2. Understanding Happiness & Developing Habits that will make you Happier A presentation based on a lecture by Brian King, Ph.D. of the Institute for Brain Potential; and the research of Dr. Martin Seligman, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania), Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. (U.C. Riverside), and publications by the American Psychological Association.

3. Positive Psychology
Traditionally, psychology focused almost exclusively on pathology (relief of suffering). It rarely addressed models for emotional growth and resiliency.
Today there is a movement known as positive psychology that studies positive human functioning with the goal of improving the quality of life, not just treating illness.
What is positive psychology? (5 minutes)

4. What is Happiness?
An emotional state characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
Implies the presence of something positive, not just the absence of negativity (i.e., more than relief from anxiety, boredom, loneliness, pain, etc.)

5. Why should we strive for happiness?
Negative affect leads to “battle station” thinking that is narrowly focused and constantly problem-solving
Positive affect broadens and builds creativity and flexibility, bringing about the full range of the brain’s activity
And, as science proves, happiness correlates with important life outcomes.

6. The Benefits of Being Happier
Happier people are:
More sociable & energetic
More likely to form long term relationships
More productive
More resilient
Sleep better
Lower blood pressure & blood glucose
Have stronger immune systems
Maintain cognitive fitness (less likely to develop symptoms leading to Alzheimers and other cognitive decline)
Earn more (“happiness buys money”)
Live longer

7. Positive emotions can effect life expectancy.
Baseball Smile Study
(Abel & Kruger, 2010, 1950’s baseball cards)
Tested smile intensity related to longevity
Those smiling in their photos lived an average of 7 years longer (I TESTED IT!)
Monty Irvin
1919 – Jan, 2016
96 years young &
still smiling (before his recent trip to the great hereafter!!!)
Eddie Mathews
d. Age 69 RIP

8. Happiness and the Brain
Prefrontal Cortex
Where thoughts occur; consciousness.
Involved in the regulation of emotion and behavior by anticipating the consequences of our actions.
Thoughts influence our emotional state; we regulate our emotional state via thoughts all the time.

9. The Biological Basis of Happiness

10. Subcortical Areas Involved in Happiness
Amygdala:
Critical for the production
of emotion, particularly
negative emotions.
Nucleus Accumbens:
Involved in the experience
of goal-directed positive emotion.
Evaluation of potential benefits.

11. Happiness has many influences.
50% inherited from our parents and similar to other genetically inherited predispositions (like weight).
10% life circumstances (like income, health, residency …)
40% intentional strategies; i.e. your behavioral choices. Practicing the habits of a happy person.

12. Hedonic Adaptation
Human beings adapt to favorable changes in wealth, housing, and possessions, to being beautiful or being surrounded by beauty, to good health, and even to important relationships… Although we may achieve temporary boosts in well-being by moving to new parts of the country, securing raises, or changing our appearances, such boosts are unlikely to be long-lasting. The primary reason…is that people readily and rapidly adapt to positive circumstantial changes.

13. What doesn’t make us sustainably happy:
More $$, overall quality of life (post poverty).
Personal appearance.
Neither of these life circumstances make us sustainably happier due to hedonic adaptation.

14. So, what DOES make us sustainably happy, then?

15. Emotional Styles (back to the quiz you took!)
Happiness is associated with certain emotional styles which are similar to a personality trait or temperament.
The styles influence our interactions with the world.
Being aware of this, we can develop them, even making them habitual, just like we can work on being more patient, helpful, friendly, …

16. Your Emotional Style summarizes your score in 6 dimensions.

17. Brain-Based Emotional Styles
Resilience
Outlook
Social Intuition
Self-awareness
Sensitivity to context
Attention

18. Resilience How fast you recover from adverse events.
“fast to recover” to “slow to recover”
Brain Basis: Prefrontal cortex
Sends inhibitory signals to the amygdala
(i.e., inhibits negative emotions)
* Some researchers say resilience IS happiness.

19. Outlook How you characteristically view life. “Negative” to “Positive”
Brain Basis: Prefrontal cortex & Nucleus Accumbens

20. Social Intuition
Your capacity to grasp social cues, including body language, facial and verbal expressions.
“Puzzled” to “Socially Intuitive”
Brain Basis: Amygdala &
fusiform gyrus

21. Self Awareness
How tuned you are to the signals coming from your body and mind.
“Self-Opaque” to “Self-Aware”
Brain Basis: Insula

22. Sensitivity to Context
The way you modulate your behavior and emotional responses depending on the person you’re interacting with or the environment you’re in.
“Tuned-Out” to “Tuned-In”
Brain Basis: Hippocampus

23. Attention Your ability to focus. “Unfocused” to “Focused”
Brain Basis: Prefrontal cortex

24. THE HABITS OF HAPPY PEOPLE
Activities, thoughts, and beliefs that support positive emotions, thoughts, caring, commitment, motivation, and meaning.
Happiness is unstable. Regardless of a set point,
nobody is happy all of the time. However, practicing specific habits can make you generally happier more of the time.

25. So, to improve happiness, develop:
Resilience to setbacks
A positive outlook
Strong social intuition
Keen, honest self-awareness
Appropriate sensitivity to context
Attentiveness to the moment
All of these can become habitual.

26. Tomorrow:
HABIT FORMATION