Enhancing Happiness

1. Enhancing Happiness

2. Those generally or consistently happy in Western societies have: • more rewarding & longer-lasting marriages, • more friends, • higher incomes, • superior work performance, • more community involvement, • better mental and physical health, • greater longevity RELATIVE TO THEIR LESS-HAPPY PEERS. (Lyubomirsky, King, Diener, et al.)

3. Happiness is a choice • According to one recent theory, • “40 percent of our happiness is under • voluntary control.” • (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, et al.) • That is, 40 percent of happiness is controlled by our choices • or intentional activities that we pursue. • “The figure rises to 50 percent if we view our life • circumstances as changeable … through our own • best efforts.” • (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, et al.)

4. Harvard’s how-to-be-happy course • Harvard’s Most Popular Course • Lesson #1: Embrace your failures and frustrations • “When you give yourself permission to be human, you are more likely to open yourself up to positive emotions.” – Professor Tal Ben-Shahar

5. Happiness does not depend on • Youth • Intelligence • Beauty • A warm climate • Wealth beyond meeting basic needs Wallis, “The New Science of Happiness”

6. Heart strengths

7. When you are tempted to focus on negative states such as anger, anxiety, or sadness, remember to work on one of the heart strengths

8. What are these heart strengths? • Altruism • Empathy • Forgiveness • Gratitude • Hope

9. Happiness interventions Happiness interventions are activities that have been proven to increase peoples’ subjective well-being.

10. Count your blessings • ACTIVITY: One way to do this is with a “gratitude journal” in which you write down five things for which you are currently thankful – from the mundane to the magnificent. Keep it fresh by varying your entries as much as possible. • “Of all the happiness interventions, it is those focused on gratitude that have shown the most robust effects." • (Positive Psychology Coaching, 108).

11. PRACTICE ACTS OF KINDNESS • ACTIVITY: Perform a new act of kindness each day for a week. Create a list of potential acts of kindness you can do. Use this as a guide but feel free to change it as long as you do a new and different act each day. Reflect upon how you feel after doing each act of kindness and the reaction of the receiver, if applicable. • “People who want to live a more fulfilling life should quit reading self-help books and start helping others.” • Laura King • (Positive Psychology Coaching, 110).

12. Create a new life script • “For each unhealthy or happiness-depleting core belief that blocks your happiness and fulfillment write a corresponding healthy core belief. The healthy core belief should challenge the truth of the related unhealthy belief and give you a new way to look at the problem that preserves your self-esteem, self-respect, and reasonable hope for a satisfying life.” [Frisch, 2006, p. 181]

13. LEARN TO FORGIVE • ACTIVITY: Let go of anger and resentment by writing a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt or wronged you. • “Inability to forgive is associated with persistent rumination or dwelling on revenge, while forgiving allows you to move on.” • - Sonja Lyubomirsky

14. Savor life’s joys • ACTIVITY: Pay close attention to momentary pleasures and wonders. For a few minutes every day this week think about a particular moment you enjoyed. Appreciate and take pleasure in mundane or habitual experiences that you generally rush through in your daily routine. • Studies have shown that there are many benefits to savoring moments including: • Increased happiness self-confidence • Extraversion • Decreased chances of depression, stress, guilt, and hopelessness. 

15. Nurture relationships • ACTIVITY: Make time to cultivate meaningful relationships with family and friends. Maybe there is an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time, or someone you would like to get to know better. If you put in the effort, you will have lasting, rewarding, positive relationships, which are one main contributor to overall well-being. • “Where you live, how much money you make, your job title and even your health have surprisingly small effects on your satisfaction with life. The biggest factor appears to be strong personal relationships.”

16. SET “SMART” GOALS • ACTIVITY: Set short- and long-term goals for yourself. The best kind of goals are challenging, specific, measurable, and personally motivating and important to you. Try to set goals that are based on achieving something positive ("approach goals") rather than avoiding something negative. It will be helpful for you to write about your goal, with lots of detail and specificity: think about what sub-goals you must achieve first, when you are going to devote time to work towards your goal, when you will reach it, what personal strengths you can use, etc. • SPECIFIC • MEASURABLE • ATTAINABLE • REALISTIC • TIMELY

17. Regular exercise • "The advantages of exercise include: • Immediate sense of increased physical efficacy • Perception of greater involvement in their life • Doing something selfish that is good for you and can serve as a bridge to an improved sense of self-worth • Establishing and developing a new interest serves to distract from problems • Likely to meet new acquaintances.” (53) “The late Oxford University psychologist Michael Argyle found that the benefits of regular exercise were many: lower stress, less tension, less tiredness, lower feelings of anger and depression, increased vigor, higher self-esteem, more positive body image, and increased reports of positive moods.” [Biswas-Diener, & Dean, 2007, p. 100]

18. Thank a mentor • ACTIVITY: If there’s someone whom you owe a debt of gratitude for guiding you at one of life’s crossroads, don’t wait to express your appreciation – in detail and, if possible, in person. • "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others" • --Cicero

19. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY • ACTIVITY: Get plenty of sleep, stretch, smile, and laugh! All of these activities can enhance your mood in the short term. Practiced regularly, they can help make your daily life more satisfying.

20. Develop strategies for coping with stress & Hardships • There is no avoiding hard times. Religious faith has been shown to help people cope, but so do some secular beliefs. The trick is that you have to believe them! • “This too shall pass.” • That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

21. more interventions • REMEMBERING”POSITIVE REMINISCENCE” • Discuss Happiest Life Events • Explain How You Overcame Unhappy Life Events • WRITING • “EXPRESSIVE WRITING PARADIGM” • Keep A Journal

22. MORE INTERVENTIONS • DISCOVER YOUR • PASSIONATE CALLING • DO WHAT YOU LOVE & LOVE WHAT YOU DO “Find work that, as much as possible, feels like play… a Passionate Calling feels like something perfectly suited to you, makes you feel passionate about work and eager to go to work each day, and fits with your purpose in life.” [Frisch, 2006, p. 239] • COMPLETE A BAT • NOTICE THE LITTLE & BIG THINGS IN YOUR LIFE • Count Your Blessings • List Your Accomplishments • Enumerate Those Traits That People Like About You & Those Talents That You Are Good At

23. Abraham lincoln once said… • “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

24. get out there and