A3: Individual Written Assignment
Katep50
HappinessLonSession2.pdf
The Science of Happiness and Well-Being
What Actually Makes Us Happy!
Day 2
Cantril Ladder
For more info, click on • Gallup logo • Hadley Cantril picture
1. Much is in our hands (Sonja Lyubomirsky):
• It’s not all genetics or circumstances 2. Miswanting (Dan Gilbert): being mistaken about what we will like
in the future and how much we will like it
Insight #3 - Why Received Wisdom is Wrong! Wrong goals! Many things we think will make us happy, won’t!
Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850– 1909), designed these circles
Unhelpful Wiring #2 a Our minds work “relatively” and not in absolute terms –
Reference Points Relative to Ourselves
Image courtesy Wikipedia
Image: FI by Design
Hedonic Adaptation Curve
Miswanting – Dan Gilbert Miswanting comes from Affective Forecasting
• People sometimes make mistakes about how much they will like something in the future.
• People also often mis- predict the duration of their good and bad feelings.
(adapted from the American Psychological Association)
Course Topics – where are we?
§ Introduction to Happiness Concepts § Received Notions of Happiness - How They Steer us Wrong! § What Actually Makes Us Happy! § Social Connection, Compassion and Kindness § Gratitude, Savoring and Spirituality § Resiliency and Mindfulness § Awe, Wonder, Narrative, Laughter and Play § Setting Goals and Charting One's Own Path to Happiness
Positive things
1. Lots of money and nice things
2. Great looks and body
3. Be loved by a fantastic person
4. Great job
5. (School) Great GPA
What people report will make them happy
Negative things
1. Revenge against somebody who hurt us
What salary do you need (to be happy)?
Financial Desires
Source: College Freshman Survey
Positive things
1. Lots of money and nice things
2. Great looks and body
3. Be loved by a fantastic person
4. Great job
5. (School) Great GPA
Wrong goals from Received Wisdom! Many things we think will make us happy, actually will not!
Negative things
1. Revenge against somebody who hurt us
• Pleasant life • Engaged life • Meaningful life
Insight #4 – The Good Life Three different happy lives!
• What is a pleasant life? • A pleasant life by itself cannot make a
complete happy life:
• As Sonja Lyubomirsky said, 50% of our how we feel comes from our predisposition (genes).
• Also, as we saw, positive emotion “habituates” – we get used to stuff.
Pleasant Life Maximize Positive Emotion; Minimize Negative Emotion
The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
• A life engrossed in your hobby, work, parenting, something!
• Aristotle’s Eudaemonia - “flourishing”
Is it possible to have an engaged life that is not pleasant?
Engaged Life or Flow Time Stops for You!
Flow: a state of consciousness in which people experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. Flow can be controlled, not just left to chance.
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow: Deep Engagement
Flow: Productive and Enjoyable Practice
• Complete Concentration on Task • Clarity of Goals and Immediate Feedback • Transformation of Time • Intrinsically Rewarding Experience • Effortlessness and Ease • Balance between Challenge and Skill • Actions and Awareness merge (Beyond Ego) • Feeling of Control over Task
Group Discussion
- Discuss 2 activities for “Anxiety”, “Boredom”, and particularly “Flow”
- Share 2-3 activities from your “Flow” state to larger group
Flow & Personality Type
• https://www.psychologyjunkie.com/2019/09/09/how-to-reach-a-flow- state-based-on-your-personality-type/
Flow at Work
A meaningful life has to do with the purpose, significance, fulfillment, and satisfaction of life. While specific theories vary, there are two common aspects: a global schema to understand one's life and the belief that life itself is meaningful. [Wikipedia]
Meaningful Life A life in service of something that is bigger than yourself !
Is it possible to have a meaningful life that is not pleasant?
A meaningful life has to do with the purpose, significance, fulfillment, and satisfaction of life. While specific theories vary, there are two common aspects: a global schema to understand one's life and the belief that life itself is meaningful. [Wikipedia]
• Understand your own character strengths. Use your strengths to “belong to something”, ”serve something bigger than yourself ”.
Meaningful Life A life in service of something that is bigger than yourself !
Is it possible to have a meaningful life that is not pleasant?
The Science of Happiness and Well-Being Find your Character Strengths – VIA Character Survey
Top Character Strengths Date
My Top 5 Strengths
• Love of Learning • Creativity, Ingenuity, and Originality • Modesty and Humility • Perspective Wisdom • Judgement, Critical Thinking and Open-Mindedness
Better Wanting Transitioning from Miswanting to Better Wanting
Better Wanting
• Time Affluence • Controlling One’s Mind • Social Connection • Kindness • Exercise • Sleep
Miswanting
• Lots of money and nice things • Great looks and body • Be loved by a fantastic person • Great job • (School) Great GPA
Miswanting items can make us happy too, if we have the right attitudes.
