practical happiness

Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth
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From a lecture given at Randolph-Macon College by Dr. Ed Diener.

I couldn’t afford the book at the time, but the lecture was magnificent.

Benefits of Happiness: Health and Longevity
Positive Feelings:

• Stronger Immune System
• Healthier Cardiovascular System
• Better Health Behaviors
  (You take care of yourself better when you are happy. People who harbor pain tend to damage or neglect themselves more.)

Benefits of Happiness Revisited

• Better relationships
• Better citizens
• Better health and longevity
• Higher Income

Happiness is a virtue!!
It is your duty!
Not a self-centered pleasure.

Unhappiness is a problem for you and those around you.

Happy Organizations*

• Require less health care.
• Are more creative.
• Give more social support to each other.
• Engender greater citizenship amongst co-workers.
  (Work together better, are more engaged in and loyal to the parent organization.)

* If there really is a universal metaphor fractal scaling law, then this includes: happy social groups, happy countries, happy planets…

GOVERNMENTS, CITIZENS, MEDIA OUTLETS: Please take note! It would behoove you to do what you can to make people more happy.

Balanced Attitude About Money

• Above a certain amount, it makes little difference to happiness.*
• People who desire money too much may unwisely sacrifice in other areas.

*“The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread but mostly illusory,” the researchers wrote. “People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities.”

(Once you get past a certain monetary level, it is UNPRODUCTIVE to get any wealthier. You require far more resources per happiness index gained. Full pockets, empty hearts.)

Toxic Effects of Materialism

• Love versus money on the plane of Life Satisfaction
• Higher focus on love and less on money = MORE life satisfaction
• Higher focus on money and less on love = LESS life satisfaction

The Positivity Habit

• The negativity habit
  • Correcting people, criticizing, punishing, etc.
• Positivity is a learned habit
  • It takes practice
  • Connects you to others
  • Focuses your attention on the positives in life

It isn’t enough to only say HALF positive things and HALF negative things. The negative ones are more impactful, lasting, damaging. People who are in (and broadcast to others) a state of happiness SAY AT LEAST TWICE AS MANY POSITIVE STATEMENTS as negatives.

(There is no doubt that some negatives, criticisms, or suggestions can be necessary, but they can be offset or buffered by love/compassion.)

Meaning and Purpose

• Happier people have goals that are LARGER than the self
• Versus people with goals that are hedonistic, self-indulgent

Spirituality n. (broadly defined) positive emotions that connect a person to something larger than self

For instance:

• Gratitude
• Awe
• Love
• Praise

Conclusions

• Happiness is good for you AND your fellow citizen, your business, your country, and your world
• Happiness can help you function better BOTH medically, motivationally, and psychologically

Develop Yourself!

• Develop the positivity habit
• Don’t sacrifice relationships for money
• Practice “spiritual” emotions (meaning: emotions larger than the SELF/EGO)
• Have meaning and purpose larger than oneself