Depends on what you're trying to do.
if you want to simply be happier, feel better, healthier, etc. then the growing field of positive psychology might be a place to start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychologyQuote:
Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs. Foremost, primitive needs must be met (basic physiological, and sense of safety) before social needs can be met (e.g., intimacy). Subsequently, one can pursue more conceptual needs (e.g. morality and self-actualization).
Evidence suggests negative emotions can be damaging. In an article titled "The undoing effect of positive emotions", Barbara Fredrickson et al. hypothesized positive emotions undo the cardiovascular effects of negative emotions. When people experience stress, they show increased heart rate, higher blood sugar, immune suppression, and other adaptations optimized for immediate action. If unregulated, the prolonged physiological activation can lead to illness, coronary heart disease, and heightened mortality. Both lab and survey research substantiate that positive emotions help people under stress to return to a preferable, healthier physiological baseline.[119] Other research shows that improved mood is one of the various benefits of physical exercise.[118]
It sounds hokey at first, (kind of a motivational speaker meets halmark greeting card thing) but the data behind it actually is pretty strong.
Historically psychology was aimed at fixing what was broken, or aiming to understand the the psyche in general rather than improving what is not broken. The last 10-15 years though have seen the rise of positive psych as a field of study. There are some books out there by Dr. Martin Seligman who was really the pioneer.
Again, it seems hokey at first, but look at the data before you scoff.
As with anything, take it with a grain of salt, there are a number of criticisms out there of the subject, but what I've read of the criticisms still cannot account for the measurable improvement of quality of life reported.
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