7 behaviors to give up if you want to be happier

There are plenty of things you can, theoretically, add to your life to be happier.

Exercise! Gratitude! Spending time with friends! Hooray!

What's more surprising is that there are plenty of things you can take out of your life to be a happier person. Think of it as decluttering your house, except instead of your house, it's your entire life.

To help you kick off the elimination process, we checked out the Quora thread, "What are the things that, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier?" and highlighted the best ideas.

Read on to find out which behaviors need to get the boot, stat.

SEE ALSO: 25 simple things to give up if you want to succeed

1. Comparing yourself to others

"The day you stop the comparison of things [t]hat you possess with others, you will be much happier,"writes Quora user Vipul Patni.

Research suggests that there's one key reason why constantly peering over your shoulder is unproductive: You don't get a completely accurate picture of others' emotional lives.

A 2011 study found that people significantly underestimate the number of negative emotions others experience — and overestimate the number of positive emotions they experience.

In other words, there's little point comparing yourself to other people, because you'll probably never know how much they're really struggling.

2. Trying to change other people

Sure, your life might be better if the people around you behaved exactly as you wanted them to. But that's probably not going to happen anytime soon, so focus instead on the things you can control.

As Marissa Russell put it:

"If the person doesn't have a desire to change within them already, you will end up wasting precious time and energy talking to a brick wall. You can't make people grow. Some people have to grow at their own pace and learn the hard way before they start making the right decisions."

3. Fearing failure

Failing, and getting upset about it, is an inevitable part of life. But don't let it consume you.

Gayathri Vijayakumar writes:

"Don't have fear of failing. Its okay if you fail, but don't stop moving. Keep moving forward, don't look back when you should not. Consider each failure as a stepping stone and not stumbling block."

Of course, that doesn't mean ignoring your feelings and charging ahead. In a Psychology Today column, psychologist Guy Winch writes:

"It is important to accept that failure makes you feel both fear and shame, and to find trusted others with whom you can discuss these feelings.

Bringing these feelings to the surface can help prevent you from expressing them through unconscious efforts to sabotage yourself, and getting reassurance and empathy from trusted others can bolster your feelings of self-worth while minimizing the threat of disappointing them."