How can I be happy when the economy is tanking? Its a question I hear a lot lately. It seems that as the financial picture becomes more depressed, so do we. Thats why now, more than ever, we need to learn to be happy from the inside out - no matter whats going on in our lives.

What would it take to make you happy? A fulfilling career? A big bank account? The perfect mate?

What if it didnt take anything to make you happy?

Well, its possible.

Doing the research for my book, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy From the Inside Out, I interviewed scores of scientists, as well as 100 unconditionally happy people. And I discovered a way to experience a state of inner peace and well-being that isnt dependent on external circumstances.

When youre Happy for No Reason, you dont need to manipulate the world around you to make yourself happy. You bring happiness to your everyday experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them.

Here are a few strategies you can use to become happier - and stay that way:

1. People who are Happy for No Reason incline their minds toward joy.

Have you noticed that your mind tends to register the negative events in your life more than the positive? If you get 10 compliments in a day and one criticism, what do you remember? For most people, its the criticism. Scientists call this negativity bias - primitive survival wiring that causes us to pay more attention to the negative than the positive.

To reverse this bias, get into the habit of consciously registering the positive around you: the sun on your skin, the taste of a favorite food, a smile or kind word from a co-worker or friend. Then take a moment to savor it deeply and feel it. Make it more than a brief mental observation. Spend 20 seconds soaking up the happiness you feel.

2. People who are Happy for No Reason trust in a friendly universe.

Happy people believe that this is a friendly universe. When things dont seem to be going their way, instead of feeling like a victim, they look for the lesson and the gift in the situation.

Try it: The next time you face a challenge, take a moment to reflect silently, asking yourself, If this were happening for a higher purpose, what would it be?

3. People who are Happy for No Reason let love lead in their life.

One way to power up your hearts flow is by conveying a feeling of loving kindness to your friends and family, as well as strangers you pass on the street.

When youre waiting for the elevator, stuck in a checkout line, or caught in traffic, send a silent wish to the people you see for their happiness and health. Simply wishing others well switches on the pump in your own heart that generates a strong current of happiness.

4. People who are Happy for No Reason make the cells in their body happy.

Your brain produces a veritable pharmacopeia of natural happiness-enhancing neurochemicals - endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine - just waiting to be released to every organ and cell in your body. The way you eat, move, and rest, and even your facial expression, can shift the balance of your bodys feel-good chemicals in your favor.

To dispense some extra Joy Juice - smile. Scientists have discovered that smiling decreases stress hormones and boosts happiness chemicals, which increase the bodys T-cells, reduce pain, and enhance relaxation. You may not feel like it, but smiling - even artificially to begin with - starts the ball rolling. It will turn into a real smile in short order.

5. People who are Happy for No Reason surround themselves with support.

We catch the emotions of those around us just like we catch their colds. Its called emotional contagion. So its important to make wise choices about the company you keep.

Establish appropriate boundaries with emotional bullies and happiness vampires who suck the life out of you. Develop your happiness dream team - a mastermind or support group you meet with regularly to keep you steadily on the happiness path.

Happily ever after isnt just for fairy tales or the lucky few. Imagine experiencing inner peace and well-being as the backdrop for everything else in your life. When youre Happy for No Reason, its not that your life always looks perfect - its that however it looks, youre still happy! 

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internets most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.