WELLBEING: The Happiness Advantage

Transcription

1 WELLBEING: The Happiness Advantage Why is The Happiness Advantage so important? Not just knowing but applying the Happiness Advantage Principles that say when you are more happy and positive you overcome obstacles, and reverse bad habits. The more happy you are the more you become more efficient and productive, and make the most of opportunities. The happier you are the more you conquer your most ambitious goals, and reach your fullest potential. Do you believe the cultural message that says you become happy when you are successful? OR Do you accept the science that says you become more successful when you are more happy and positive? 1

2 Meditate Neuroscientists have found that monks who have spent years meditating actually grow their left prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain most responsible for feeling happy. But don't worry you don't have to spend years meditating. Just take five minutes each day to watch your breath go in and out, while you do so try to remain patient, if you find your mind drifting slowly bring it back to focus on the breath. Meditation takes practice and is one of the most powerful happiness interventions. Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating we experience feelings of calm and contentment as well as heightened awareness and empathy. Also research has shown that regular meditation can permanently rewire the brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress and improve immune function. Take 60 seconds now to meditate with me. Look forward to something Studies found that people who just thought about watching their favourite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27%. Often, the most enjoyable part of an activity is the anticipation. If you can't take the time for a vacation right now or even a night out with friends put something on the calendar even if it's a month or a year down the road. Then whenever you need a boost of happiness, remind yourself about it. Anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centers in your brain as much as the actual reward will. Okay pause this video. Get your calendar and schedule something enjoyable you will look forward to in the future. Be sure to come back to me! 2

3 Commit conscious acts of kindness A long line of research including one study of over 2000 people, has shown that acts of kindness - giving to friends and strangers alike decrease stress and strongly contribute to enhanced mental health. The studies have also found that individuals told to complete five acts of kindness over the course of the day, report feeling much happier than the control groups (those told to do either one act of kindness or no act of kindness in the day). People reported that this increased happiness lasted for many days after the exercises were over. Try this yourself, pick one day a week and make a point of committing five acts of kindness. If you want to reap the psychological benefit, make sure you do these things deliberately and consciously. You can't just look back over the last 24 hours and say, yeah I held the door open for that person that was nice. The acts of kindness don t have to be big things. Small things like saying hello or thank you, sending someone a nice message etc. Infuse positivity Your physical environment can have an enormous impact on your mindset and sense of wellbeing. You may not have complete control of your surroundings but you can make specific efforts to infuse them with positivity. Photos of loved ones around your room is an example. Making time to go outside on a nice day also delivers a huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory. You can also change your surroundings to reduce negative emotions. For example turning off the TV when the news is on is a start! For that matter you might try watching less TV in general; studies have shown that the less negative TV we watch, specifically violent media, the happier we are. 3

4 What s one thing you can do OR stop doing to infuse your surroundings with positivity? Exercise To recap, the benefits of exercise are: 1) Boosting mood and enhancing work performance. 2) Improving motivation and feelings of mastery. 3) Reducing stress and anxiety. 4) Helping you get into that state of flow. Now to the study: 3 groups of depressed patients were assigned to different coping strategies - one group took anti depressant medication, one group exercised for 45 minutes three times a week, and one group did a combination of both. After four months, all three groups experienced similar improvements in happiness. The very fact that exercise proved just as helpful as antidepressants is remarkable, but the story doesn t end here. The groups were then tested six months later to assess their relapse rate. Of those who had taken medication alone, 38% had slipped back into depression. Those in the combination group were doing only slightly better, with 31 % relapse rate. The biggest shock though came from the exercise group. Their relapse rate was only 9%! In short, physical activity is not just an incredibly powerful mood lifter, but a long- lasting one. Walk, bike, play, stretch, skip, it doesn t matter as long as you get moving. If you have lots of exercise going on in your life - congratulations! If you don t then you can t listen to what I ve just said and still not include it in your daily routines. So how can you get more exercise or movement in your life? 4

5 ... Money Experiences V Material goods Contrary to popular saying, money can buy happiness, but only if use it to do things as opposed to simply having things. In his book luxury fever Robert Frank explains that while the positive feelings we get from material objects are frustratingly fleeting, spending money on experiences, especially ones with other people, produces positive emotions that are both more meaningful and more lasting. For example researchers interviewed more than 150 people about their recent purchases, they found that money spent on activities - such as concerts and group dinners out - brought far more pleasure than material purchases like shoes, televisions, or expensive watches. Spending money on other people, called prosocial spending, also boosts happiness. In one experiment, 46 students were given $20 to spend. The students who were told to spend the money on others (for instance, by treating a friend to lunch, buying a toy for your sister, or donating to charity) were more happier at the end of the day than the ones who had been instructed to spend money on themselves. What do you spend your money on? Make a list in the handout for this topic. List on one side the money you spend on things and on the other the money you spend on experiences. Do you need to reapportion some of that money to experiences rather than things? 5

6 Action for you to take right NOW: Choose one of these strategies to focus on: 1. Meditate 2. Infuse positivity in your surroundings 3. Exercise 4. Find something to look forward to 5. Commit Conscious Acts of Kindness 6. Spend Money on Experiences rather than things Now that you have decided on one of the 6 happiness strategies when and where will you begin. Make a plan. 6