Happiness shouldn’t be reserved for Friday at 5 pm. Instead, happiness should be the daily goal both at work and at home. There’s a catch, what is happiness and how do we measure it?

Happiness is subjective well-being and is defined as your evaluations of your own life, moods, and emotions (Donaldson, 2011). So happiness is in the eye of the beholder. However, the subjectivity of emotions combined with the truthfulness of self-reporting makes most happiness studies subject to scrutiny. Rob Hoskin of Science Brainwaves states, “even if a participant is trying to be honest, they may lack the introspective ability to provide an accurate response to a question.” (Science Brainwaves, 2012).

So we have to acknowledge there are going to be varying levels of actuality in any self-reported study. That being said, researchers have been able to create control groups and test the variance of the answers to ensure they get the highest rate of accuracy from self-reported studies. For example, if we want to know the difference in happiness levels between offices with quarterly social events and those without, self-reported happiness is fairly accurate as a comparison tool. This is also true when looking at the self-reported results of employees who walk 10,000 steps per day against those who continue living sedentary lifestyles (less than 5,000 daily steps). With this methodology, we are able to look at factors that impact workplace happiness at scale.

So what are the six things we can do to be happier at work?

1. Taking Breaks

John Trougakos, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and HR Management at the University of Toronto says, “taking a short respite to relax and get their mind off of work can improve employees’ job effectiveness and satisfaction while significantly reducing the strain and fatigue they experience.” It’s not just about getting the break, it’s also about what you do with your time that matters. Trougakos’ research shows a correlation between giving people control of what they can do on their break time and their overall energy levels afterward (Study from Staples, 2013). So if you’re feeling confined on your breaks, look for ways to get out of your normal routine.

We see more and more companies gravitating towards this mindset, offering their employees several (different) break spaces to choose from. Whether, it’s sitting at an outdoor space or using the ping-pong table, you’ll be happier if you hit the pause button more often.

2. Acknowledgement

According to ADP, highly engaged team members will go above and beyond their core responsibilities for their job if they feel a connection to their work itself (ADP). Even if the tasks seem trivial, acknowledging your own hard work will make you happier. If you can, find a workplace where your managers will take the time to give you recognition for a job well done. It can be in the form of compensation or non-monetary rewards, both of which can actually endear you deeper to an organization and increase your workplace satisfaction (utar.edu). It comes down to reverse-engineering your wants. Are you motivated by cash incentives, or do you want acknowledgment for helping your company achieve its goal?

3. Help a Coworker Out

It has been shown in studies that when people help others the brain’s mesolimbic system is activated; this is the part of the brain that activates when a person has feelings of reward (Princeton, 2011). So start your day by helping out a co-worker; even if it’s just in a small capacity. By working together, different departments/people will form a stronger bond and share the good and bad as a team (Harvard Business Review, 2013).

4. Walk More

People who walk 10,000 steps per day (or more) reported sizeable increases in productivity and job satisfaction(Lancaster University, 2011). A popular misconception is that 10,000 steps take a long time to achieve, but when you break it down it doesn’t seem so daunting. The average American already walks 5,000 steps daily through routine activities, so going for an additional 60 or so minutes of walking daily is highly achievable. Next time you want to watch YouTube on your break, head outside for a walk instead. Follow the lead of tech entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, who like to have conversations while taking long walks. It’s reported that Zuckerberg will even take prospective hires on long walks on a trail by the Facebook headquarters (Fortune Magazine, 2011).

5. Make Friends at Work

Having friends at the office can bring enjoyment and lead to more satisfaction with your job (Harvard Business Review, 2013). It also leads to more productivity. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Minnesota found that when they assigned tasks to people who identified as acquaintances and others who identified as friends, the groups that identified as friends definitively outperformed the acquaintances. The friends showed much more communication and collaboration right from the beginning of the tasks, while the acquaintances remained siloed for the majority of their tasks (NY Mag, 2014). People who attend social gatherings with coworkers outside of work grow closer with their teammates. Making friends at work leads to increased happiness, a sense of comradery, and ultimately being part of a more productive team.

6. Do something positive before work

In one study, it was shown that people who started their day off with a positive experience primed the rest of their day to be more positive overall. The researchers examined how mood at the beginning of the day worked as an “affective prime” for the rest of the day (Rothbard, Wilk, 2007). Starting your day off with a workout, making the bed, or eating healthy can lead to a happier day overall. Some companies have taken this to a whole new level. Lululemon often hosts yoga for its employees (and store visitors) before every Sunday morning shift, helping put their team in a cheerful mood before tackling the day.