According to a survey of more than 5300 Women's Health readers, almost all of you believe happiness stems from self-confidence. Yet only 40 per cent of you describe yourselves as confident. Eight in 10 of you want to be happier and said confidence is the second-most appealing trait in someone (after happiness). We asked you a heap of questions in our survey, but happiness kept rearing its cheery head as the thing you most wanted to upgrade.

So, this month we're kicking off our
"Happy For Life" initiative. Over the next few issues of WH we'll be grilling experts (including our own Dr Suzy Green, who we've now dubbed the WH happiness expert) about how to pump up the elusive happiness factor in different areas of your life. What you already know: happiness is an inside job. What you might not know: there's a science to this stuff.

We're happy for you...
When asked about the state of our fitness, most of us mentally scan our last gym workout. But the field of positive psychology (in a nutshell: playing to your strengths instead of working on your shortcomings) is gaining momentum, and its proponents are proving that your emotions benefit from a regular workout, too. This month we've checked out the links between happiness and confidence - and what we've discovered made us hold our heads that little bit higher.

Dr Suzy Green, WH happiness expert and positive psychologist, draws her definition of confidence from Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking, quoting: "Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. Stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Never permit it to fade... Do not build obstacles in your imagination. Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can." (Sounds good. So, how to amp up the C-factor?)

Firstly, confidence is a complex little sucker to pin down. Stay with us here. It's linked to other factors that make up your personality like resilience, self-esteem and optimism level. "Confidence literally means 'the state of being certain'," says Dr Green. "From a psychologist's point of view it relates to a person's belief in themself and how hopeful they are about the future." All kinds of things determine how self-assured you feel on any day: genetics, how much sleep you've had, how stressed you're feeling, and whether you're a glass half-full type of girl.

Optimism is a defining trait of entrepreneurs, who need a high degree of self-confidence, according to a 2007 study by Southampton University in the UK. And self-belief isn't just the domain of Oprah - research published in Athletic Insight: The Online Journal of Sport Psychology found athletes' performance was greatly improved when they psyched themselves up with positive self-talk beforehand.

Winning mentality
Yehuda Shinar, author of Think Like A Winner likens self-confidence to a seesaw: "It's the balance between your accumulated positive experiences (successes) to date versus the negative ones (failures)." The more weight you have on the positive side, the less the impact you'll feel when you have a setback. "Building confidence helps to boost your 'problem immune system'," says Shinar. "The more confident you are in your ability to overcome and solve problems, the less stressed you'll feel about them, and the less problematic they'll be."

Eighty per cent of WH readers agree self-belief is a big confidence booster. "Having confidence doesn't mean you're able to do everything," says Dr Green. "But it does mean you're more likely to have a go at something, despite fearing it. You'll be more courageous, persistent and resourceful in the face of obstacles." With the possible exception of Tom Cruise, we bet everyone wants more self-belief. So, how to develop yours?

The good news: researchers have found confidence isn't something we're born with. It's a skill that requires practice to hone. Women especially benefit from attention to confidence levels, as we're more likely than men to sell ourselves short. A study from the Indiana University School of Medicine in the US found that, despite performing equally to their male peers, female medical students consistently reported decreased self-confidence and increased anxiety, particularly related to their competency. The study authors questioned whether women are simply more willing than men to own up to feelings of inadequacy. Regardless, Dr Green says she constantly sees women in her clinic who hold themselves back from success - "It's rarely those who have overestimated themselves and are having to deal with the fallout".

We asked you about self-belief, then turned to experts for confidence commandments, and tips on how to knock self-doubt to the ground and boost your ability to take no BS.


What do you think of the "Happy For Life" initiative? What topics would you like us to cover in the series? Email Us