If you want your children to be happy, parents must teach them 3 things.

Family and Society - If you want your children to be happier, parents can refer to the advice from renowned experts below.

When discussing parenting advice, Arthur Brooks, a professor at Harvard University, and Laurie Santos, a professor at Yale University, conducted research related to children's happiness.

Through their research, they found that happy children grow up to have a higher chance of success, better work performance, and improved social relationships compared to their peers.

When parents are happy, their children are happy too. (Illustrative image)

Here are some of the best tips Brooks and Santos share for parents on how to raise happy children.

Teach your children to become positive influencers because happiness is contagious.

Brooks and Santos both share the view that happiness is contagious. When parents are happy, their children are happy too.

In the Harvard Business Review, Brooks stated that the number one problem he saw in his family was the spread of negativity.

This teaches each of us to do the opposite, to try to infect our families with the "happiness virus," and to do so intentionally.

According to studies, the contagious nature of emotions applies to all emotions. This is why parents should behave healthily if they want their children to do the same.

"For better or worse, parents have a significant impact on their children's emotions and anxiety levels," expert Santos shared.

If parents worry about their children's grades or social relationships, the children will carry that anxiety into their lives.

Managing anxiety and practicing a little self-compassion—including taking time off work to reduce stress in your personal life—is really helpful.

Teaching children about negative emotions is normal.

Professor Santos shared: "Sometimes we feel sad, anxious, disappointed, or whatever. These are all perfectly normal things. These things cause difficulties for adults and can be especially difficult for children."

When their children are in unhappy situations, parents often rush to cheer them up by telling jokes, promising to take them shopping, giving them candy or new toys.

These temporary solutions do not address a child's negative emotions effectively. In fact, parents may inadvertently teach their children how to avoid negative emotions.

Prepare children for potential problems and risks appropriate to their age. (Illustrative image)

Teach your children not to be afraid of the world.

The world is full of negativity, but if parents try to prepare their children for the worst-case scenario, they risk frightening the child.

Professor Brooks said: " That will not keep children safe; instead, it will make them anxious and less likely to succeed."

In a related 2021 psychology study published in The Atlantic, Brooks stated: "Children also tend to dislike their work and perform worse than their peers."

Brooks suggests that children should be prepared for potential problems, with the level of danger appropriate to their age.

Parents can teach their children not to get into strangers' cars to go home without causing the children to fear strangers in all situations.

Brooks said, " Parents shouldn't teach their children that the world is scary and full of dangers. Instead, they should teach them to have faith in the future, that there are good people, and that things will get better."

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/chuyen-gia-harvard-muon-con-la-dua-tre-hanh-phuc-cha-me-phai-day-chung-3-dieu-172250320142827734.htm