things that define your personality

Money can buy happiness. Specifically, the more money you earn, the happier you tend to be up to the saturation point, which has been identified as an income of about $75,000 a year. Thats the point where happiness as a consequence of earning money plateaus. On the other hand, debt or low income living can be a huge source of stress.

Exercise changes a persons hormone levels and organ function. Done properly, getting exercise is a great, natural way to improve your mood. There are also studies that have shown that maintaining a healthy level of exercise is linked with improved brain function later in life, including helping prevent dementia.

Everyone knows at least one person who really, really needs their morning coffee. Thats a fairly tame example of addiction flexing its muscle, but really, its not much different from other addictions. At a certain point with certain substances, the body can develop an emotional or physical need. Abstaining can alter mood and personality drastically, and addiction, unfortunately, appears to last forever, so sufferers are never fully free of that craving.

Some research has suggested that reading changes the brain on a physical level, bridging areas that otherwise would not connect. Beyond that, there is some evidence to suggest people who read fiction are more empathetic. Perhaps seeing things from a different perspective in a book makes it easier to do in real life.

We touched on stress briefly earlier, but its worthy of its own entry. Stress, in the way that we normally think of it, is a reaction we have to stimuli that scare or worry us. Typically, we deal with this either by trying to confront the thing or to flee it. Trouble is, modern life doesnt always allow one of those as an option, and so stress can have a lasting and damaging effect on health and the mind.

This one might seem silly, but its still true. The weather outside affects our mood, and some of us more than others. The winter blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, are very real, and are likely related to the fact that sunshine boosts serotonin (an antidepressant) levels in the brain.

This one is another fairly broad category. Younger people have developing brains and, for a while, hormone levels that are totally out of whack. Middle age brings yet more hormone changes, and old age more again, and the way these changes manifest in the body affect personality. Beyond that, theres no doubt that slowing down and approaching death will alter behaviour and thinking.

Its possible to try and alter the way you think, and doing so successfully can be beneficial. Practicing meditation can help calm you by letting you learn to escape the distracting and damaging thoughts that float around the human mind. As with reading, theres evidence to suggest meditation can change the physical connections in the brain.

When were happy, we smile. When were confident, we stand tall. But its also true that when we smile, were happy, and when we stand tall, were confident. It turns out its possible to fake it till you make it by purposefully changing your stance and expression to affect mood, so your parents have been right all along stand up straight.

Sleep changes everything. A lack of it affects our hormones negatively, changes our appetites, and even makes us less intelligent. The best way to get rest is to wake up and go to bed at more or less the same time every day. Had a late night and need more sleep? Fight through it and get up at the same time, then take a nap later in the day. It keeps you on schedule while still getting you the shuteye you crave.