The secret to personal happiness? Being yourself.
A survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Circulon found that people believe the key to personal bliss is a mixture of being true to yourself and spending time with family.
As for having a well-rounded personal life, nearly half of those surveyed placed family time as the number one most important factor. And naturally, family time often includes food, with 34 percent of those surveyed placing importance on having dinner together.
Here are the ways people keep their lives well-rounded, personal secrets to happiness and the most tried and true home-cooked recipes.
Top 30 factors for a well-rounded personal life:
- Spending time with family: 48.50
- Watching TV shows/movies: 48.45
- Getting a quality night’s sleep/enough sleep: 47.25
- Taking time for yourself every day: 42.15
- Listening to music and/or podcasts: 42.15
- Spending time with friends: 40.25
- Keeping your house/space clean and organized: 39.95
- Having sex: 39.85
- Spending time outside/in nature: 39.15
- Spending time with a pet: 38.50
- Splurging every once in a while on something: 38.20
- Learning new things: 38.00
- Spending time on a hobby: 37.00
- Being responsible with money: 36.25
- Reading a book: 35.95
- Taking vacation days/traveling to new places: 35.90
- Exercising: 35.00
- Going out to dinner/drinks: 34.65
- Family dinners: 34.40
- Spending quality alone time with a partner: 33.65
- Eating healthy foods/meals: 32.90
- Having a cup of coffee in the morning: 32.80
- Setting and achieving goals: 31.85
- Getting take-out every once in a while: 31.50
- Drinking plenty of water: 31.40
- Sleeping in/having a quiet morning: 30.90
- Sit-down meals: 0.65
- Living close to family: 29.95
- Fast Wi-Fi: 29.60
- Doing activities during the day: 28.65
American’s secrets to personal happiness
- Be yourself and enjoy time with family
- Be willing to be wrong
- Be honest with yourself
- Being happy with yourself and what you have
- Do what you love as often as you can
- Don’t stress the small stuff
- Exercise and eating right
- Finding a balance in life
- Finding joy, even in the hard times
- Getting enough sleep
- Giving and getting love
- Having an open mind
- Knowing yourself
- Laugh a lot
- Letting the past go and trying new things
- Making others happy
- Open communication with others and a healthy lifestyle
- Positive thinking
- Self-acceptance, self-contentment, self-forgiveness and self-love
- Spending time with loved ones, but also making sure to spend time alone
Americans’ cooking repertoire includes:
- Scrambled eggs: 62.89
- Hamburgers: 61.96
- Grilled cheese: 58.46
- Mashed potatoes: 58.13
- Rice: 56.16
- Macaroni and cheese: 53.97
- Steak: 53.20
- Pancakes and/or waffles: 52.82
- Omelet: 51.89
- Tacos: 51.89
