Nearing the end of April, Happier™ app users around the world participating in the “Go Outside 23 in ’23” Challenge have logged nearly three million minutes outside… 

• Getting sunlight to improve mood and sleep cycles
• Being in nature to encourage calm, creativity, and mindfulness
• Doing physical activity to support health and energy levels

When we spend time outside, good things happen. Gold star to everyone who has gotten outside in 2023.

Finding the tools that work

When it comes to building habits, different tools and strategies work for different people, and Happier app users are relying on a diverse set of tools to track their progress. The key is finding a tool that works for you. 

A helpful starting point is to identify your Tendency—how you respond to inner and outer expectations. Looking at the Tendencies represented in the Happier app users offers some interesting insights:

• Obligers, who readily meet outer expectations, often benefit from accountability when trying to meet inner expectations. More Obligers use the Accountability Partners tool than any other Tendency.
• Questioners have a more even spread across the different tools than the other Tendencies. Rather than selecting the tool recommended for them by the app, they’re weighing the options and selecting the tool that works best for them. 
• Upholders are more likely to select the Don’t Break the Chain tool than any other Tendency. This is the tool recommended for Upholders by the app because it sets clear expectations and gives you a satisfying check mark.
• Rebels resist all kinds of expectations—they appreciate choices and spontaneity. More than half of Rebel app users have chosen the Photo Log to track their progress, a tool that allows for flexibility and creativity. They’re also the only Tendency for which Don’t Break the Chain was not the most popular tool.

When we find a tool or strategy that works for us, we can apply that self-knowledge to other aims and cultivate an atmosphere of growth that is a key to happiness.  

Cultivating an Atmosphere of Growth

To be happier, we need to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. This means pursuing aims that help us feel positive emotions, eliminate sources of negative emotions, enact our values, and find experiences of growth, learning, and teaching.

Often, building one habit boosts our feeling of self-control, and helps reinforce other foundational habits. For instance, going outside and getting sunlight and exercise helps people sleep—and sleep helps people do everything better.

More than 60% of those participating in the “Go Outside 23 in ’23” Challenge are tracking multiple aims using the Happier™ app, building habits that make them happier and healthier.

Want to see more? Download the full infographic here.

Join the Challenge

It’s not too late to join the “Go Outside 23 in ’23” Challenge. Now is always the best time to begin, and every entry in the Happier app counts toward our goal to unlock a donation to One Tree Planted. Learn more about the challenge, and download the Happier app for free.