek help in doing so - whether from friends, mentors or professional coaches.
• When stuck inside a problem, ask yourself when you have successfully dealt with a similar problem in the past. Recreate that feeling of resourcefulness and pride.
• Balance your new goals with the ability to savour NOW. As Anon said, "Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery – there is only now".
• Get things in perspective. When worried or feeling overwhelmed by difficulty, ask yourself how much this worry is likely to matter in a year’s time.
• Give up rumination over past failures, disappointments, grief, shame, and betrayals. Let them go. Obsessive ruminating keeps you stuck in the negative. Removing the poisonous nourishment of attention means that the negative just fades away.
• Make a point of counting your blessings. The distinguished psychologist Martin Seligman, whose book Authentic Happiness has just been published, recommends spending ten minutes each night writing down three good things, even very small ones, that have happened to you during the day. His research shows that this simple discipline can have a significantly positive impact on mood and relationships.
• Get some exercise and make it part of your daily routine. Even a brisk ten minute walk can release those happiness-hormone endorphins.
• Laugh and smile. Did you know that small children laugh 300 times a day while we adults can only manage a threadbare dozen laughs? Set out on a search for your inner toddler. Start with simulated laughter and smiling –- go on, try it now, ha ha ha, hee hee hee and amazingly this becomes the real thing. Laughter is most definitely therapeutic and creates a sense of optimism. If you can’t do it on your own, then join a Laughter Club and try the Funky Chicken Laugh, the Mobile Phone Laugh, the Lion Laugh – and many others taught in Laughter Yoga. If nothing else, this will give others a laugh while you tell them all about it.

Does all of this sound familiar? Of course it is, but how many of us truly act on what we all know instinctively to be true?

More information: www.authentichappiness.com and www.laughteryoga.co.uk