The Science of Happiness An online course by Bill O’Hanlon (www.billohanlon.com)

Orientation to the Online Course There are benefits to taking the course online Ability to review the material again and again and absorb it at your own rate and pace from anywhere you have computer/Internet access Fellow students from all over the world to inspire, motivate and connect with Some tips: Keep up on the lessons, but if you are very late posting, post your assignments on the current message board Write your reports, assignments or responses in a word processing file, save it, then copy and paste it into the message board; that way if your Internet connection gets interrupted or you forgot to do the final save and publish, you won’t have lost all the work you have done

Lesson 1a Introduction to Positive Psychology What is Positive Psychology? The scientific study of what makes people happy, function well and satisfied with their lives The benefits of happiness are well documented in the research. Happy people: Are half as likely to die or be disabled than unhappy people Live longer than average Have better health habits Have lower blood pressure and more robust immune systems Are more productive on the job Have higher incomes Are able to tolerate more pain

Precursors and Developers of Positive Psychology William James – Psychology of Religious Experiences Abraham Maslow – Healthy core; peak experiences Carl Rogers – Healthy organismic self Milton Erickson – Resource-based therapy Mihaly Csikszentmihaly – Flow Dennis Saleeby – Strengths-based social work Steve de Shazer/Insoo Berg – Solution-focused therapy David Cooperrider – Appreciative Inquiry Ed Diener/Martin Seligman – Positive Psychology/Happiness research

Happiness Defined A joyful, contented life –Sonja Lyubomirsky A subjective sense of well-being Pleasure+engagement+meaning=Happiness

Why Aren’t We Happier? What we think will make us happy is mostly mistaken Why people are so bad at predicting what will make them happy Bad things don’t cause the permanent decrease in happiness we fear they will; good things don’t cause the permanent increase in happiness we think they will Interests/needs change The hedonic treadmill comes into play Happiness over the life cycle is U-shaped; well-being typically reaches the lowest point in one’s late 40s and is higher earlier and later in life [Source: Blanchflower and Oswald, 2007, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #12935]

What Influences Happiness?

Why Aren’t We Happier? People generally have a temperamental “set point” to happiness levels (the levels vary around a stable value) People who have suffered circumstances that left them quadriplegic are usually back to their previous happiness levels after a year of diminished happiness; people who win the lottery or come into a large amount of money likewise typically return to their previous happiness levels after a year or so Average happiness levels have not increased (and in some cases have decreased) in about 50 years in the U.S., Britain and many other industrialized countries, despite massive increases in real wealth levels, luxury goods and conveniences [the exception is Denmark, where satisfaction levels have increased over the past three decades]

How Happy Are We (in the U.S.)? 38% - Very Happy 53% - Quite Happy 9% - Not Very Happy

Happiness Levels

The Surprising Things That Don’t Make Us Happier Age Gender Looks IQ Mental/physical energy levels Education (well, only slightly, and that is probably because of income levels, one of the things that does make a difference)

Happiness and Life Satisfaction Levels Can Be Changed Some things seem to have a lingering effect happiness or life satisfaction levels Negative things: Like being a caregiver for a family member with Alzheimer's; death of a spouse; death of a child (remember though that these are average findings and people fall on a range within these averages) Positive things: Having a wider ranger of social connections; having a basic amount of income; having a sense of freedom; having life purpose and so on

Money Can’t Buy Happiness (except when it can) Americans who earn $50,000/year are much happier, in general, than those who earn only $10,000/year But those who earn $5 million/year are not substantially happier than those who earn $100,000/year People in very poor nations generally have lower happiness levels than those in wealthier nations, but after a certain annual income level (anywhere from $9,000- $20,000/year, depending on the study), happiness levels do not increase national average happiness by a significant amount

Money Can’t Buy Happiness (except when it can) Increases in income or wealth generally create a short- term increase in happiness levels, but then people typically return to their set points Comparing oneself to others who make more money or have things you envy generally decreases happiness levels; so, if others appear to be getting wealthier or have nicer things, you will tend to become unhappier with your money or material objects

Assignment #1 Lesson 1a Introduce yourself on the message board, saying a little about who you are, where you live, what kind of work you do and why you decided to take this course Make a list of things you think make you happy and what you think might make you happier in the future; post what you have discovered from doing this exercise on the message board

The Science of Happiness An online course by Bill O’Hanlon (www.billohanlon.com)

Lesson 1b Happiness Levels Where you live makes a difference in average general happiness levels We’ll examine the national differences and why they exist While those are general happiness levels, we will begin to examine what can make a difference for individuals no matter where they live

The 20 Happiest Nations in the World Are: 1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Austria 4. Iceland 5. The Bahamas 6. Finland 7. Sweden 8. Bhutan 9. Brunei 10. Canada 11. Ireland 12. Luxembourg 13. Costa Rica 14. Malta 15. The Netherlands 16. Antigua and Barbuda 17. Malaysia 18. New Zealand 19. Norway 20. The Seychelles

Countries and Happiness Levels Other notable results include: 23. USA 35. Germany 41. UK 62. France 82. China 90. Japan 125. India 167. Russia

Countries and Happiness Levels The three least happy countries are: 176. Democratic Republic of the Congo 177. Zimbabwe 178. Burundi [Former iron curtain/Soviet block countries are generally very low in national happiness levels]

Countries and Happiness Levels Things that influence nations’ happiness levels: Perceived level of freedom; income levels; income inequality; general health; life expectancy; crime levels Bhutan has established a Gross National Happiness Index

Life Circumstances and Happiness Levels Country Level of national income Comparative income Job security Meaningful life/work

Applications of Positive Psychology to Changework How to apply this research in changework is not always obvious Much of this research is new and preliminary, but there are some intriguing findings that seem to fit with research on how people change in therapy settings There are things that an individual can do to increase happiness levels based on this research This course will provide the translation from research to practice and practical methods to help you and the people with whom you work apply these insights

The S.O.A.P. Model Social Connections Optimism There are four major elements that seems to increase happiness levels according to the research so far in Positive Psychology Social Connections Optimism Appreciation (Gratitude) Purpose (greater than oneself)

Assignment #2 Lesson 1b Write a message on the message board about a time or event in your life that clearly affected your happiness level for at least a while, bringing it up or down