Prevention

Contentment: The New Happiness

How are you feeling today? Happy, sad, grumpy, low, irritable, cheerful, moody—they’re all shades on the complex spectrum of human emotion. If you’ve ever wanted to be happier than you are, you’re certainly not alone. But Dr Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine in the US, believes we don’t have to rely on the diagnose-and-drug model of healthcare—that we can lift our moods with a few simple, mindful exercises. In his new book, Spontaneous Happiness ($32.99; Hachette), Weil fixes his gaze on what makes us truly happy, what to do when we’re not and how to better weather life’s inevitable highs and lows. Prevention sat down with Weil to find out how we can all feel much better than we do.

Photo by Shutterstock Feb 14, 2012