Cultivating Optimism Dean Barley, PhD Associate Director of Clinical Services BYU Comprehensive Clinic

The Science of Happiness What do we know about happiness, resilience, prevention, or growth? How can we use what we know?

When do I need counseling? When I’m starting to feel like a danger to myself or others.

When do I need counseling? When someone who loves me or whom I respect says I should.

When do I need counseling? What I’m doing isn’t working and symptoms are interfering with life.

When do I need counseling? When I need more help than my support system can provide.

When do I need counseling? When I’m just tired of suffering.

Where do I go for help? Insurance company Physician Ecclesiastical authority Friends

The Comprehensive Clinic Brigham Young University

How does counseling help? Being heard, valued, understood Chance to sort things out Learn new skills

I don’t want to go. 20% of the population is diagnosable at any given time. I went with my family and it helped. You should consider it.

Back to Happiness

Desired Outcome Change our lives Do something… differently

Sources

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Test your Optimism! Go to Authentichappiness.org and take the Optimism Test and the Life Satisfaction Scale

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Happiness or Life Satisfaction Happiness = your genetic set range (50%) + circumstances (10%) + factors under voluntary control (40%).

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Science of Happiness Feelings are determined by what we think, the way we see things, our “causal attributions.”

BYU Comprehensive Clinic The Science of Happiness To change the way we feel we must… Change the way we think, see, or interpret our world

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Things we think will make us happy: “I will be happy when…” “I would be happy if...” Money, Promotion, Youth, Bigger house, Newer Car, Beauty, Fame

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Why Changing Circumstances Doesn’t Bring Lasting Happiness Hedonic Adaptation or Habituation We get used to it, and we return to baseline level of satisfaction. Raised expectations (the more we have, the more we want) Social Comparisons

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Problem with focusing on improving circumstances: Changing circumstances brings a boost of positive emotion, but it doesn’t last due to habituation. It distracts us from focusing on other strategies that work better.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Cure to habituation Optimal timing of events Introducing variation to reduce habituation (boredom, tedium, burnout)

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Circumstances: Happiness does not come from… Money: – 22 lottery winners returned to baseline happiness over time –Forbes 100 people ($125 million average worth) only slightly more happy than the average American.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Circumstances: Happiness does not come from… Physical attractiveness Being young: Life satisfaction goes up slightly with age. Objective Health: What matters is our perception of our health (chronic disabling conditions do lead to a decrease in life satisfaction)

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Circumstances: Happiness does not come from (or correlate with)… Education, intelligence, climate, race, and gender. African-Americans and Hispanics have a lower rate of depression than Caucasians, but reported happiness is not higher

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Happiness does correlate on the average with… Religion: –Religious people are less likely to use drugs, commit crimes, divorce and commit suicide. –Healthier and live longer. –More resilient under stress. –Somewhat happier and more satisfied with life. –More hope and meaning in life.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Circumstances: Relationships 40% of married people are very happy, while 24% of single, divorced, and separated say this. Those in a not “very happy marriage” have lower happiness than unmarried or divorced. Securely attached children outperform peers in persistence, problem-solving, and independence.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Summary on Circumstances and Life Satisfaction Live in wealthy democracy and not an impoverished dictatorship (strong effect) Get married (robust effect but may not be causal) Have a rich social network (robust but maybe not causal) Avoid negative events and emotion (moderate) Participate in a religion (moderate effect) Together all these account for between 8 and 15% of the variance in happiness. There may be other things that aren’t as hard to change.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Happiness Strategies 1. Expressing and experiencing gratitude* 2. Cultivating Optimism* 3. Avoiding over thinking, social comparison (rumination) 4. Practicing acts of kindness 5. Nurturing relationships* 6. Developing strategies for coping (dealing with trauma and adversity)

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Happiness Strategies 7. Learning to forgive 8. Get in the flow* 9. Savoring life’s joys* 10. Committing to goals 11. Practicing religion and spirituality 12. Taking care of your body

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Optimism Can change feelings by changing thoughts

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Optimism is not: Positive thinking or aphorisms. Always looking on the bright side.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Optimism is not: Predicting success regardless of the circumstances Ignoring suffering or the possibility of unwanted outcomes

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Don’t use optimism when: Risky and uncertain future Cost of negative outcome is very high Talking to people whose future is dim

BYU Comprehensive Clinic

Use optimism in An achievement situation Concerned about how you feel emotionally If you physical health is an issue If you want to lead and inspire others

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Optimism = Causal Attribution or Explanatory Style Why do bad things happen? How do I make sense out of the world? Control vs. helplessness My place in the world

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Attributional styles come from: Inherited traits Mothers, coaches, teachers Early life experiences (trauma, sickness, early parental death, abuse, divorce).

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Once pessimism sets in it feeds on Self-fulfilling prophesy Confirmational bias

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Pessimistic Porcupine: the three P’s Pessimistic people interpret bad events as permanent; will undermine everything they do (pervasive); and it’s their fault (personal).

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Pessimism Permanent, pervasive, and personal (It’s going to last forever, it’s going to undermine everything, and it’s my fault.)

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Pessimistic Porcupines Eight times more likely to become depressed when bad events happen. Do worse at school, sports, jobs, have shorter lives and worse physical health, and worse relationships.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Depression 10 times more prevalent now than it was in the 1950’s Strikes a decade earlier than it did a generation ago. Strikes women twice as often as men

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Optimistic Otter – 3 O’s Optimistic people interpret a bad event as temporary (OCCASIONAL instead of permanent) Impersonal (OTHER factors to consider) Specific (not pervasive, OUT of bounds of other important aspects of life).

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Permanent vs. Occasional (temporary) PermanentTemporary I’m all washed upI’m exhausted Diets never workDiets don’t work when you eat out The boss is a jerkThe boss is in a bad mood You never talk to meYou haven’t talked to me lately Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Pervasive vs. Specific (Out of bounds) PervasiveSpecific Life is unfairHe treated me unfairly I’m ruinedI’ve lost lots of money No one likes meShe doesn’t like me. Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Increase Optimism ABCDE –Adversity –Beliefs –Consequences (emotional and behavioral) –Disputation (Otter Vanquishes Porcupine) –Energizer Ermine –Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Disputation Duck (to avoid rumination) “Is it useful for me to think this right now?”

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Stop! Don’ t Think about this right now.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Distance by labeling: That’s stinking’ thinkin’! Perhaps there another way to think about it.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Write it down

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Schedule some time to think it over later.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Positive self-distraction/self-management

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Sherlock Hamster Where is the evidence for this? Is this factually correct? What are other possible explanations of this? What are other possible contributing factors?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D - Cat What is the worst possible thing that could happen? How likely is this? What is the best possible thing that could happen? How likely it that?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D -Cat What is the most likely outcome? Plan for that.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Energizer Ermine D -Cat

BYU Comprehensive Clinic

Increase Optimism ABCDE –Adversity –Beliefs –Consequences (emotional and behavioral) –Disputation (Otter Vanquishes Porcupine) –Energizer Ermine –Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Disputation Duck (to avoid rumination) “Is it useful for me to think this right now?”

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Stop! Don’ t Think about this right now.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Distance by labeling: That’s stinking’ thinkin’! Perhaps there another way to think about it.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Write it down

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Schedule some time to think it over later.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Positive self-distraction/self-management

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Sherlock Hamster Where is the evidence for this? Is this factually correct? What are other possible explanations of this? What are other possible contributing factors?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D - Cat What is the worst possible thing that could happen? How likely is this? What is the best possible thing that could happen? How likely it that?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D -Cat What is the most likely outcome? Plan for that.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Energizer Ermine D -Cat

BYU Comprehensive Clinic

Increase Optimism ABCDE –Adversity –Beliefs –Consequences (emotional and behavioral) –Disputation (Otter Vanquishes Porcupine) –Energizer Ermine –Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Disputation Duck (to avoid rumination) “Is it useful for me to think this right now?”

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Stop! Don’ t Think about this right now.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Distance by labeling: That’s stinking’ thinkin’! Perhaps there another way to think about it.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Write it down

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Schedule some time to think it over later.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Positive self-distraction/self-management

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Sherlock Hamster Where is the evidence for this? Is this factually correct? What are other possible explanations of this? What are other possible contributing factors?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D - Cat What is the worst possible thing that could happen? How likely is this? What is the best possible thing that could happen? How likely it that?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D -Cat What is the most likely outcome? Plan for that.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Energizer Ermine D -Cat

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Increase Optimism ABCDE –Adversity –Beliefs –Consequences (emotional and behavioral) –Disputation (Otter Vanquishes Porcupine) –Energizer Ermine –Adapted from Seligman, Martin (2006) Learned Optimism. Vintage Books, New York.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Disputation Duck (to avoid rumination) “Is it useful for me to think this right now?”

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Stop! Don’ t Think about this right now.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Distance by labeling: That’s stinking’ thinkin’! Perhaps there another way to think about it.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Write it down

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Schedule some time to think it over later.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Duck Positive self-distraction/self-management

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Sherlock Hamster Where is the evidence for this? Is this factually correct? What are other possible explanations of this? What are other possible contributing factors?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D - Cat What is the worst possible thing that could happen? How likely is this? What is the best possible thing that could happen? How likely it that?

BYU Comprehensive Clinic D -Cat What is the most likely outcome? Plan for that.

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Energizer Ermine D -Cat

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Twelve Happiness Strategies

BYU Comprehensive Clinic Desired Outcome Do something….differently.