Delizonna vietnam 2009

What Type of Happiness?• Not just momentary happiness, joy, pleasant emotions • Sustainable, long lasting • Not absence of negative emotions and/or experiences... Negative emotion, Posit

The Science and Application of

Positive Psychology

Laura Delizonna, PhD

DrLaura@ChoosingHappiness.com

Why do I study and teach happiness?

• I believe sustainable happiness is reachable.

– Happiness emerges when life is lived skillfully.

– These skills can be learned.

• I believe happier individuals would create a more peaceful world.

“With realization of one's own potential and

self-confidence in one's ability,

one can build a better world.”

-The Dalai Lama

“Be the change you want to see.”

–Mahatma Ghandi

What is Positive Psychology?

-A scientific study of well-being and practices in individuals and communities

Disease Model Positive Psychology

Identify and Fix Problems

• Empirically Supported Treatments for mental illnesses

Identify and Build Strengths and Positivity

• “You already have a life, now use it.”

A Shift in Focus

Previous psychologists

• Roger, Maslow, Humanistic psychology

• The study and promotion of positive human

experience.

• Not much research.

• Theory and practice only.

Contemporary researchers

• Self-efficacy

• Bandura

• Broader view of intelligence

• Sternberg, Gardner, Salovey

• Neurobiology of positive emotion

• Davidson

History of Positive Psychology

Throughout time people have been asking,

“What are the keys to happiness?”

The Science of Happiness

• Initially called Subjective Well-Being

• Many types of happiness

What Type of Happiness?

• Not just momentary happiness, joy, pleasant emotions

• Sustainable, long lasting

• Not absence of negative emotions and/or experiences

Negative emotion, Positive emotion, and Satisfaction

Negative

emotion

Life Satisfaction Positive

emotion

What is happiness?

• English Dictionary definition

“state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy”

• Cultural differences

• Individual differences

in interpretation and sources

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행복은 Felicità

Felicidad Glück

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Happiness

Cultural Definitions of Happiness

•India and China

•Happiness is state of peace and harmony

•low arousal components

•Happiness is upbeat, energetic

•high arousal components like excitement and enthusiasm

because of differences in ideal affect

Jeanne Tsai at Stanford University

Less -

More +

More +

Less -

Cultural Value of Emotions

When deciding how satisfied:

• Asian Americans consider Negative emotions more when deciding on whether or not to do experiences again and friendships.

• European Americans consider Positive emotions more.

Asian Americans

European Americans

By Eunkook Suh et al

Sources of Life Satisfaction

What predicts life satisfaction?

•Japanese

• self-esteem and relationship harmony

• Lower life satisfaction when they attribute negative events to others.

•Europeans and Americans

• Feeling good about themselves

• attribute positive events to themselves

Pursued Independently Pursued Interdependently

Independent and interdependent goals have different impacts on subjective well-being in Asian and European Americans.

Oishi & Diener (2001)

Your Happiness

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

Can We Measure Happiness?

• repeated recording of emotions at random moments over time

– Satisfaction of global aspects of life

• Not just specific

Fordyce Emotions QuestionnaireGeneral Happiness QuestionnaireAuthentic Happiness Questionnaire

www.authentichappiness.org

Assessments

Questionnaires to Assess Happiness

Happiness Around the World

• People across the world believe that happiness an important goal.

• Most people are mildly happy.

• Report being happy (average = 64.5; 1-100)

• Moderate positive emotions

• Not extreme elation

Universal Causes of Happiness

– Family, friends, quality of social relationships

• Specific sources of happiness are different because values differ

National Life Satisfaction

Highest

• Economically developed

• Democratic

• High in human rights

• High in equal rights for women

Lowest

• Extremely poor

• Often politically unstable

• Conflict within nation and with neighboring nations

Gallup Organization: Gallup World Survey (2006)

Not all happiness comes from within

It is important to live in secure circumstances

where one’s needs can be met.

Life Satisfaction Survey Data

Scale 1-10; nations=130;

Best to worst possible life you can imagine for yourself?

Satisfaction and Standard of Living

• Denmark is generally ranked highest on these studies.

• Good health care

• Education

• Wealth

• Low unemployment rate

• Disaster relief services

• Social equality

Culture and Well Being

• Still difficult to determine.

• Predictors of happiness in cultures

– Collectivist and Individualist societies differ

• Self-esteem, consistency, and purpose predict well-being in individualist societies, but not collectivist societies

• Expression and value placed on positive emotions

Measurement effects likely.

Wealth and Happiness

• Poor societies where basic needs are not fully met

• Wealthy nations

• Materialism, valuing money more than other things such as relationships, is

often a negative predictor of well-being,

• Use money to bring meaning and satisfaction

The Maasai

– Pride in self and community

– strongly valued in Maasai culture.

– low incidences of anger and sadness

• Cows are central

Is Happiness Important?

• Most people value happiness as a goal.

• Happy people function better than unhappy people

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Work Performance and Happiness

People with high happiness levels are more likely to:

• Get job interviews

• Are better managers

They are less likely to have:

• Poor workplace behavior

• Job dissatisfaction

Relationships and Happiness

People high in happiness have:

Happiness– a Cause or Consequence?

AND

• Positive affect makes success and better relationships likely.

National Well-being Assessments

• Happiness has beneficial consequences beyond feeling good

• Diener and colleagues propose that nations should assess the subjective being of citizens just as they monitor the economy.

Positive Emotions Are Beneficial

• Positive emotions energize us and make us feel more connected to others.

• When people have high levels of positive emotion, they:

Anxiety Short films shown Cardiovascular recovery

Situation

sadness

no emotion contentment amusement

How Much Positive Emotion?

3-to-1 positive to negative emotions daily on average

Positivity Tipping Point

Happy people act

differently than less happy

people.

Positivity Tipping Point

People who commonly have 3:1 positive emotions, respond differently to situations They tend to be more:

Positive and Negative Emotions Are Important

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They warn us that something is wrong.

STOP! No! Get away.

Positive emotions Negative emotions

Emotions help us navigate.

They tell us something is right GO! Get more! This is good!

How to reach the 3:1 Positivity Ratio?

• Work on your response to circumstances.

80% of Americans fall short.

H = S + C + V

Sustainable Set Range Life Voluntary

Happiness Circumstances Control

Seligman Happiness Formula

• Happiness largely depends on how you choose to respond to what you face.

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• Teachings from great thinkers

• Experience with students and clients

• Personal understanding and insights

You can increase your sustainable happiness

How?

1 Understand that your response is crucial regardless of circumstances.

2 Practice habits that enhance happiness

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YOUR HAPPINESS

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

Main Findings in Happiness Research

– Notice and deepen positive impact of pleasant experiences, relationships

– U of Pennsylvania study: Higher happiness, lower depression levels 6 months later.

• How?

– Turn attention to the positives in situations

Questionnaires to Assess Happiness

3 Good Things Exercise Good Things

1 What was the good thing?

2 What part did I have in creating it?

OR, What was one way I contributed to or honored my family, community, others today?

 Awareness of pleasure and a deliberate attempt to make it last

 Immerse yourself in your senses or experience.

• Savor simple pleasures

• Immerse yourself in your senses or experience.

The top 10% of very happy people have just one thing in common.

What is it?

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Satisfying close relationships.

• Relationships are the number one contributor

56

• Building block of empathy and compassion

• Opposite is Dehumanization, depersonalization

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• Daily small acts of kindness.

58

The secret to strong marriages?

• Have you experienced small acts of kindness recently?

• Small favors, making dinner, nice text messages

Lovingkindness– Metta Meditation

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• Sheldon and Lyubomirsky (2006)

• Focused in the moment.

• Engaged and fully present

Skill and challenge are balanced.

What activities put you in flow?

YOUR FLOW EXPERIENCE

• Describe a personal experience.

• Consider: Work, Projects, Play, Sports, Hobbies.

YOUR FEELINGS

• How did you feel?

• Were you focused, concentrating, challenged, lose a sense of time.

PERSONAL SKILLS YOU USED

• Knowledge?

• Skills?

YOUR FLOW EXPERIENCE

• Describe a personal experience.

• Consider: Work, Projects, Play, Sports, Hobbies.

YOUR FEELINGS

• How did you feel?

• Were you focused, concentrating, challenged, lose a sense of time.

PERSONAL SKILLS YOU USED

• Knowledge?

• Skills?

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*Martin Seligman, University of Pennsylvania

Do you focus on possibility or

impossibility?

– Superior physical health

– Stronger immune system

– Better mental health

– Recover from diseases better

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Benefits of Optimism

higher optimism than their opponent

People high in Optimism:

Analyzing Your Assumptions

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he

thinks, he becomes.”

–Mohandas Ghandi

Assessments

NOT Optimism!

• We all have a finite number of days in life.

– How will you spend them?

• Does your life on the outside reflect who you are on

the inside?

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Meaning Is Created

– Pursue goals that you value.

• Achievement, family, friends, community impact, fun?

– Deci and Ryan (2000)

• Recognize the meaningful impact of your actions and contributions.

• Strengths

• Seligman, Steen, Park, and Peterson (2005)

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What Are Your Unique Strengths?

• Identify your Signature Strengths

-Unique skills or inherent characteristics.

-Make you feel like you when using them.

• Use them everyday in work, play, social activities.

• Use them in meaningful activities

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Questionnaires to Assess Meaning, Values and Signature

Strengths

Success and Happiness=

Meaning + Skills + Pleasure

HOH-Authenticity 75

3 Questions to Guide You

THREE QUESTIONS FOR LIVING AUTHENTICALLY

1: What feels meaningful?

2: What am I good at?

3: What do I enjoy?

Main Findings in Happiness Research

YOUR HAPPINESS

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

1 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

2 WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

What are two things that currently make you happy?

3 HOW MUCH HAPPIER COULD YOU BE?

4 OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

What are three things that get in the way of your happiness?

5 YOUR ACTION PLAN

What could you do to increase your happiness?

What would happen if…

78You were even happier?

…collectively we were happier in our families, workplaces, communities,

society, and world?

What would happen if…

Share your experiences!

• Send me questions or reflections.

• Email if you want slides or handouts, or to just say, “Hi!”

DrLaura@ChoosingHappiness.com

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