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12 Happiness Enhancing Strategies

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12 Happiness Enhancing Strategies International Happiness Day Presentation 20th March 2018 A shift is occurring globally. People are realizing and acknowledging that progress or development ought to be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing and not just growing the economy. 1. So what is Happiness? Let’s engage in some myth busting first! • MYTH 1 - happiness is feeling good all the time • MYTH 2 - happiness is not experiencing negative feelings at all • MYTH 3 - happiness is being rich or affording everything you want • MYTH 4 - happiness is a final destination or end goal of life 1. So what is Happiness? SOME FACTS!!! • Happy people also experience negative emotions. • Happy people’s general evaluation of life is that life is “good” despite challenges. • Happy people also experience stress, trauma and have to overcome challenges/difficulties in life. • Happy people don’t postpone their happiness to some far off future date. They focus on working on being happy in the present. DEFINING HAPPINESS! It is commonly defined by experts as a combination of how satisfied you are with your life (component 1) & how good you feel on a day to day basis (component 2). Experts who define happiness more holistically also include an additional component related to meaning & purpose (component 3) in life. To break it down, Happiness is: Happiness Eudaimonic Affective (Hedonic) Cognitive component component component • Life satisfaction – overall • Meaning • More positive emotion evaluation of one’s life • Purpose • Less negative emotion as being good 2. Research on the benefits of Happiness Happy People: (A review of 225 studies on the benefits of happiness) • Are better leaders and negotiators • Cope better with stress and trauma • Have more friends and social support • Are more productive at work and more creative • Earn more money and have better work/employment • Are more likely to marry and have fulfilling marriages and less likely to divorce • Are more helpful and philanthropic (altruistic) • Have stronger immune systems, physically healthier and live longer Lyubomirsky, S., King, L. A., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803-855. 3. What determines our Happiness Levels? 10% Genetics 50% Intentional 40% Activity Circumstances Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131. 4. What the pie chart reveals? • We have a lot more control over our happiness levels than we realize!!! • Circumstances account for only 10% of our Happiness Levels!!! (income, marital status, housing, etc.) • We are all born with a GENETIC SET POINT regarding our Happiness levels (HQ – happiness quotient), • BUT INTENTIONAL ACTIVITY – by regularly practicing happiness enhancing strategies we can increase our happiness levels!!! 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 12 Happiness Enhancing Strategies 1) Counting your blessings – practicing gratitude 2) Cultivating Optimism 3) Avoiding overthinking and social comparison 4) Nurturing relationships Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York: Penguin Press 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 12 Happiness Enhancing Strategies 5) Committing to your goals – gives one purpose & direction 6) Acts of kindness (Altruism) 7) Doing more activities that truly ENGAGE you 8) Replaying and savouring life’s joys Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York: Penguin Press 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 12 Happiness Enhancing Strategies (cont.) 9) Developing coping strategies to deal with stress or trauma 10) Taking care of your body 11) Forgiveness - learning to forgive others and oneself 12) Practicing religion and/or spirituality Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New York: Penguin Press 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 10 Happiness-Producing Rational Beliefs 1) Don’t blame others for making you unhappy, take responsibility for making yourself happy. 2) Give yourself permission to make yourself happy - even if in so doing, others make themselves unhappy. 3) Make time for yourself to do things which bring you pleasure and enjoyment in the short-term. Bernard, M. (2000). From REBT Resource book for practitioners. Albert Ellis Institute. 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 10 Happiness-Producing Rational Beliefs 4) Do things for others and your community without expecting anything in return 5) Sacrifice short-term pleasures and put up with short-term discomforts in order to achieve longer-term gains 6) Accept the fallibility of others and yourself. 7) Try not to take things personally. Bernard, M. (2000). From REBT Resource book for practitioners. Albert Ellis Institute. 5. How can we increase our happiness levels? 10 Happiness-Producing Rational Beliefs 8) Take a chance even when you might fail at things at work or in your personal relationships. 9) It doesn’t matter so much what people think about you and what you are doing. 10) See uncertainty as a challenge – do not be afraid of it. Bernard, M. (2000). From REBT Resource book for practitioners. Albert Ellis Institute. 7. Happiness Resources Happiness and Wellbeing Websites 1) Action for Happiness – www.actionforhappiness.org 2) Happy Counts - www.happycounts.org 3) Live Happy - www.livehappy.com 4) Happify - www.happify.com 5) Network of Wellbeing - http://www.networkofwellbeing.org 6) The Happy Movie - www.thehappymovie.com 7) Centre for Positive Psychology – www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu 8) Positive Psychology News Daily – www.positivepsychologynews.com 9) Greater Good Science Centre – www.greatergood.berkeley.edu 10) Psychology Today Blogs (Find happiness-related blogs) – www.psychologytoday.com 11) Positive Acorn – www.positiveacorn.com 12) Gross National Happiness Centre Bhutan - www.gnhcentrebhutan.org 7. Happiness Resources Books by Experts in the field of Happiness & Wellbeing 1) The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky 2) Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth by Ed and Robert Diener 3) Satisfaction by Gregory Berns 4) Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 5) Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert 6) The Essence of Happiness by Dalai Lama 7) The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard Davidson 8) Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Riccard Invitation: To celebrate International Happiness Day with us please pop by our office on Tuesday 20th March 2018 and share with us what makes you happy on our cool “Happiness Wall”… we are situated next to Tuks FM… looking forward to seeing you soon!!! Thank you!!! Here’s to our greater collective Happiness….
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