JOURNEY OF HAPPINESS
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
What to do when you hate your job
August 3, 2010, By Avril David, Forbes.com
It takes four simple steps to figure out the solution, and put you on the path to career bliss.
In the past year I've spoken to dozens of people who've been facing quarter and mid-life crises. Simply put, they hate their jobs. And given that we tend to spend most of our waking hours at our jobs, they kind of hate their lives, too.
Dreading going to work isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, but nowadays it's made worse by the uncertainty of the job market, the intense need for security and the fear of the unknown. You find many people trapped in jobs that they hate, afraid to take a chance on something new and desperate to keep up with loan and credit card payments.
The key to happiness
If you feel you need a change, your best bet may be to seek a way to align what you do with who are - who you really are - while still earning a paycheck. You might, say, value efficiency above all else, or you might have a talent for working with children, but whatever it is, when you coordinate what you do with your values and strengths, you tend to be happier with your job.
That said, if you're currently an investment banker and miserable, it doesn't mean you should join the Salvation Army simply because it's the opposite of what you're doing. Chances are that's not really you either. Instead, try to think about what you expected to love before you started the job and about what's making you hate it now. Maybe you love learning how businesses work, but you're brought down by the abstractness of what you do or the lousy hours. Maybe you'd rather work in one of the industries you now just keep up with.
Aligning what you do with who you are can be as simple as finding a niche at your current workplace that allows you to flourish and build on your strengths. It's simply about doing something that interests you, matters to you and makes use of your strengths, every day.
Try out these four steps for finding that alignment in your work. I call them IDEA, for Identify, Define, Experiment and Align.
Identify
Identify yourself. What are your values? What are your strengths? What are the possibilities for what you could be? What drew you to your current position? What's pushing you away from it? Make lists of these things, and then pare them down to the essentials.
Define
Define your goal. Start to come in a bit from the big picture of possibilities, and begin to define the kind of role or environment that best suits you. Then see if you can come up with a new possibility to test out.
Experiment
Experiment with the idea of your new possibility. Talk to people who have done similar work. Ask them how they got there and if there's anything they would have done differently. See if you can try out something new at your current job along those lines. If at any point it all doesn't seem right, start the process over.
Align
Align what you do with who you are. Come up with a strategy for transitioning from the job (or role) you hate to the job (or role) you expect to love.
If you use this process to figure out what you want to do and find that what you really want to do isn't quite as prestigious or lucrative as what you're currently doing, consider two things:
First, the fact that we don't all want to do the same thing is great. Actually, thank goodness for that. If everyone were a financier, who would cater my wedding? Worse, if everyone were a performance artist, who would pull my wisdom teeth? That may sound a bit selfish, but the point is that we'd all be a lot happier if we let go of what we're "supposed" to do and allowed ourselves the freedom to do what suits us best and what we're good at. Everyone's work makes a contribution in some way, and we all end up benefiting from that. Why else should we all have unique strengths, likes and dislikes?
Second, you don't necessarily have to forsake your earning potential to do what you love. Welcome to the digital age. There are tons of ways to make money doing what you love, using a variety of social media tools to win new clients, buyers or followers and improve your chances of financial success.
Secure your own success
There are new ways to find and collaborate with people to learn more, create more and earn more. I know a former office worker who now has her own yoga empire. She made it successful largely by building a network of dedicated followers online and developing and marketing her own yoga website.
Continuing to work in an office could have gotten her to be well paid in a respectable profession, but it simply wouldn't have been who she is - and she wanted to align what she does with who she is. Don't we all?
August 3, 2010, By Avril David, Forbes.com
It takes four simple steps to figure out the solution, and put you on the path to career bliss.
In the past year I've spoken to dozens of people who've been facing quarter and mid-life crises. Simply put, they hate their jobs. And given that we tend to spend most of our waking hours at our jobs, they kind of hate their lives, too.
Dreading going to work isn't new by any stretch of the imagination, but nowadays it's made worse by the uncertainty of the job market, the intense need for security and the fear of the unknown. You find many people trapped in jobs that they hate, afraid to take a chance on something new and desperate to keep up with loan and credit card payments.
The key to happiness
If you feel you need a change, your best bet may be to seek a way to align what you do with who are - who you really are - while still earning a paycheck. You might, say, value efficiency above all else, or you might have a talent for working with children, but whatever it is, when you coordinate what you do with your values and strengths, you tend to be happier with your job.
That said, if you're currently an investment banker and miserable, it doesn't mean you should join the Salvation Army simply because it's the opposite of what you're doing. Chances are that's not really you either. Instead, try to think about what you expected to love before you started the job and about what's making you hate it now. Maybe you love learning how businesses work, but you're brought down by the abstractness of what you do or the lousy hours. Maybe you'd rather work in one of the industries you now just keep up with.
Aligning what you do with who you are can be as simple as finding a niche at your current workplace that allows you to flourish and build on your strengths. It's simply about doing something that interests you, matters to you and makes use of your strengths, every day.
Try out these four steps for finding that alignment in your work. I call them IDEA, for Identify, Define, Experiment and Align.
Identify
Identify yourself. What are your values? What are your strengths? What are the possibilities for what you could be? What drew you to your current position? What's pushing you away from it? Make lists of these things, and then pare them down to the essentials.
Define
Define your goal. Start to come in a bit from the big picture of possibilities, and begin to define the kind of role or environment that best suits you. Then see if you can come up with a new possibility to test out.
Experiment
Experiment with the idea of your new possibility. Talk to people who have done similar work. Ask them how they got there and if there's anything they would have done differently. See if you can try out something new at your current job along those lines. If at any point it all doesn't seem right, start the process over.
Align
Align what you do with who you are. Come up with a strategy for transitioning from the job (or role) you hate to the job (or role) you expect to love.
If you use this process to figure out what you want to do and find that what you really want to do isn't quite as prestigious or lucrative as what you're currently doing, consider two things:
First, the fact that we don't all want to do the same thing is great. Actually, thank goodness for that. If everyone were a financier, who would cater my wedding? Worse, if everyone were a performance artist, who would pull my wisdom teeth? That may sound a bit selfish, but the point is that we'd all be a lot happier if we let go of what we're "supposed" to do and allowed ourselves the freedom to do what suits us best and what we're good at. Everyone's work makes a contribution in some way, and we all end up benefiting from that. Why else should we all have unique strengths, likes and dislikes?
Second, you don't necessarily have to forsake your earning potential to do what you love. Welcome to the digital age. There are tons of ways to make money doing what you love, using a variety of social media tools to win new clients, buyers or followers and improve your chances of financial success.
Secure your own success
There are new ways to find and collaborate with people to learn more, create more and earn more. I know a former office worker who now has her own yoga empire. She made it successful largely by building a network of dedicated followers online and developing and marketing her own yoga website.
Continuing to work in an office could have gotten her to be well paid in a respectable profession, but it simply wouldn't have been who she is - and she wanted to align what she does with who she is. Don't we all?
Chocolate find smells like a theory
Lucy Tobin April 8, 2010. Sydney Morning Herald
JUST before you ripped into your Easter egg at the weekend, did you take a moment to have a good sniff of the unwrapped egg?
While just eating chocolate is enough to put most of us in a good frame of mind, latest research suggests "odour du chocolat" – just the smell of it – can improve your mood.
This happy news comes from the Human Olfaction Laboratory at Middlesex University, where Neil Martin, a reader in psychology, investigates the effects of room smells on human behaviour. In his laboratory Martin has a square box called an AromaCube, which heats up "odorants" and percolates the smell around the room.
From that box, he discovered the power of chocolate in an experiment where he filled rooms with three smells, one of chocolate, a "malodour" of machine oil, which most people find unpleasant, and a lemony, pleasant-but-alerting odour, then monitored testers' moods.
"The aim was to compare the effects of pleasant and unpleasant ambient odours on stress, anxiety, depression and mood," Martin explains. "And whilst we're still continuing the experiment, so far it seems that the smell of chocolate really does make people less stressed and anxious, and more relaxed."
Chocoholics will also be pleased to hear about some of Martin's earlier research. "In another study we looked at the effect of chocolate on brain activity," he says. "We presented people with a range of smells, some artificial food odours and some real food odours, with both samples including chocolate." Martin used EEG (electroencephalography) technology to record his participants' brain waves as they sniffed the air, and found that in both experiments, the chocolate smell consistently led to a reduction in a particular type of brain activity called theta, which is thought to be an index of attentiveness. "Theta levels dropped significantly across both indexes when testers smelled chocolate."
The experiment also shows there is no need for chocolate snobbery. "I know connoisseurs say posh chocolate, with a higher cocoa content, is better for your health, and it might be in some ways, but when it comes to the smell of chocolate and its resultant relaxing effect, we found it was the same however much milk the bar contains," Martin says.
But some of his other scent findings provide more significant practical effects. "Scent can affect employment," he says.
One study found that a combination of perfume and formal dress worn by an applicant led interviewers to rate them as less warm, more manipulative and less appointable. And Martin has shown people perform less well on cognitive tasks and report more symptoms of ill health when smelling a "bad" smell.
As a result, Martin says people should be aware of their "olfactory environment" to control their feelings. "People can use scents to improve alertness, well-being and anxiety," he says. "For example, another study showed that women in a dentist's waiting room that had been scented with orange reported less anxiety than those in an unscented counterpart."
In another experiment Martin and his team set up PlayStations loaded with a car rally game to test the effect of a lemon smell on driving ability. Martin invited men and women to play the game on three different levels and in three different environments, one in an odourless room, one smelling of lemon, and one of machine oil.
"We found that participants were consistently able to brake more safely and appropriately in the presence of the lemon scent," Martin reports. "It's perhaps because the smell is citrusy and alerting, and suggests that dangling a lemon-smelling air freshener in the car could make you a better driver."
But as Martin's use of words like "citrusy" shows, the psychology of smells is hard to pin down because they are so tough to describe. "The problem is, science doesn't really understand smells. We have vague terms for them, and say things like "it smells like this or that", but we don't have chemical terms for most odours. I think all the answers ... will come down to chemistry one day, but we haven't yet got to that level."
One thing is certain, however. The effects of smell tend to be short-lived. "We get used to odours very quickly," Martin explains. "After a while the odour disappears because we become habituated to it."
Guardian News & Media
While just eating chocolate is enough to put most of us in a good frame of mind, latest research suggests "odour du chocolat" – just the smell of it – can improve your mood.
This happy news comes from the Human Olfaction Laboratory at Middlesex University, where Neil Martin, a reader in psychology, investigates the effects of room smells on human behaviour. In his laboratory Martin has a square box called an AromaCube, which heats up "odorants" and percolates the smell around the room.
From that box, he discovered the power of chocolate in an experiment where he filled rooms with three smells, one of chocolate, a "malodour" of machine oil, which most people find unpleasant, and a lemony, pleasant-but-alerting odour, then monitored testers' moods.
"The aim was to compare the effects of pleasant and unpleasant ambient odours on stress, anxiety, depression and mood," Martin explains. "And whilst we're still continuing the experiment, so far it seems that the smell of chocolate really does make people less stressed and anxious, and more relaxed."
Chocoholics will also be pleased to hear about some of Martin's earlier research. "In another study we looked at the effect of chocolate on brain activity," he says. "We presented people with a range of smells, some artificial food odours and some real food odours, with both samples including chocolate." Martin used EEG (electroencephalography) technology to record his participants' brain waves as they sniffed the air, and found that in both experiments, the chocolate smell consistently led to a reduction in a particular type of brain activity called theta, which is thought to be an index of attentiveness. "Theta levels dropped significantly across both indexes when testers smelled chocolate."
The experiment also shows there is no need for chocolate snobbery. "I know connoisseurs say posh chocolate, with a higher cocoa content, is better for your health, and it might be in some ways, but when it comes to the smell of chocolate and its resultant relaxing effect, we found it was the same however much milk the bar contains," Martin says.
But some of his other scent findings provide more significant practical effects. "Scent can affect employment," he says.
One study found that a combination of perfume and formal dress worn by an applicant led interviewers to rate them as less warm, more manipulative and less appointable. And Martin has shown people perform less well on cognitive tasks and report more symptoms of ill health when smelling a "bad" smell.
As a result, Martin says people should be aware of their "olfactory environment" to control their feelings. "People can use scents to improve alertness, well-being and anxiety," he says. "For example, another study showed that women in a dentist's waiting room that had been scented with orange reported less anxiety than those in an unscented counterpart."
In another experiment Martin and his team set up PlayStations loaded with a car rally game to test the effect of a lemon smell on driving ability. Martin invited men and women to play the game on three different levels and in three different environments, one in an odourless room, one smelling of lemon, and one of machine oil.
"We found that participants were consistently able to brake more safely and appropriately in the presence of the lemon scent," Martin reports. "It's perhaps because the smell is citrusy and alerting, and suggests that dangling a lemon-smelling air freshener in the car could make you a better driver."
But as Martin's use of words like "citrusy" shows, the psychology of smells is hard to pin down because they are so tough to describe. "The problem is, science doesn't really understand smells. We have vague terms for them, and say things like "it smells like this or that", but we don't have chemical terms for most odours. I think all the answers ... will come down to chemistry one day, but we haven't yet got to that level."
One thing is certain, however. The effects of smell tend to be short-lived. "We get used to odours very quickly," Martin explains. "After a while the odour disappears because we become habituated to it."
Guardian News & Media
WHAT MAKES US HAPPY
So, what has science learned about what makes the human heart sing? More than one might imagine--along with some surprising things about what doesn't ring our inner chimes. Take wealth, for instance, and all the delightful things that money can buy. Research by Diener, among others, has shown that once your basic needs are met, additional income does little to raise your sense of satisfaction with life (see story on page A32). A good education? Sorry, Mom and Dad, neither education nor, for that matter, a high IQ paves the road to happiness. Youth? No, again. In fact, older people are more consistently satisfied with their lives than the young. And they're less prone to dark moods: a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people ages 20 to 24 are sad for an average of 3.4 days a month, as opposed to just 2.3 days for people ages 65 to 74. Marriage? A complicated picture: married people are generally happier than singles, but that may be because they were happier to begin with (see page A37). Sunny days? Nope, although a 1998 study showed that Midwesterners think folks living in balmy California are happier and that Californians incorrectly believe this about themselves too.
On the positive side, religious faith seems to genuinely lift the spirit, though it's tough to tell whether it's the God part or the community aspect that does the heavy lifting. Friends? A giant yes. A 2002 study conducted at the University of Illinois by Diener and Seligman found that the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them. "Word needs to be spread," concludes Diener. "It is important to work on social skills, close interpersonal ties and social support in order to be happy."
As seen on www.Time.com
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1015902-2,00.html#ixzz0j9US64Ug
So, what has science learned about what makes the human heart sing? More than one might imagine--along with some surprising things about what doesn't ring our inner chimes. Take wealth, for instance, and all the delightful things that money can buy. Research by Diener, among others, has shown that once your basic needs are met, additional income does little to raise your sense of satisfaction with life (see story on page A32). A good education? Sorry, Mom and Dad, neither education nor, for that matter, a high IQ paves the road to happiness. Youth? No, again. In fact, older people are more consistently satisfied with their lives than the young. And they're less prone to dark moods: a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people ages 20 to 24 are sad for an average of 3.4 days a month, as opposed to just 2.3 days for people ages 65 to 74. Marriage? A complicated picture: married people are generally happier than singles, but that may be because they were happier to begin with (see page A37). Sunny days? Nope, although a 1998 study showed that Midwesterners think folks living in balmy California are happier and that Californians incorrectly believe this about themselves too.
On the positive side, religious faith seems to genuinely lift the spirit, though it's tough to tell whether it's the God part or the community aspect that does the heavy lifting. Friends? A giant yes. A 2002 study conducted at the University of Illinois by Diener and Seligman found that the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them. "Word needs to be spread," concludes Diener. "It is important to work on social skills, close interpersonal ties and social support in order to be happy."
As seen on www.Time.com
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1015902-2,00.html#ixzz0j9US64Ug
In search of happiness
It means different things to different people, but are we all capable of it?
By Dawn Fratangelo Correspondent NBC Mon., March. 5, 2007
NEW YORK - Something somewhere is bound to make you smile, to trigger a happy thought, be it money, puppies, chocolate, the beach. But what's the secret to happiness? And are some more likely to possess it than others?We asked the man known as Dr. Happiness — University of Illinois professor Ed Diener.
"There's a genetic influence on happiness," Diener says. "That means that our genes influence to some degree how happy we are. But also, our attitudes, our social relationships, what happens to us in life matters a lot too."
Diener is the leading researcher on the subject. He says there are three main keys to happiness, the most influential being relationships.Happy people are more likely to get married. And once they are, they're happier than unmarried folks. But any meaningful connection can matter.
"People who are in committed relationships, people who are friends, nuns who never get married but have lots of friends, all these individuals can also be happy," Diener says.
Those who lose a spouse or partner or those who lose their jobs can experience the biggest change in happiness.
Besides relationships, other important factors include goals and ideas — that feeling of inspiration you get when a light bulb goes on. But it can be fleeting. That's why one law firm created a "happiness committee" — a secret group of employees who give out gifts and other perks to brighten the workday."People need something to reward them and to recognize what they're doing, and we hope that by doing these small gestures we're contributing to that, says Chris Wilson with Perkins Coie in Chicago.
The environment is also an influence — like a laughing class — the premise is laughter. No jokes, no alcohol, just belly laughs. It's contagious, and it certainly makes those who participate appear to be happy.
But is this just faking it?
"There is this saying that says, 'If you want to be happy, act happy,'" Diener says.
He says most everyone wants happiness — it ranks above money and health among college students. The key is finding the things that make you happy and keep you that way.
"There's a genetic influence on happiness," Diener says. "That means that our genes influence to some degree how happy we are. But also, our attitudes, our social relationships, what happens to us in life matters a lot too."
Diener is the leading researcher on the subject. He says there are three main keys to happiness, the most influential being relationships.Happy people are more likely to get married. And once they are, they're happier than unmarried folks. But any meaningful connection can matter.
"People who are in committed relationships, people who are friends, nuns who never get married but have lots of friends, all these individuals can also be happy," Diener says.
Those who lose a spouse or partner or those who lose their jobs can experience the biggest change in happiness.
Besides relationships, other important factors include goals and ideas — that feeling of inspiration you get when a light bulb goes on. But it can be fleeting. That's why one law firm created a "happiness committee" — a secret group of employees who give out gifts and other perks to brighten the workday."People need something to reward them and to recognize what they're doing, and we hope that by doing these small gestures we're contributing to that, says Chris Wilson with Perkins Coie in Chicago.
The environment is also an influence — like a laughing class — the premise is laughter. No jokes, no alcohol, just belly laughs. It's contagious, and it certainly makes those who participate appear to be happy.
But is this just faking it?
"There is this saying that says, 'If you want to be happy, act happy,'" Diener says.
He says most everyone wants happiness — it ranks above money and health among college students. The key is finding the things that make you happy and keep you that way.
Searching for happiness - how we count the ways
January 25, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald
By Safron Howden
FOR 60 seconds last night, at the behest of a Buddhist monk, 250 people sat in silence at the University of Sydney contemplating happiness.
The monk, Bhante Sujato, thought about gratitude, he told his audience when he broke the quiet reverie.
Seated next to him on the stage of The Great Hall, the former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop may have been pondering the absence of anxiety.
Professor Gallop quit politics in 2006 while battling depression. Last night he was moderating a Sydney Festival World Cafe discussion on happiness.
There was nothing quite like depression abating, he told the Sydney Morning Herald before the event. ''Moving out of a depressive state, the joy of that is enormous.''
Now director of Sydney University's Graduate School of Government, Professor Gallop said a couple of election wins also brought a smile: ''I think the moment where there's that sense of achievement - and certainly in politics that came with two election wins.''
He argued that public policy played a role in generating happiness. ''I don't think you can legislate for happiness, [but] there's a public policy element for happiness.''
A free society without poverty that encouraged its citizens to engage with their community and had a framework to care for the mentally ill was a good start, he said.
Last night guests switched tables eight times over the course of the evening to broach different questions with new people.
Among them was the NSW Governor, Marie Bashir, who shared with her fellow Cafe-goers feelings of happiness at the arrival of a healthy child, the beauty of the Blue Mountains, and tales of survival among the rubble in Haiti.
''The human endurance goes beyond the edict of the authorities. It raises your spirit no matter where you are,'' she said.
For others, happiness was as simple as finding a good parking spot, doing yoga or art classes, or gardening.
The World Database of Happiness records that Australians rank their satisfaction with life as 7.7 out of 10, making us one of the happier nations.
The database ranks Costa Ricans as the most satisfied people on average, followed by Danes, then the citizens of Iceland, Switzerland and Canada.
January 25, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald
By Safron Howden
FOR 60 seconds last night, at the behest of a Buddhist monk, 250 people sat in silence at the University of Sydney contemplating happiness.
The monk, Bhante Sujato, thought about gratitude, he told his audience when he broke the quiet reverie.
Seated next to him on the stage of The Great Hall, the former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop may have been pondering the absence of anxiety.
Professor Gallop quit politics in 2006 while battling depression. Last night he was moderating a Sydney Festival World Cafe discussion on happiness.
There was nothing quite like depression abating, he told the Sydney Morning Herald before the event. ''Moving out of a depressive state, the joy of that is enormous.''
Now director of Sydney University's Graduate School of Government, Professor Gallop said a couple of election wins also brought a smile: ''I think the moment where there's that sense of achievement - and certainly in politics that came with two election wins.''
He argued that public policy played a role in generating happiness. ''I don't think you can legislate for happiness, [but] there's a public policy element for happiness.''
A free society without poverty that encouraged its citizens to engage with their community and had a framework to care for the mentally ill was a good start, he said.
Last night guests switched tables eight times over the course of the evening to broach different questions with new people.
Among them was the NSW Governor, Marie Bashir, who shared with her fellow Cafe-goers feelings of happiness at the arrival of a healthy child, the beauty of the Blue Mountains, and tales of survival among the rubble in Haiti.
''The human endurance goes beyond the edict of the authorities. It raises your spirit no matter where you are,'' she said.
For others, happiness was as simple as finding a good parking spot, doing yoga or art classes, or gardening.
The World Database of Happiness records that Australians rank their satisfaction with life as 7.7 out of 10, making us one of the happier nations.
The database ranks Costa Ricans as the most satisfied people on average, followed by Danes, then the citizens of Iceland, Switzerland and Canada.
Happiness is . . . being Danish and enjoying life.
They are taxed more than any other country, yet they are among the world’s happiest people.
Times Online www.timesonline.co.uk July 31, 2007 by Barry Turner
In pursuit of the secret of true happiness I went to Denmark. Why Denmark? Because the social scientists say it is here, in northern climes, that we are most likely to find people who unashamedly confess to happiness. Surveys over 30 years have shown that the Danes score higher than any other Western country on measures of life satisfaction. Clearly, they know something we don’t. First impressions are of a country that works. The air is fresh, the streets are clean and the natives friendly. If there is a yob society, it is kept under wraps. There is a lot to be said for competence, as I discovered when my hotel shower delivered a stream of water at just the right temperature, a unique achievement in my experience.
If wealthy, superior Brits profess to be bored by a structured, well-ordered society it’s because they don’t have to worry about affording the best. The verdict of the not so well-off is likely to be more favourable to decent housing, a generously funded health service and cheap, efficient public transport.
But what of the cost?Danish taxes are among the highest in the world. How can the Danes hand over to the Government up to 59 per cent of their incomes and remain happy? But they do, and they are.
Professor Peter Gundelach, a sociologist at the University of Copenhagen, has one explanation. “It all goes back to the war with Germany nearly 150 years ago. We lost a third of our population and half of our territory. A small, near-bankrupt country with a powerful neighbour had two choices: to join the victor or establish a new identity.” The Danes chose to go it alone. No longer empire builders, they became community builders, creating a self-contained, egalitarian society that valued consensus more than confrontation.
“The critical word is ‘trust’,” says Henrik Dahl, a sociologist who has made a study of what makes the Danes tick. “You can see it in industry where management and labour work out problems together.” Hearing this, my mind drifted back 30 years to a television debate between a Danish business leader and Hugh (later Lord) Scanlon, then boss of the engineering union. The Dane was explaining how his employees were only too delighted when a new idea for raising productivity was introduced. Greater efficiency meant higher sales and more money all round. Scanlon, the Neanderthal man of British trade unionism, could only sit there open-mouthed. “That’s not the way we do things,” he managed to say. And you could almost hear the unison from a million drawing rooms: “More’s the pity!”
The trust in employers to do the decent thing extends to politicians who are generally reckoned to be trying their best for the country whatever party they represent. Henrik Dahl’s wife, a Social Democrat MP, currently in opposition, finds little enough to oppose since compromise deals are agreed well before they get to the floor of the Assembly. Again we hear “How boring” from those in the thick of our own combative politics, while forgetting that for many ordinary voters it is the lunatic and time-wasting antics of the House of Commons that induces cynicism and apathy.
In Britain taxation is a cause of unhappiness; in Denmark the optimistic assumption is that government revenue will be put to good purpose. “Tax is not seen as robbery so much as a social income,” says Gundelach. As a result, minimum standards are high and genuine poverty is hard to find. Equally, there are few symbols of great wealth.
“The Danes celebrate ordinariness,” I was told more than once. The super-rich keep a low profile. A pretty young waitress revealed that she was a college student in her final year earning money to go to America for more study. My companion smiled when I left a generous tip. Only later did he tell me that the girl’s family lived in a castle surrounded by several hundred acres of parkland. “She would never admit that to you, it would be too shameful.” I watched for the reaction of passers-by to the $5 million gin palace moored overnight in Copenhagen’s marina. Envious glances were heavily outnumbered by frowns of disapproval.
The celebration of ordinariness is a recipe for contentment, a Danish journalist told me. “As a country we have no great ambitions like coming out top in sport. The trouble with you British is that you can’t move on from being a world power. You still expect to win and when you don’t, the letdown is palpable. No wonder you’re unhappy.”
There is another dimension to Danish society that helps to explain the sense of wellbeing. It is the value they put on exclusivity. This is where first impressions can be misleading. The Danes are by nature a friendly lot, wonderfully convivial, particularly over a glass of ice-cold Carlsberg, but there is much that is essentially Danish and not open to outsiders. Invoking the reflections of a former British ambassador who had previously served in Africa, Gundelach sees the characteristics of a native tribe transposed to Scandinavia.
“We are a small, homogenous society, content to be ourselves but maybe a bit too self-regarding, which is why we don’t handle the immigrant communities very well. If they are not ready to adopt Danish ways, they are not very welcome.” This was confirmed when I talked to an Englishman abroad. Mark Oakley is an Anglican priest living in Copenhagen, where he carries the grand title of Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe.
“Exclusivity creates confidence,” he told me. “Every Dane knows what it is to be Danish. All those Danish flags and pennants you see on public buildings and in suburban gardens are less an assertion of national pride than a sign of metroism, like a club badge or tie. Friendliness to outsiders stops short of real friendship.” I had problems coming to terms with this. Denmark is so obviously an open society. With English as the favoured second language, as familiar to the hotdog saleswoman at Copenhagen Central Station as to the smart-suited banker, the Danes treat the world as their marketplace and are ever keen to strengthen commercial links with neighbouring countries. The ten-mile sweep of engineering elegance known as the Oresund Bridge connecting the Danish and Swedish mainlands is soon to be partnered by an even lengthier elevation over the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany. And, yes, Denmark is a fully paid-up member of the EU.
Even so, a whole raft of exceptions reinforces Danish exclusivity. For one thing there is no immediate prospect of joining the euro. For another, Denmark has negotiated some unlikely opt-out clauses, starting with tight control over the right to buy property. For rich foreigners casting acquisitive eyes at red-roofed farmhouses in lush, rolling countryside (the perfect holiday or retirement home) it comes as a shock to find that only Danish citizens can put in a bid.
It is the same with employment. With the right qualifications you may teach at a university but only under a fixed-term contract. You have to be Danish to get tenure.
So there it is. Happiness is having a comfortable lifestyle without being swept up by competitive consumption. It is a feeling of belonging, of knowing and accepting the rules of the club. It is realising that leisure is to be enjoyed and that work is not the sole purpose of life. It is a cold beer on a long, warm summer evening.
If wealthy, superior Brits profess to be bored by a structured, well-ordered society it’s because they don’t have to worry about affording the best. The verdict of the not so well-off is likely to be more favourable to decent housing, a generously funded health service and cheap, efficient public transport.
But what of the cost?Danish taxes are among the highest in the world. How can the Danes hand over to the Government up to 59 per cent of their incomes and remain happy? But they do, and they are.
Professor Peter Gundelach, a sociologist at the University of Copenhagen, has one explanation. “It all goes back to the war with Germany nearly 150 years ago. We lost a third of our population and half of our territory. A small, near-bankrupt country with a powerful neighbour had two choices: to join the victor or establish a new identity.” The Danes chose to go it alone. No longer empire builders, they became community builders, creating a self-contained, egalitarian society that valued consensus more than confrontation.
“The critical word is ‘trust’,” says Henrik Dahl, a sociologist who has made a study of what makes the Danes tick. “You can see it in industry where management and labour work out problems together.” Hearing this, my mind drifted back 30 years to a television debate between a Danish business leader and Hugh (later Lord) Scanlon, then boss of the engineering union. The Dane was explaining how his employees were only too delighted when a new idea for raising productivity was introduced. Greater efficiency meant higher sales and more money all round. Scanlon, the Neanderthal man of British trade unionism, could only sit there open-mouthed. “That’s not the way we do things,” he managed to say. And you could almost hear the unison from a million drawing rooms: “More’s the pity!”
The trust in employers to do the decent thing extends to politicians who are generally reckoned to be trying their best for the country whatever party they represent. Henrik Dahl’s wife, a Social Democrat MP, currently in opposition, finds little enough to oppose since compromise deals are agreed well before they get to the floor of the Assembly. Again we hear “How boring” from those in the thick of our own combative politics, while forgetting that for many ordinary voters it is the lunatic and time-wasting antics of the House of Commons that induces cynicism and apathy.
In Britain taxation is a cause of unhappiness; in Denmark the optimistic assumption is that government revenue will be put to good purpose. “Tax is not seen as robbery so much as a social income,” says Gundelach. As a result, minimum standards are high and genuine poverty is hard to find. Equally, there are few symbols of great wealth.
“The Danes celebrate ordinariness,” I was told more than once. The super-rich keep a low profile. A pretty young waitress revealed that she was a college student in her final year earning money to go to America for more study. My companion smiled when I left a generous tip. Only later did he tell me that the girl’s family lived in a castle surrounded by several hundred acres of parkland. “She would never admit that to you, it would be too shameful.” I watched for the reaction of passers-by to the $5 million gin palace moored overnight in Copenhagen’s marina. Envious glances were heavily outnumbered by frowns of disapproval.
The celebration of ordinariness is a recipe for contentment, a Danish journalist told me. “As a country we have no great ambitions like coming out top in sport. The trouble with you British is that you can’t move on from being a world power. You still expect to win and when you don’t, the letdown is palpable. No wonder you’re unhappy.”
There is another dimension to Danish society that helps to explain the sense of wellbeing. It is the value they put on exclusivity. This is where first impressions can be misleading. The Danes are by nature a friendly lot, wonderfully convivial, particularly over a glass of ice-cold Carlsberg, but there is much that is essentially Danish and not open to outsiders. Invoking the reflections of a former British ambassador who had previously served in Africa, Gundelach sees the characteristics of a native tribe transposed to Scandinavia.
“We are a small, homogenous society, content to be ourselves but maybe a bit too self-regarding, which is why we don’t handle the immigrant communities very well. If they are not ready to adopt Danish ways, they are not very welcome.” This was confirmed when I talked to an Englishman abroad. Mark Oakley is an Anglican priest living in Copenhagen, where he carries the grand title of Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe.
“Exclusivity creates confidence,” he told me. “Every Dane knows what it is to be Danish. All those Danish flags and pennants you see on public buildings and in suburban gardens are less an assertion of national pride than a sign of metroism, like a club badge or tie. Friendliness to outsiders stops short of real friendship.” I had problems coming to terms with this. Denmark is so obviously an open society. With English as the favoured second language, as familiar to the hotdog saleswoman at Copenhagen Central Station as to the smart-suited banker, the Danes treat the world as their marketplace and are ever keen to strengthen commercial links with neighbouring countries. The ten-mile sweep of engineering elegance known as the Oresund Bridge connecting the Danish and Swedish mainlands is soon to be partnered by an even lengthier elevation over the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany. And, yes, Denmark is a fully paid-up member of the EU.
Even so, a whole raft of exceptions reinforces Danish exclusivity. For one thing there is no immediate prospect of joining the euro. For another, Denmark has negotiated some unlikely opt-out clauses, starting with tight control over the right to buy property. For rich foreigners casting acquisitive eyes at red-roofed farmhouses in lush, rolling countryside (the perfect holiday or retirement home) it comes as a shock to find that only Danish citizens can put in a bid.
It is the same with employment. With the right qualifications you may teach at a university but only under a fixed-term contract. You have to be Danish to get tenure.
So there it is. Happiness is having a comfortable lifestyle without being swept up by competitive consumption. It is a feeling of belonging, of knowing and accepting the rules of the club. It is realising that leisure is to be enjoyed and that work is not the sole purpose of life. It is a cold beer on a long, warm summer evening.
COSTA RICA
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: January 6, 2010 . New York Times
Hmmm. You think it’s a coincidence? Costa Rica is one of the very few countries to have abolished its army, and it’s also arguably the happiest nation on earth.
There are several ways of measuring happiness in countries, all inexact, but this pearl of Central America does stunningly well by whatever system is used. For example, the World Database of Happiness, compiled by a Dutch sociologist on the basis of answers to surveys by Gallup and others, lists Costa Rica in the top spot out of 148 nations.
That’s because Costa Ricans, asked to rate their own happiness on a 10-point scale, average 8.5. Denmark is next at 8.3, the United States ranks 20th at 7.4 and Togo and Tanzania bring up the caboose at 2.6.
Scholars also calculate happiness by determining “happy life years.” This figure results from merging average self-reported happiness, as above, with life expectancy. Using this system, Costa Rica again easily tops the list. The United States is 19th, and Zimbabwe comes in last.
A third approach is the “happy planet index,” devised by the New Economics Foundation, a liberal think tank. This combines happiness and longevity but adjusts for environmental impact — such as the carbon that countries spew.
Here again, Costa Rica wins the day, for achieving contentment and longevity in an environmentally sustainable way. The Dominican Republic ranks second, the United States 114th (because of its huge ecological footprint) and Zimbabwe is last.
Maybe Costa Rican contentment has something to do with the chance to explore dazzling beaches on both sides of the country, when one isn’t admiring the sloths in the jungle (sloths truly are slothful, I discovered; they are the tortoises of the trees). Costa Rica has done an unusually good job preserving nature, and it’s surely easier to be happy while basking in sunshine and greenery than while shivering up north and suffering “nature deficit disorder.”
After dragging my 12-year-old daughter through Honduran slums and Nicaraguan villages on this trip, she was delighted to see a Costa Rican beach and stroll through a national park. Among her favorite animals now: iguanas and sloths.
What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.
I’m not antimilitary. But the evidence is strong that education is often a far better investment than artillery.
In Costa Rica, rising education levels also fostered impressive gender equality so that it ranks higher than the United States in the World Economic Forum gender gap index. This allows Costa Rica to use its female population more productively than is true in most of the region. Likewise, education nurtured improvements in health care, with life expectancy now about the same as in the United States — a bit longer in some data sets, a bit shorter in others.
Rising education levels also led the country to preserve its lush environment as an economic asset. Costa Rica is an ecological pioneer, introducing a carbon tax in 1997. The Environmental Performance Index, a collaboration of Yale and Columbia Universities, ranks Costa Rica at No. 5 in the world, the best outside Europe.
This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we’ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.
Latin countries generally do well in happiness surveys. Mexico and Colombia rank higher than the United States in self-reported contentment. Perhaps one reason is a cultural emphasis on family and friends, on social capital over financial capital — but then again, Mexicans sometimes slip into the United States, presumably in pursuit of both happiness and assets.
Cross-country comparisons of happiness are controversial and uncertain. But what does seem quite clear is that Costa Rica’s national decision to invest in education rather than arms has paid rich dividends. Maybe the lesson for the United States is that we should devote fewer resources to shoring up foreign armies and more to bolstering schools both at home and abroad.
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: January 6, 2010 . New York Times
Hmmm. You think it’s a coincidence? Costa Rica is one of the very few countries to have abolished its army, and it’s also arguably the happiest nation on earth.
There are several ways of measuring happiness in countries, all inexact, but this pearl of Central America does stunningly well by whatever system is used. For example, the World Database of Happiness, compiled by a Dutch sociologist on the basis of answers to surveys by Gallup and others, lists Costa Rica in the top spot out of 148 nations.
That’s because Costa Ricans, asked to rate their own happiness on a 10-point scale, average 8.5. Denmark is next at 8.3, the United States ranks 20th at 7.4 and Togo and Tanzania bring up the caboose at 2.6.
Scholars also calculate happiness by determining “happy life years.” This figure results from merging average self-reported happiness, as above, with life expectancy. Using this system, Costa Rica again easily tops the list. The United States is 19th, and Zimbabwe comes in last.
A third approach is the “happy planet index,” devised by the New Economics Foundation, a liberal think tank. This combines happiness and longevity but adjusts for environmental impact — such as the carbon that countries spew.
Here again, Costa Rica wins the day, for achieving contentment and longevity in an environmentally sustainable way. The Dominican Republic ranks second, the United States 114th (because of its huge ecological footprint) and Zimbabwe is last.
Maybe Costa Rican contentment has something to do with the chance to explore dazzling beaches on both sides of the country, when one isn’t admiring the sloths in the jungle (sloths truly are slothful, I discovered; they are the tortoises of the trees). Costa Rica has done an unusually good job preserving nature, and it’s surely easier to be happy while basking in sunshine and greenery than while shivering up north and suffering “nature deficit disorder.”
After dragging my 12-year-old daughter through Honduran slums and Nicaraguan villages on this trip, she was delighted to see a Costa Rican beach and stroll through a national park. Among her favorite animals now: iguanas and sloths.
What sets Costa Rica apart is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education. Increased schooling created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that have raged elsewhere in Central America. Education also boosted the economy, enabling the country to become a major exporter of computer chips and improving English-language skills so as to attract American eco-tourists.
I’m not antimilitary. But the evidence is strong that education is often a far better investment than artillery.
In Costa Rica, rising education levels also fostered impressive gender equality so that it ranks higher than the United States in the World Economic Forum gender gap index. This allows Costa Rica to use its female population more productively than is true in most of the region. Likewise, education nurtured improvements in health care, with life expectancy now about the same as in the United States — a bit longer in some data sets, a bit shorter in others.
Rising education levels also led the country to preserve its lush environment as an economic asset. Costa Rica is an ecological pioneer, introducing a carbon tax in 1997. The Environmental Performance Index, a collaboration of Yale and Columbia Universities, ranks Costa Rica at No. 5 in the world, the best outside Europe.
This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we’ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.
Latin countries generally do well in happiness surveys. Mexico and Colombia rank higher than the United States in self-reported contentment. Perhaps one reason is a cultural emphasis on family and friends, on social capital over financial capital — but then again, Mexicans sometimes slip into the United States, presumably in pursuit of both happiness and assets.
Cross-country comparisons of happiness are controversial and uncertain. But what does seem quite clear is that Costa Rica’s national decision to invest in education rather than arms has paid rich dividends. Maybe the lesson for the United States is that we should devote fewer resources to shoring up foreign armies and more to bolstering schools both at home and abroad.
The Mind Heals the Body and itself.
Researchers around the globe released studies on the healing effects of meditation. One study found that it actually increases gray matter in spot of the brain associated with "emotional regulation" and response control. Another study showed that it may lower stress and increase feelings of hope and forgiveness. In a prison-based study, meditation appeared to reduce anger, stress, and anxiety. The incredibly hopeful and empowering message here is that we can turn to free, simple techniques to enhance our health and improve our lives—without drugs, surgery, or co-pays. By Valerie Reiss, Holistic Living
Researchers around the globe released studies on the healing effects of meditation. One study found that it actually increases gray matter in spot of the brain associated with "emotional regulation" and response control. Another study showed that it may lower stress and increase feelings of hope and forgiveness. In a prison-based study, meditation appeared to reduce anger, stress, and anxiety. The incredibly hopeful and empowering message here is that we can turn to free, simple techniques to enhance our health and improve our lives—without drugs, surgery, or co-pays. By Valerie Reiss, Holistic Living
Meditation can Change the Brain for the better!
The latest in several studies on how meditation affects the brain (and thus our lives) found that meditators' noggins actually have more gray matter in certain areas than non-meditators.
According to Dr. Belleruth Naparstek, those spots are associated with "emotional regulation and response control." She adds that this "might account for meditators' singular abilities to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior."
By Valerie Reiss, Health, Holistic Living
For more:
http://belleruthnaparstek.com/hot-research/yes-virginia-size-matters-meditators-really-do-have-bigger-brains.html
Image credit: http://belleruthnaparstek.com/hot-research/yes-virginia-size-matters-meditators-really-do-have-bigger-brains.html
Start the Day Energized and Relaxed !
In a seated pose, focus on your breath. Cultivate a steady, relaxed breath. Then ask yourself: What is my intention today? After posing the question, rest your attention on the out-breath. This creates a spaciousness of attention on the in-breath. There is no direction for the in-breath. Do not get carried away by thinking, but also do no tightly control the attention.
Continue to notice each out breath. Sit until you are struck by a clarity of intention. It comes not by chasing it down with thinking, but by stilling the mind and creating space. It may take a few minutes, or much longer. If no specific intention announces itself to you, simply commit to acting ethically and with mindfulness. That is certainly an intention that we can all practice each day.
By Valerie Reiss, Holistic Living
For more: http://www.openmindbody.com/morningmeditation.htm
The power of Reiki Healing
Photo credit: eFit.com
Another healing practice that's is getting significant attention these days is Reiki (pronounced ray-key), a laying-on-of-hands energy-healing technique developed in Japan in the late 1700s. Practitioners claim that Reiki gives you needed energy to help end disease, pain, anxiety, and stress, along with other physical and emotional problems.
Rei in Japanese means "spirit," and ki means "life-force energy." Together, they can be read as "spirit life led force energy." Reiki has also been described as a form of Shinto/Buddhist Quijong. A Reiki practitioner usually gives treatments by placing his or her hands on a client's body with an intention to heal. There are eight to 12 hand placements on both the front and the back of the client. Very little pressure is applied, and there is no rubbing that may be normally associated with a massage. The ki energy flows through the practitioner and is drawn in by the recipient. Deep relaxation and relief of pain often follow. "Most disease stems from poor diet and stress," says Isis Ward, a Reiki master and holistic practitioner residing in New York City. "Reiki obviously can't help with your diet, but it relaxes your body and channels energy to help your body in its own healing process."
A typical Reiki treatment lasts approximately one hour. The client remains fully clothed, and the session can take place with the client lying down or sitting in a chair. Expect to pay between $50 and $100 for one session. Reiki requires more mental or spiritual input from the client than with other therapies. If you aren't open to receiving the healing energy, some Reiki practitioners believe you won't perceive any benefit. "You might not perceive it immediately," says Ward, "but the healing does happen. Maybe you'll notice it a few days later, when you realize you're more relaxed and feeling better. It's a hands-on healing, but it doesn't require a lot of manipulation, because the changes are happening on an energetic level."
"Reiki requires more mental or spiritual input from the client than with other therapies." So how can you find a Reiki therapist? For the most part, you can skip the Yellow Pages. Most Reiki therapists advertise in New Age publications or can be found through holistic health centers. And many wellness and yoga centers are also starting to offer Reiki or will post flyers from local Reiki therapists.
Article credit: Efit.com.
HOW TO BE HAPPY
Be optimistic. In the 1970s, researchers followed people who'd won the lottery and found that a year after they'd hit the jackpot, they were no happier than the people who didn't. They called it hedonic adaptation, which suggests that we each have a baseline level of happiness. No matter what happens, good or bad, the effect on our happiness is only temporary and we tend to rebound to our baseline level. Some people have a higher baseline happiness level than others, and that can be attributed in part to genetics, but it's also largely influenced by how you think.[1] This article will help boost your happiness, by changing your attitude towards life will increase your happiness permanently.
1 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-science-of-lasting-ha&page=1
Be optimistic. In the 1970s, researchers followed people who'd won the lottery and found that a year after they'd hit the jackpot, they were no happier than the people who didn't. They called it hedonic adaptation, which suggests that we each have a baseline level of happiness. No matter what happens, good or bad, the effect on our happiness is only temporary and we tend to rebound to our baseline level. Some people have a higher baseline happiness level than others, and that can be attributed in part to genetics, but it's also largely influenced by how you think.[1] This article will help boost your happiness, by changing your attitude towards life will increase your happiness permanently.
1 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-science-of-lasting-ha&page=1
Follow your gut. In one study, two groups of people were asked to pick out a poster to take home. One group was asked to analyze their decision carefully, weighing the pros and cons, and the other group was told to listen to their gut. Two weeks later, the group that followed their gut was happier with their posters than the group that analyzed their decisions.[2]
2 The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
2 The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
Make enough money to meet your basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. In the US, that magic number is $40,000 a year. Any money you make beyond that will have negligible effects on your happiness. Remember the lottery winners mentioned earlier? Oodles of money didn't make them any happier, and it won't make you any happier. Once you make enough money to support your basic needs, your happiness is not significantly affected by how much money you make, but by your level of optimism.[3]
Your comfort may increase with your salary, but comfort isn't what makes people happy. It makes people bored. That's why it's important to push beyond your comfort zone to fuel your growth as a person.
3 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/08/01/you-only-need-40000-to-be-happy/
Your comfort may increase with your salary, but comfort isn't what makes people happy. It makes people bored. That's why it's important to push beyond your comfort zone to fuel your growth as a person.
3 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2004/08/01/you-only-need-40000-to-be-happy/
Stay close to friends and family. Or move to where other members are- so you can see them more. We live in a mobile society, where people follow jobs around the country and sometimes around the world. We do this because we think increases in salary will make us happier, but the fact is that our relationships with our friends and family have a far greater impact on our happiness than our jobs do. So next time you think about relocating, consider that you'd need a salary increase of over $100,000 USD to compensate for the loss of happiness you'd have from moving away from your friends and family.[4] But if your relationships with your family and friends are unhealthy or nonexistent, and you are bent on moving, choose a location where you'll be making about the same amount of money as everyone else; according to research, people feel more financially secure (and happier) when they're on similar financial footing as the people around them, regardless of what that footing is.[5]
4 http://www.powdthavee.co.uk/resources/valuing_social_relationships_15.04.pdf
5 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/05/21/how-to-decide-where-to-live-2/
4 http://www.powdthavee.co.uk/resources/valuing_social_relationships_15.04.pdf
5 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/05/21/how-to-decide-where-to-live-2/
Find happiness in the job you have now. Many people expect the right job or the right career to dramatically change their level of happiness, but happiness research makes it clear that your level of optimism and the quality of your relationships eclipse the satisfaction you gain from your job.[6] If you have a positive outlook, you'll make the best of any job, and if you have good relationships with people, you won't depend on your job to give your life a greater sense of meaning. You'll find it in your interactions with the people you care about. Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't aspire towards a job that'll make you happier; it means you should understand that the capacity of your job to make you happy is quite small in comparison to your outlook on life and your relationships with people.
6 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/01/16/the-connection-between-a-good-job-and-happiness-is-overrated/
6 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/01/16/the-connection-between-a-good-job-and-happiness-is-overrated/
Smile. Science suggests that when you smile, whether you feel happy or not, your mood will be elevated.[7] Moreover, studies show that happiness is contagious.[8] With this in mind, consider the implications for happiness that the very act of smiling at another in passing has on not only our psyche, but that of the larger good. More importantly, when we smile at another, it shouldn't be with the expectation of having a smile in return. Sometimes the people we are smiling at who don't return the gesture may be the ones who need the smile the most. Just the act of doing something positive -- sharing a smile -- might be enough to send our neurochemicals in the right direction, regardless of the response.
7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_feedback_hypothesis
8 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462265,00.html
7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_feedback_hypothesis
8 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462265,00.html
Practice Acts of Kindness. When we treat others in ways we would wish to be treated, a certain type of synergy develops. The altruistic actions on our part plays dividends in fostering positive relations and forging an upbeat mental attitude. There is an unspoken return to acts of kindness, in which they can manifest in various forms, such as a returned gesture, a happier mental state, and/or improved circumstances for one's life. It ties into the law of karma, which implies that the merit of actions or deeds come back to the individual who performs them. Given this, acts of kindness are a way to move our lives in a positive and more fulfilling direction.
Exercise. For a boost to the immunity system and for an increase in overall wellbeing, exercise provides a healthy means for relieving stress and anxiety. Studies show that people who suffer from depression and other psychiatric conditions benefit greatly from engaging in physical exercise, and those without these conditions stand to benefit just as significantly. Rigorous physical activity can help defuse any stressful thoughts, returning the individual to a healthier equilibrium. Exercise also has the double benefit of making the individual more productive in day to day tasks, and as evidence of this, employees who exercise can generally carry more value in terms of productivity than those who don't.
Take a vitamin B and vitamin D3 supplement.For a simple suggestion for increasing one's level of happiness, a vitamin B supplement can carry a huge health dividend in positively impacting the mood. In the fall and winter due to the lack of sunlight, many peoples moods are challenged. Lack of sunlight can cause depression. Vitamin D3 has become a recommended remedy
Meditate.Meditation is a source of release from the pressures of cumulative, worrisome, and/or troublesome thoughts. Spending even as little as 5 minutes a day engaged in deep breathing exercises can help significantly to ease the pressures of the build-up of tension that happens to everyone on a daily basis. Meditation also provides the individual with a useful means to detach from negative thoughts, which prevents distressful thoughts from manifesting in the psyche.
Practice forgiveness. There is a tendency for people who are experiencing distressful circumstances to pass blame onto others. Children, for instance, may commonly blame their parents for the life challenges that they are facing. However, when we practice forgiveness, with it comes a sense of relief from burdensome thoughts in addition to the ability to forge healthier relationships with others. When forgiveness becomes a conscientious practice, anger finds a resolution and true healing can commence. Anger is counterintuitive to happiness, and any incidence of it is best resolved through positive emotions - and forgiveness helps provide this necessary release
Love yourself.You are here on this planet for a reason. Your very presence is an act of beauty and a gift to humanity. Never undermine the good that you have given and that you stand to give. In saying and thinking positive things about one's own inner value, tremendous feelings of joy can begin to manifest in even the most depressed mind. Remember that everyone has issues -- everyone has something to contend with -- and you too have obstacles and challenges. In loving yourself sincerely and humbly you can find a great deal of comfort and joy in knowing that no matter how badly the world may treat you or how badly you may feel about yourself at any given time that you are worthwhile and intrinsically good. Your presence here on Earth signifies your value and worthiness, and your interconnectedness with everything else on this planet signifies your importance in the grand web of life. So love yourself because your love is felt by all of those around you, and your love for yourself is just as important as anyone else's, especially in times of distress and trouble.
Relax and Do What You Enjoy . Whatever that may be, whether it's sitting back and listening to your favorite song, looking at stars, chatting with a friend, or watching a funny show that makes you relax, do whatever it is that you enjoy doing and relaxes you.
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Happy
Exercise. For a boost to the immunity system and for an increase in overall wellbeing, exercise provides a healthy means for relieving stress and anxiety. Studies show that people who suffer from depression and other psychiatric conditions benefit greatly from engaging in physical exercise, and those without these conditions stand to benefit just as significantly. Rigorous physical activity can help defuse any stressful thoughts, returning the individual to a healthier equilibrium. Exercise also has the double benefit of making the individual more productive in day to day tasks, and as evidence of this, employees who exercise can generally carry more value in terms of productivity than those who don't.
Take a vitamin B and vitamin D3 supplement.For a simple suggestion for increasing one's level of happiness, a vitamin B supplement can carry a huge health dividend in positively impacting the mood. In the fall and winter due to the lack of sunlight, many peoples moods are challenged. Lack of sunlight can cause depression. Vitamin D3 has become a recommended remedy
Meditate.Meditation is a source of release from the pressures of cumulative, worrisome, and/or troublesome thoughts. Spending even as little as 5 minutes a day engaged in deep breathing exercises can help significantly to ease the pressures of the build-up of tension that happens to everyone on a daily basis. Meditation also provides the individual with a useful means to detach from negative thoughts, which prevents distressful thoughts from manifesting in the psyche.
Practice forgiveness. There is a tendency for people who are experiencing distressful circumstances to pass blame onto others. Children, for instance, may commonly blame their parents for the life challenges that they are facing. However, when we practice forgiveness, with it comes a sense of relief from burdensome thoughts in addition to the ability to forge healthier relationships with others. When forgiveness becomes a conscientious practice, anger finds a resolution and true healing can commence. Anger is counterintuitive to happiness, and any incidence of it is best resolved through positive emotions - and forgiveness helps provide this necessary release
Love yourself.You are here on this planet for a reason. Your very presence is an act of beauty and a gift to humanity. Never undermine the good that you have given and that you stand to give. In saying and thinking positive things about one's own inner value, tremendous feelings of joy can begin to manifest in even the most depressed mind. Remember that everyone has issues -- everyone has something to contend with -- and you too have obstacles and challenges. In loving yourself sincerely and humbly you can find a great deal of comfort and joy in knowing that no matter how badly the world may treat you or how badly you may feel about yourself at any given time that you are worthwhile and intrinsically good. Your presence here on Earth signifies your value and worthiness, and your interconnectedness with everything else on this planet signifies your importance in the grand web of life. So love yourself because your love is felt by all of those around you, and your love for yourself is just as important as anyone else's, especially in times of distress and trouble.
Relax and Do What You Enjoy . Whatever that may be, whether it's sitting back and listening to your favorite song, looking at stars, chatting with a friend, or watching a funny show that makes you relax, do whatever it is that you enjoy doing and relaxes you.
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Happy
Buying Experiences, Not Possessions, Leads To Greater Happiness
ScienceDaily (Feb. 17, 2009) — Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases? A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them.The study demonstrates that experiential purchases, such as a meal out or theater tickets, result in increased well-being because they satisfy higher order needs, specifically the need for social connectedness and vitality -- a feeling of being alive.
"These findings support an extension of basic need theory, where purchases that increase psychological need satisfaction will produce the greatest well-being," said Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University.
Participants in the study were asked to write reflections and answer questions about their recent purchases. Participants indicated that experiential purchases represented money better spent and greater happiness for both themselves and others. The results also indicate that experiences produce more happiness regardless of the amount spent or the income of the consumer.
Experiences also lead to longer-term satisfaction. "Purchased experiences provide memory capital," Howell said. "We don't tend to get bored of happy memories like we do with a material object.
"People still believe that more money will make them happy, even though 35 years of research has suggested the opposite," Howell said. "Maybe this belief has held because money is making some people happy some of the time, at least when they spend it on life experiences."
"The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of psychological need satisfaction" was conducted by Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University and SF State graduate Graham Hill.
These findings will be presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting on Feb. 7.
Adapted from materials provided by San Francisco State University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
"These findings support an extension of basic need theory, where purchases that increase psychological need satisfaction will produce the greatest well-being," said Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University.
Participants in the study were asked to write reflections and answer questions about their recent purchases. Participants indicated that experiential purchases represented money better spent and greater happiness for both themselves and others. The results also indicate that experiences produce more happiness regardless of the amount spent or the income of the consumer.
Experiences also lead to longer-term satisfaction. "Purchased experiences provide memory capital," Howell said. "We don't tend to get bored of happy memories like we do with a material object.
"People still believe that more money will make them happy, even though 35 years of research has suggested the opposite," Howell said. "Maybe this belief has held because money is making some people happy some of the time, at least when they spend it on life experiences."
"The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of psychological need satisfaction" was conducted by Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University and SF State graduate Graham Hill.
These findings will be presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting on Feb. 7.
Adapted from materials provided by San Francisco State University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Happiness helps people stay healthy
18 April 2005 by Shaoni Bhattacharya
For similar stories, visit the Mental Health
Topic Guide People who are happier in their daily lives have healthier levels of key body chemicals than those who muster few positive feelings, a new study suggests. This means happier people may have healthier hearts and cardiovascular systems, possibly cutting their risk of diseases like diabetes.
Previous studies have shown that depression is associated with health problems compared to average emotional states. But few studies have looked at the effects of positive moods on health. Now, researchers at University College London, UK, have linked everyday happiness with healthier levels of important body chemicals, such as the stress hormone cortisol.
"This study showed that whether people are happy or less happy in their everyday lives appears to have important effects on the markers of biological function known to be associated with disease," says clinical psychologist Jane Wardle, one of the research team. "Perhaps laughter is the best medicine," she adds.
"This is the best data to date that associates positive emotional feelings with good effects on your health," says Carol Shively, at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US. "We usually concentrate on things that are either bad or wrong, rather than good or right."
18 April 2005 by Shaoni Bhattacharya
For similar stories, visit the Mental Health
Topic Guide People who are happier in their daily lives have healthier levels of key body chemicals than those who muster few positive feelings, a new study suggests. This means happier people may have healthier hearts and cardiovascular systems, possibly cutting their risk of diseases like diabetes.
Previous studies have shown that depression is associated with health problems compared to average emotional states. But few studies have looked at the effects of positive moods on health. Now, researchers at University College London, UK, have linked everyday happiness with healthier levels of important body chemicals, such as the stress hormone cortisol.
"This study showed that whether people are happy or less happy in their everyday lives appears to have important effects on the markers of biological function known to be associated with disease," says clinical psychologist Jane Wardle, one of the research team. "Perhaps laughter is the best medicine," she adds.
"This is the best data to date that associates positive emotional feelings with good effects on your health," says Carol Shively, at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US. "We usually concentrate on things that are either bad or wrong, rather than good or right."
How To Be Happy By Garry MunroPublished by Garry Munro
Happiness is a state of mind, so your state of mind at this moment makes all the difference.
You need to ask yourself, is it what you want, the thing that is going to make you happy?
If the answer is yes, does this mean that what you have must not be good enough?
We go through life searching, searching for a better job, better house, better car, better relationship, sometimes for many people this is a full time ?occupation, always searching!
It seems to be a vicious circle for many of us, because the last job was the better one, now it is not, somehow it?s lost its appeal, just as when you bought your car, it was going to make you happy but that was only for a short time, you soon became unhappy once you saw another newer model, so the car that was your dream car is no longer a dream.
Where does it end?
Well the answer is simple, it ends exactly where it starts, in your Mind.
Look back at what you have had or what you did in your life that really made you happy, was it something that was a passing fad or was it more to do with being with certain people, going to a special place, listening to music, being on your own?
Whatever it was, can you have it again? Can you reproduce that feeling?
The answer to your past and future happiness belongs to you, only you can make you happy because only you control your thoughts, other people may have an impact but remember your thoughts are you, so think happy and be happy.
You need to ask yourself, is it what you want, the thing that is going to make you happy?
If the answer is yes, does this mean that what you have must not be good enough?
We go through life searching, searching for a better job, better house, better car, better relationship, sometimes for many people this is a full time ?occupation, always searching!
It seems to be a vicious circle for many of us, because the last job was the better one, now it is not, somehow it?s lost its appeal, just as when you bought your car, it was going to make you happy but that was only for a short time, you soon became unhappy once you saw another newer model, so the car that was your dream car is no longer a dream.
Where does it end?
Well the answer is simple, it ends exactly where it starts, in your Mind.
Look back at what you have had or what you did in your life that really made you happy, was it something that was a passing fad or was it more to do with being with certain people, going to a special place, listening to music, being on your own?
Whatever it was, can you have it again? Can you reproduce that feeling?
The answer to your past and future happiness belongs to you, only you can make you happy because only you control your thoughts, other people may have an impact but remember your thoughts are you, so think happy and be happy.
Contact: Jonathan Potts
412-268-6094
jpotts@andrew.cmu.edu
Happy People Are Healthier, Carnegie Mellon Psychologist Says
PITTSBURGH—Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor Sheldon Cohen. The paper will be available online at www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/.
This recent study confirms the results of a landmark 2004 paper in which Cohen and his colleagues found that people who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions. In that study, Cohen found that when they do come down with a cold, happy people report fewer symptoms than would be expected from objective measures of their illness. In contrast, reporting more negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and anger was not associated with catching colds. That study, however, left open the possibility that the greater resistance to infectious illness among happier people may not have been due to happiness, but rather to other characteristics that are often associated with reporting positive emotions such as optimism, extraversion, feelings of purpose in life and self-esteem.
Cohen's recent study controls for those variables, with the same result: The people who report positive emotions are less likely to catch colds and also less likely to report symptoms when they do get sick. This held true regardless of their levels of optimism, extraversion, purpose and self-esteem, and of their age, race, gender, education, body mass or prestudy immunity to the virus.
"We need to take more seriously the possibility that positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk," said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon.
The researchers interviewed volunteers over several weeks to assess their moods and emotional styles, and then infected them with either a rhinovirus or an influenza virus. The volunteers were quarantined and examined to see if they came down with a cold. This was the same method Cohen applied in his previous study, but with the addition of the influenza virus.
Cohen collaborated on the study with Cuneyt M. Alper of the Department of Otolaryngology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; William J. Doyle of the Infectious Disease Unit at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and John J. Treanor and Ronald B. Turner, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.
412-268-6094
jpotts@andrew.cmu.edu
Happy People Are Healthier, Carnegie Mellon Psychologist Says
PITTSBURGH—Happiness and other positive emotions play an even more important role in health than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor Sheldon Cohen. The paper will be available online at www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/.
This recent study confirms the results of a landmark 2004 paper in which Cohen and his colleagues found that people who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions. In that study, Cohen found that when they do come down with a cold, happy people report fewer symptoms than would be expected from objective measures of their illness. In contrast, reporting more negative emotions such as depression, anxiety and anger was not associated with catching colds. That study, however, left open the possibility that the greater resistance to infectious illness among happier people may not have been due to happiness, but rather to other characteristics that are often associated with reporting positive emotions such as optimism, extraversion, feelings of purpose in life and self-esteem.
Cohen's recent study controls for those variables, with the same result: The people who report positive emotions are less likely to catch colds and also less likely to report symptoms when they do get sick. This held true regardless of their levels of optimism, extraversion, purpose and self-esteem, and of their age, race, gender, education, body mass or prestudy immunity to the virus.
"We need to take more seriously the possibility that positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk," said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon.
The researchers interviewed volunteers over several weeks to assess their moods and emotional styles, and then infected them with either a rhinovirus or an influenza virus. The volunteers were quarantined and examined to see if they came down with a cold. This was the same method Cohen applied in his previous study, but with the addition of the influenza virus.
Cohen collaborated on the study with Cuneyt M. Alper of the Department of Otolaryngology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; William J. Doyle of the Infectious Disease Unit at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and John J. Treanor and Ronald B. Turner, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.