Research shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness is contagious.

I would like to share 8 ways to be happier from the most recent research in this very important area of Age Management Medicine.

Why is it important to be happy?

Research shows that happier people live richer and fuller lives and this brings quality to the years that you have.

Why are some people happy and others less so?

This is a very important question in Age Management Medicine.

Happiness is actually the result of a learned set of behaviors and beliefs that allow us to experience this emotion which adds richness and fullness to our life.

Every human being wants to feel happy. It is our birthright.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and the author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Penguin Press, 2008) says that studies show that if we all engage in the established behaviors of happy people, we will be happier.

Of course, there are caveats: You have to pick a strategy that fits your personality and goals and resources and put effort into it.

1. LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE: The research shows that happy people are more likely than unhappy people to perceive themselves, as well as the world around them, positively.

This also translates into seeing the future with optimism.

The key is to write down your hopes for the future, create goals and mini-goals, and go for them.

Along the way, identify any thoughts that seem to be pulling you down and replace them with more positive versions to be happier.

2.NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS: This brings to mind the grandfather of all people-skills books which was first published in 1937. It is the best selling book by Dale Carnegie- How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Applying the principles in this book will do more to nurture all of your relationships and this is a key to happiness.

My 7th grade Geometry teacher- Mr. Duciame- required that each of his students read this book and practice the principles.

He told us that long after we forgot all of the geometry that he was teaching us that the principles in this book would serve us for life.

I could not agree more. This classic should be required reading.

It is as timely today as it was back in 1937. The needs of human beings have not changed.

Not only do friendships and family relationships make you happier, the data also suggests that strong, supportive relationships help you live longer.

But relationships do take a little work.

Proven strategies for happiness are to make time for the ones you love or people you would like to get to know better; share in other people's successes with your own delight; show appreciation for the people in your life; and do something every week to support or further someone else's dreams.

Successful centenarians in the Blue Zones put their families first.

This means keeping your aging parents and grandparents near by or in your home. It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.

Work on being in a positive, committed relationship which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy and invest in your children with time and love. They'll be more likely to care for you when the time comes.

3. BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE: If you need one more reason to get up and get moving, here it is: You could be happier with regular exercise.

Exercise is a proven method for preventing or managing negative emotions.

Exercise increases endorphin production which is your feel good neurotransmitter.

Exercise is a natural anti-depressant and works within 24 hours.

You could get even further along the way to happiness if you can work out with a group, building relationships even as you start to feel better about your life and your body.

The key to success with exercise is making a regular appointment with yourself to work out - and sticking with it.

Finding an exercise that you enjoy and do not consider a chore is also important.

Rebounding- or using a mini trampoline- is an exercise that can be easily tailored to any age level and provides benefits that are too numerous to count.

Rebounding can be done in the comfort of your own home, is portable, is affordable, strengthens your immune system by increasing lymphatic circulation, increases muscle mass and bone mass and is very enjoyable.

4. EXPRESS GRATITUDE: Gratitude turns what we have into more than enough.

Gratitude turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.

Gratitude turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, creates peace for today and establishes a vision for tomorrow.

Send thank-you notes - not just the obligatory kind, but heartfelt letters.

Gratitude is a great antidote to anger and bitterness.

Expressing sincere gratitude for someone in your life in a letter actually makes you happier, even if you can't actually send or share the letter.

Further, practicing gratitude for the little and big gifts in your life can push you along the way to happiness.

Try writing down three to five things you are grateful for each week.

5. OFFER YOUR HELP TO OTHERS: We are in the best position to receive when we open up and offer our help freely.

Happy people are often among the first to lend a hand. And while they probably aren't stepping up purely because it makes them feel good, the reality is that being helpful does allow you to feel better about yourself, which helps you be happier.

It also strengthens your social networks and gives people another reason to like you.

Remember to find ways to be helpful that suit your personality and overall lifestyle, so that you will make helping out a regular habit.

6.FORGIVE: Forgiveness is a tough - and deeply personal - subject.

Forgiveness is actually a gift that you give yourself by practicing it.

Letting it go allows you to lighten your load.

Everyone has baggage but you can either choose to check it on through forgiveness or carry it on at the expense of it weighing you down.

People who can forgive generally have higher self-esteem and more joy and happiness in their lives.

While forgiving someone in person may not be possible or advisable, you can still practice forgiveness by writing a letter (even if you don't send it) or imagining what it would be like to forgive them in person.

It might help to think about times in your life when you have been forgiven.

7. SAVOR ALL OF THE PLEASURES IN YOUR LIFE: Savoring the big and little joys in your daily life increases self-esteem and may even protect against negative emotions, creating a buffer against stress.

This particular habit includes reminiscing about happy times in your past, enjoying the little details of your daily life, taking time for a unique pleasure or a moment of beauty, and allowing yourself to fully appreciate even the bittersweet moments.

Just as you may already have vacation albums, you might want to create happiness albums of pleasurable memories that you have experienced throughout your life.

8. MAKE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE A HABIT: Religious or spiritual practice can help you get through hard times, give meaning to the good and bad days of life, and help you see the way to happiness more clearly.

If you can join a spiritual group with similar beliefs, you will reap the benefits of social connections and experience greater happiness in your life.

Regular prayer or meditation with a focus on seeing the spiritual in everyday life as a way to begin.

Explore ways to deepen your connection with the universe and understand your place in it.

Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

The Okinawans call it "ikigai" and the Nicoyans call it "plan de vida;" for both it translates to "why I wake up in the morning."

Do an internal inventory.

Be able to articulate your values, passions, gifts and talents.

What are the things you like to do and the things you don't? Then incorporate ways to put your skills into action.

Life only feels like it is slipping away from you when you are stuck in a rut.

When you keep making the same mistakes and having the same regrets, it saps your energy and eventually leaves you too weak to take control of your own fate.

Daily reflection and introspection allows you to pause and steer your life in the right direction.

This gives you some control over your fate and deepens your connection to your divine source.

All but five of the 263 centenarians interviewed in the Blue Zone studies belonged to some faith-based community.

It doesn't matter if you're Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish or some other religion that meets as a community.

Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.

Happiness truly can be gained by practicing a set of behaviors and beliefs that have been shown to increase this very important emotion.

Make happiness an important part of your Age Management Medicine program by choosing to learn more about these behaviors and beliefs and incorporating them into your life.