THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HAPPINESS D A Y 4 T H E M E A N I N G F U L L I F E

Transcription

1 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HAPPINESS D A Y 4 T H E M E A N I N G F U L L I F E

2 HOMEWORK DISCUSSION:

3 SELF-ASSESSMENT True or False: 1. There is no evidence that meditation provides physiological benefits. 2. Meditation can be done while folding laundry. 3. A characteristic of being in a state of flow is unity between self and activity where the self seems to disappear. 4. Flow states have been often reported while a person is performing activities at work (job). 5. Flow states have been often reported while a person is relaxing at a beach.

4 REVIEW: THE GOOD LIFE Engagement with the World & Satisfaction in Daily Life Meditation & Mindfulness Finding Flow

5 REVIEW: HOW TO FIND FLOW 1. Set Clear Goals 2. Follow Intrinsic Motivation (Authenticity) 3.?

6 HOW TO ENTER FLOW: 3. FINDING A BALANCE Find a balance between skills and challenge.

7 CONDITIONS FOR FLOW COMFORT ZONE STRETCH ZONE Scaffolding may be put in place to support weaker students in achieving FLOW in their work PANIC ZONE Tal Ben-Shahar (2007) This area equates to Lev Vygotsky s Zone of Proximal Development/Learning (Vygotsky, 1978) 8

8 ACTIVITY Identify an activity that is challenging. What can be done to make it less challenging?

9 ACTIVITY Identify an activity that is not challenging. What can be done to make it challenging?

10 THE FACTORY WORKER CASE STUDY

11 REVIEW: HOW TO FIND FLOW 1. Set Clear Goals 2. Follow Intrinsic Motivation (Authenticity) 3. Find a Balance Between Skills and Challenges.

12 WHAT THE CLASS IS ABOUT? 1. The Pleasurable Life Happiness related to the quality of one s emotions. 2. The Good Life Happiness related to the quality of one s engagement with the world; satisfaction. 3. The Meaningful Life Happiness related to one s sense of purposeful living.

13 DAY 4: THE MEANINGFUL LIFE Living a life full of purpose and meaning. Why do so many in Western Culture feel such a lack of meaning and purpose? Three Aspects

14 1. LIFE S PURPOSE Not purpose of life, but purpose within life. Life of ritual & myth provided clear purpose and roles in life.

15 LACK OF PURPOSE WITHIN LIFE: THE CURSE OF FREEDOM & CHOICE?

16 C - Conditions of Living WHAT PURPOSE? Worksheet: Which conditions do you think have a strongly correlation to our levels of happiness? a) Living in a democracy b) Being in a committed relationship c) Having more education d) Having a strong social network e) Being religious f) Living in a place with good weather g) Good appearance/beauty h) Being healthy i) Having more money

17 C - Conditions of Living WHAT PURPOSE? Worksheet: Which conditions do you think have a strongly correlation to our levels of happiness? a) Living in a democracy b) Being in a committed relationship c) Having more education d) Having a strong social network e) Being religious f) Living in a place with good weather g) Good appearance/beauty h) Being healthy i) Having more money

18 PURPOSE WITHIN LIFE: CHOOSE OUR OWN PURPOSE 1) Goals in line with your character strengths, virtues, inherent skills & natural intelligence. Makes one s activities more authentic and more in line with one s true nature. 2) Self-Concordant Goals These goals are usually about growth, connection, contribution. 3) Goals of Altruism and Giving Doing for others has been shown to be more effective in raising one s happiness than accomplishing something for one s self.

19 2. A LIFE THAT MATTERS Not just what matters in life, but living a life that matters. Ellen Langer Study Nursing home residents were separated into two groups. One group chose plant to take care of, where to place it, and how much water to give it. 1 ½ years later, the plant group was not only more cheerful and alert, but had less then half as many deaths as the control (non-plant) group.

20 LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS Humans and many mammals have a basic drive to make things happen. Psychologist Robert White Effectance Motives Basic need for competence, industry, mastery Need for an Internal Locus of Control: the feeling that our actions matter in our lives and the feeling that we have some control. Knowing that one s actions matter and feeling some level of mastery has a profound effect on well-being. How important is this? What are consequences of those who do not experience an internal locus of control?

21 LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS: THE NEED FOR MASTERY From Their Journals Victims of bullying. Felt helpless as students and teachers allowed it to happen. They mentioned how they would like to leave a lasting impression on the world with this kind of violence

22 LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS: THE NEED FOR MASTERY Issue # 1: Not Appreciating Simple Experiences of Control Victor Frankl Jewish Psychiatrist Man s Search for Meaning

23 LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS: THE NEED FOR MASTERY Issue # 2: Focusing on Unrealistic Expectations James Stockdale POW in Vietnam war for over 7 years! The optimists died first.

24 LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS: THE NEED FOR MASTERY Issue # 3: Failing to Realize One s Mastery The Zorro Circle

25 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING Not the meaning of life, but living a life full of meaning.

26 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING How many different ways can you experience the world? It s sunny outside.

27 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING How do you experience the world? The sun sliced through the windshield, sealing me in light. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth on my eyelids. Sunlight traveled a long distance to reach this planet; an infinitesimal portion of that sunlight was enough to warm my eyelids. I was moved. That something as insignificant as an eyelid had its place in the workings on the universe, that the cosmic order did not overlook this momentary fact. Haruki Murakami

28 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING Why do some people see the world as meaningful and alive,

29 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING while others experience a dull, meaningless world? One issue is that because of sensory adaptation, we become habituated to the world.

30 3. LIVING A LIFE FULL OF MEANING The second issue might have to do with our hemispheres.

31 Three large people try to crowd under one small umbrella, but nobody gets wet. How is this possible?

32 Man Holding Brick What happens if he lets it go?

33 LIVING A MEANINGFUL LIFE Left Hemisphere Literal Literal. One meanings/perspectives at a time. Discrete, parts Stores learned information. Using our skills. Less active when we are young, more active the older we get. Right Hemisphere Meaningful Figurative, Metaphorical Holds multiple meanings and multiple perspectives. Can image the whole. Critical for learning something new Learning our skills More active when we are young, less active as we get older.

34 LIVING A MEANINGFUL LIFE So what does this say about living a meaningful life? Human beings are natural meaning makers, but as we get older sensory adaptation and left hemisphere dominance limits us to one dominant perception of reality. Hence, life can become monotonous and monochrome.

35 HAPPINESS FROM NEAR DEATH Happiness from those who near death Those who survive from near death experiences Those who survive from critical illnesses Why more happy? They have a greater perspective in which to appreciate being alive -- the beauty of every single moment -- and do not make mountains out of mole hills.

36 LIVING A MEANINGFUL LIFE The solution? Through mindful practice, practice seeing the world with fresh eyes. Allow yourself to experience the world through as many different perspectives ( stories ) as possible to expand your access to meaning. Poetic, mythic, scientific, spiritual, religious perspectives all may be necessary

37 LIVING A MEANINGFUL LIFE Poetry Science Spirituality Folklore Religion Reality Mythology

38 MEANING-FULL LIFE How do you experience the world? How many ways can this be perceived? Can you re-enchant your world.

39 IN CONCLUSION While people believe they are searching for meaning and purpose, maybe their search (just like the search for happiness in general) is misguided. People say that we re searching for the meaning of life. I don t think that s it at all. I think that what we re seeking is an experience of being alive - Joseph Campbell And this is fully within our grasp at every moment of our lives.