Session 11

The Science of Happiness, Session 11

Happiness in Practice, outliers

This is so important that we will dedicate a whole new series to this aspect and we will go into the details of how to apply the concepts, rules of happiness in day to day life…

-          A multitude of tests, important research has demonstrated that these principles work

-          Create Rituals

-          Good habits versus Bad Habits

We all know how hard it is to quit smoking, eating sweets, or fried, wrong foods….

-          On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.

-          But once you acquire the habit, it is difficult to abandon it

One of the most popular, frequently used happiness exercises is promoted by various scholars, even if they sometimes diverge on frequency:

-          Gratitude exercise

-          Count your blessings

-          At the end of the day, or the week

Sonja Lyubomirsky may disagree with Tal Ben-Shahar in regards to every single day or just at the end of the week.

-          This exercise shows multiple benefits

-          Better sleep

-          increased generosity

-          improved wellbeing

One sure way to improve your health, and that means for both body and the brain that works better is to engage in

-          physical exercise

-          the chair kills

-          endorphins

-          serotonin= natural mood enhancer

-          best cocktail

-          exact quantity, perfect composition, right moment, astounding efficacy

There are multiple benefits outside improving happiness levels and I will not insist on the rest as they are not our priority here

Calling, outliers and practice

-          once you have found your calling- Strengths Interests Meaning

-          you can work and be happy…in day to day life

Other practical advice, rules that you could apply in practice and form a few habits around them would be the following:

-          watch good comedies- in our special series dedicated to The Application in Practice of these concepts we will get into minute details, including what are the films we recommend, best comedies that we think appropriate

-          studies show that even the thought that they are going to watch a comedy improved people’s well being

-          avoid watching too much news

-          news are about negative events, it in their nature

-          Ellen DeGeneres has a program in which she uses humor to underline the problem of news-

-          News crawlers, 24 hour news…

Finally, as mentioned:

-          You have the choice to dedicate more time to applying rules and exercises

-          A new series will be available plus

-          An option to join our Happiness Club

-          Visit us online, or maybe even better…in person…