510-Halloween Happiness pt 2

Are you excited about Halloween? I am too! But why is that? Today, we dive into part 2 of 2 on why Halloween provides us with high excitement and happiness year after year.    

 

Transcript:

 

Welcome to Everyday Happiness where we create lasting happiness, in about 2 minutes a day,  through my signature method of Intentional Margins® (creating harmony between your to-dos and your priorities), happiness science, and musings about life. 

 

I'm your host Katie Jefcoat, and yesterday we talked about three ideas why Halloween makes us happy.  And today, we’re talking about three more ways and ending with a bit of science. 

 

The Fourth way Halloween boosts our happiness is that it lets us be creative with who we want to be. Kids can dress up as pirates and fairies, a career they certainly can't pursue later in life. Teens can wear crazy makeup, dye their hair, and show off an outfit they never would dream of wearing in real life. Adults can let loose and become something beyond the rigid office worker they portray during the day. Whatever they want to be, they can be for one night.

Fifth: Halloween teaches and normalizes death. I know this is a little darker of a note, but it is important. Death is a natural part of life that often gets overhyped in our culture. Just look to Dia de Los Muertos in Latino countries. They take that day to remember and celebrate the dead, a healthy and positive way to process complex emotions. Halloween here may not be the same, but it is a chance to learn, talk about, and process death and the more challenging emotions of life in a fun and helpful way.

The last reason why Halloween makes us happy is that our body feels stressed. On many holidays, we have bad stress. The stress of buying the right gift for Christmas, of having a date on Valentine's Day, or hosting family at Thanksgiving. None of those stressors help you, but Halloween stress is the exception. Why? Being scared makes you happy.

I know..I know..that seems counterintuitive. However, research has shown that getting scared in a healthy, safe environment actually releases dopamine, a feel-good transmitter, to the brain. When you get scared knowing there is no real danger, it can even cause you to laugh! And we all know how good laughter is for you!

So, in anticipation of Halloween, I encourage you to look forward to the holiday and plan to experience it. Whether decorating the yard, taking your kids out for trick or treating, hitting up a party, or simply handing out candy, this is a time to revel in the happiness of Halloween.  

And more than ever, kindness matters, especially around a season when so many neighbors are walking around your neighborhood on October 31st.  Share a smile, I promise, it makes a difference. 

Get Everyday Happiness delivered to your inbox by subscribing at: https://www.katiejefcoat.com/happiness

 

And, let’s connect on social at @everydayhappinesswithkatie  and join the community on the hashtags #IntentionalMargins and #everydayhappinesswithkatie on Instagram

 

Links:  https://onamission.bio/everydayhappiness/