career satisfaction

8/12/2019 Career Satisfaction

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https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/career-satisfaction.htm

What makes us happy at work?

When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say

to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

Boredom and Happiness at Work

Results of a PCP poll for the TDA[1]on 2113

graduates aged 21 to 45.

Boredom Rating for Graduates (out of 10):

Administrative/Secretarial jobs 10

Manufacturing jobs 8.1

Sales jobs 7.8

Marketing/Advertising 7.7

IT/Telecommunications 7.5

Science Research & Development 7.3

Media 7.1

Law 6.9

Engineering 6.9

Banking/Finance 6.6

Human Resources 6.6

Accountancy 6.3

The Happiest Professions

According to the City & Guilds

Happiness at Work Index some

of the happiest graduate jobs

were (in order):

doctor

dentist

armed forces

teachers

leisure & tourism jobs

journalistsaccountants

lawyers

marketing

PR & advertising staff

nurses

HR staff

architects,
http://www.tda.gov.uk/about/mediarelations/2006/20060727.aspx?keywords=boredom


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https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/career-satisfaction.htm 2

Hospitality/Travel 5.3

Healthcare 5.1

Teaching 4.0

This survey was commissioned by a

teaching agency!

Teachers were the least bored. 81 per cent of

teachers questioned said it is the challenge of

the role, 81% because no two days are the

same, and 86% said they enjoy the interaction

with people. 64% also rate the opportunity to

use their creativity.

Employees surveyed say they are mainly bored

because ofthe lack of challengein their jobs

(61%), not using their skills or their knowledge

60% and doing the same things every day(50%)

computing staff

bankers

Some of the least happy

professions were

apparently:

social workers

civil servants

estate agents

secretaries

administrators

I'm not sure how reliable this

survey is but I'd suspect that

some of the factors at work

here would be people contact,

money, job security &

autonomy.

So what do we make of the apparent contradictions here? Of course, such surveys are

never particularly accurate, and boredom and happiness are different measures.Teachers may be the least bored, but this doesn't necessarily mean that they are

particularly happy in their jobs!

Well-being

An excellent survey on the well-being of Plymouth University students and graduates

by Dr. Glen Crust and Dr. Helen Hicks found thatstudents with the highest well-beingwere those on medical, nursing, pharmacy and teaching courses whereas students with

the lowest well-beingwere those on finance, law, management and economics

courses. You can find the full survey results here[2]. Well-being was measured by

amalgamating scores for: "how satisfied you are with your life"; "the extent you feel the

things you do in your life are worthwhile"; "how happy you felt yesterday" and how

anxious you felt yesterday (inverse).
http://issuu.com/glencrust/docs/graduate_wellbeing_initial_results__8c57ebe7c945bc/1


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Occupations with the highest well-beingincluded health professionals such as

physiotherapists, nurses, midwives, podiatrists and paramedics, further education

teachers, surveyors, accountants and management consultants. As you might expect,

graduates who got the type of work they wanted were happier than those who only had

one job offer which they had to accept.

Graduates with first class degrees have on average a higher well-being than thosewith 2:1s, who have a higher well-being than those with 2:2s and thirds. This may well

be because graduates with higher degree classes tend to be in better or more

appropriate jobs. Women graduatesreport slightly higher levels of well-being on

average andwhite graduateswere found to have higher well-being scores than

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British respondents.

Are employees of small businesses and the self-employed more orless satisfied?

A survey by the TUC found that employees in small businesses are more satisfied at

work. They were also found to be the most committed and loyal to their organisations.

They also felt most engaged by their employer and had the most freedom to choose

their working patterns. There were far fewer reports of bullying, lower stress levels

and less complaints about long working hours.

The Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses said "In terms of the way they

treat their staff, small businesses consistently out perform their bigger competitors.

Small business owners know that the greatest asset is their staff and they are more

likely to treat them as individuals and recognise their needs. By having a committed

and loyal workforce that has a say in how the organisation is run, the smallest business

has a bigger advantage."

Having said this larger organisationsdo tend to offer higher initial salaries, bettertraining and more chance to specialise. See our page on Working in smaller

organisations [3]

People who have set up their own business tend to be happier.They take

responsibility for their own future, and take control of their own destiny. Self employed

people are happier about their work-life balance even though they work the longest

hours - because they have more control over their time. See our self employment
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htmhttp://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htmhttp://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sme.htm


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page[4]for more about this.

Research by Sonya Lyubomirsky (University of California) using data for over 250,000

people found that being happy lead to higher incomes, greater productivity and quality

of work, more satisfying and longer marriages, more friends, stronger social support,

and richer social interactions, more activity, energy, and flow, and better physical

health.

A study in 2007 by Nattavudh Powdthavee[5]found that meeting regularly with

friends, relatives and neighbours had the same effect on your happiness as a large

increase in salary. Being married or living together was also highly beneficial.
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htmhttp://www.unisi.it/eventi/happiness/curriculum/nattavudh.pdfhttp://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htm


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Commuting

Some new research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).has found that people

who spend between an hour and 90 minutes getting to work each day are more

miserable than their colleagues. and people travelling by bus are even more unhappy.

Commuters have on average lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that daily activitiesare worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety than non-commuters.

People who worked from homehad higher personal well-being even compared to

those who commute for less than a quarter of an hour.

HR Grapevine Article: Commuters want to cry by the time they get to work

Other factors reducing happiness at work include:Long working hours

Having to relocateto a new area to get a job (as you lose some contact with friends

and relatives)

Tight deadlines

Lack of control

Being unemployed.

Green spaces

Researchers at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health [6]found that

living in an urban area with green spaces has a long term positive impact on people's

mental well-being. Moving to an area with green spaces had a sustained positive

effect, whereas pay rises or promotions, only gave a short-term boost to happiness.

People living in greener urban areas show less signs of depression or stress.[7]

How important is money?

The Easterlin Paradox

The economist Richard Easterlin found a paradox: high incomes do correlate with
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23613211http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23613211http://www.hrgrapevine.com/markets/hr/article/2014-01-13-commuters-want-to-cry-by-the-time-they-arrive-at-work/?utm_source=Sign-Up.to&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7962-310427-HRM+-+13%25252F01%25252F14#.UtZtQvRdUg4


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happiness, but long term, increased income doesnt correlate with increased

happiness.

Researchers examined 37 countries over the long term (measurements were made over

22 years) and found that happiness ratings within a country didn't increase with

income. In China, S. Korea, and Chile, per capitaincome doubled is less than two

decades yet all these countries showed slight declines in happiness. Easterlin

said[8]"We may need to focus policy on urgent personal concerns such as health and

family life, rather than on the mere escalation of material goods."

Money is surprisingly not particularly important once you have enough to meet all

your basic requirements. Extra money doesn't make you much happier. A pay risedoes make you happy but only for a short while as you quickly become adapted to it.

This is because we rapidly get used to what we have (see the hedonic treadmill below).

In the UK, life satisfaction has decreased since the 1970s despite a 60% rise in Gross

Domestic Product in that time, again showing that buying and
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/12/08/1015962107.full.pdf+html


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owning consumer goods makes no difference to well being. In 1998 Bhutan allowed in

television and the Internet into the country for the first time (previously they had been

banned). This lead to an almost immediately increased craving for a Western lifestyleand products and an increased dissatisfaction with life - see the hedonic treadmill

below.

A new job, house or car gives a short term boost, but quickly get accustomed to it.

Having your finances under control (e.g. not being in debt) is more important than a

large wage, although earning less than most of the people you know also affects your

happiness (keeping up with the Joneses). There is a higher occurrence of depression in

those who think happiness comes via money, fame, and beauty.

After several years lottery winners revert to their previous levels of happiness.[9]
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/forbes/P95294.asp


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Winning 1M doesn't add to self esteem, in fact, after a short term boost in happiness

most lottery winners go back to their old levels of happiness and sometimes even lower

as they no longer have their old goals to aim for. They feel a sense of hollowness that

may make them want to work again.

Some recent research[10]found that mice preferred treats that they had to work harder

to get suggesting that the old adage; The harder you work for something, the more you

appreciate it.is true for animals as well as humans!

The real value of money lies in it's power to buy you freedom and security. By

saving money you also partially insulate yourself from stress.
http://tiny.cc/pp5oy


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Money DOES buy:

security ( = greater freedom from stress)

autonomy

more time to enjoy life

greater freedom to do what you want

the chance to educate yourself and to enrich your life, for example, by travel

the ability to help others who have less than you have.

If however after reading this, you do still wish tobecome a millionaire, according to a

survey by Spears and Wealth Insight[11]the most common degrees to achieve this are,

in order:

1. Engineering

2. Economics

3. Business Administration

4. Commerce

5. Accounting

6. Computer Science

7. Finance

8. Politics

The best universities to attend to become a millionaire were in order: Harvard,

Stanford, California, Columbia, Oxford, MIT, New York, Cambridge, Pennsylvania and

Cornell. The universities which dominateare exactly the ones youd expect, not just

because of the quality of the education but because of the self-confidence they instill in

their students. They also havestrong alumni networks.

Bonuses

Rewards such as bonusesprovide a short term boost to performance but ultimately

reduce long term motivation. Performance related pay and the carrot and stick

approach have little or no long term value in motivating staff[12].

Research from the Institute of Leadership & Management[13]found that few employees

said that bonuses motivated them to work harder.

According to those surveyed the most important motivators were:59% felt enjoyment of the jobwas the most important motivator
https://www.i-l-m.com/Why-ILM/Research-reports/Beyond-the-bonushttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/184767769X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292324315&sr=1-4http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131104231507-17970806-most-popular-college-degrees-earned-by-millionaires


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49% how much they are paid.

42% getting on with colleagueswas the best motivator

22%being treated fairly by their managers

22% autonomy: how much control they have over their work

Only 13% of employees said thatbonusesmotivated them to work harder.

Getting regular feedback, allowing staff autonomy in their role, the opportunity toinnovate and improved office environmentsalso helped

Good managers are key motivators who can make a real difference to their teams. The

five fundamentals of good management: coaching, giving feedback, listening,

rewarding and recognising success and performance management. Something as

simple as hearing you've done a really good job on .... can strongly boost to an

employees confidence, deliver a sense of pride and satisfaction and encourage them to

put more into their work.

Part-time workersare more motivated (76%) at work than full-time workers (68%),

despite being paid less pro rata (10,793 a year, less than half of the average salary for a

full time employee at 22,328). They are more likely to have a higher level of respect for

their manager (57%) than full time colleagues (52%) and a more positive attitude

towards their employer (57%) than full time staff (49%).

Women were significantly more motivated than men.For women, enjoying their jobis the most important motivator (64% chose it as one of their top three), followed by

how well I get on with people (44%) and base salary (41%), while men chose base

salary and benefits (58%) as the most important factor, then enjoying their job (53%)

and how well they get on with colleagues (41%).

Those under 30 are more financially motivatedthan their older colleagues, and are

more likely to currently be in a job where they receive financial incentives for work.

Some 55% of under 30s indicated that money was either very or pretty important to

them, compared to 43% of over 30s. 12% of under 30s said that money is the root of all

happiness compared to 9% of over 30s.

Two thirds (61%) of employees said their workplace had an appraisal system,but a

quarter of respondents (25%) think that appraisals are performed poorly by their

manager. Appraisals are less effective at driving the performance and motivation among

female employees.


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Sensory pleasures

Many people confuse happiness with sensual or sensory pleasures:those obtained

from alcohol, food, sex, drugs, money and sun drenched beaches! Sensual pleasures are

highly enjoyable whilst they last but tend to be short lived. They are a quick hit. They

produce a temporary, ephemeral lift: instant but transient and superficial

gratification.The high doesn't last and eventually becomes unfulfilling: rather likeeating chocolate but nothing else: wonderful at first, but ultimately unsustainable. It

has also been called "Hollywood happiness".

A study by researchers at McGill University[14]found that dopamine (a neurotransmitter

in the brain

responsible for good moods) is released when you listen to music you enjoy. Even when

you have listened to it many times, it can still arouse feelings of euphoria and craving.

The Hedonic Treadmill Problem

Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although

Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it

which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

The problem with sensual pleasures is something called the Hedonic treadmill[15].

The high you get via sensual pleasures is produced by dopamine;a brain

neurotransmitter associated with addiction: the pleasure you get is rapid but

unfortunately doesn't last long - you need more and bigger hits to achieve same

effect: more alcohol, drugs or whatever. It's called this because it's similar to a

treadmill where you have to keep running just to stay in the same place. If you

experience a constant sound, smell or image it eventually disappears from your

awareness. We quickly become familiar with new sources of pleasure and so the

pleasure lessens:enjoyment quickly fades as we get same experience every day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmillhttp://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.2726.html


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This leads to avicious circle of desirewith a negative comedown afterwards: the

bigger stomach you get or the increased bills can lead to you despising yourself. You

therefore need to increase the dose or move to a new source.

Advertisers have a vested interest in keeping the treadmill in place.Our consumer

society constantly encourages us to spend leading to increased materialism. We keep

comparing ourselves with others to reinforce our identity.

A new study by researchers at McGill University[16]found that dopamine is also

released when you listen to musicyou enjoy. Even when you have listened to it many

times, it can still arouse feelings of euphoria and craving!

The hole of wanting can never be filled, except momentarily, by the objects of its wanting.

As soon as an aspiration or object is gained, I learn quickly to discount its importance and

another replaces it.

David Brandon

How to break the treadmill
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.2726.html


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1. You've already made the first step: just understanding the treadmilland how it

works is an important start.

2. Try to avoid sources of temptation: turn off the adverts on TV for example, or

watch them analytically to see how they work on you.3. Try to separate what you want(desire)from what you really need(essentials).

You may find that well over half of the things you buy are in the first group!

Also see the BBC article Shopping: The new tactics to get you spending[17]

Those three things - autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward -

are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying. It is

not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between nine and five. It'swhether our work fulfills us.

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

What motivates us at work?

Happy people tend to be successful at work, but surprisingly it's not your success that

causes you to be happy, conversely it's your being happy which tends to cause your

success.

Research has identified the following factors which make us happy at

work:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21537359


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Autonomy

Autonomy means having some control over your work: managing your own

time[18]and making decisions[19]on what you do when. Employees who have control

over the tasks they have to do have greater job satisfaction and lead more fulfilling

lives. People really dislike being told what to do!

Self employed people[20]are happier about their work-life balanceeven though

they work the longest hours - because they have more control over their time.They

take responsibility for their own future, and take control of their own destiny.

People working for smaller organisationsalso tend to be happier.

Studies have suggested that autonomy is twenty times better at predicting

happiness than income.People with high income but little autonomy are usually

much less happy than people with a low income but control over what they do, so if

you can find ways of controlling your life, you can be happy even on a low income.

Autonomy is also related to health: the Whitehall Study[21]study found that Civil

Servants at lower grades had much poorer health than those at higher grades who had

more control over their work.

Mastery

Masterymeans being able to use and improve the skills that you enjoy using: see our

Strengths page[22]for more about this.

Peop le find it gra tifying to exercise control.Our brains want to control the

experiences we are about to have. Being effective - changing things, influencing things,

making things happen - is one of the fundamental needs; with which human brains

seem to be naturally endowed. Our desire for control is so powerful and the feeling ofbeing in control so rewarding that people often act as though they can control the

uncontrollable. The feeling of control. is one of the wellsprings of mental health.

Professor Daniel Gilbert[23]

This is related to being involved in "Flow" activities(see below) where we feel

completely immersed in the activity.
http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/strength-based-interviews.htmhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/whitehallII/pdf/Whitehallbooklet_1_.pdfhttp://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sme.htm#WHYSMEhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/decisionmaking.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/time.htm


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Purpose

Purposeinvolves making a difference, understanding that what you do has value and

having goals that you believe in (see below).

Other factors which contribute to happiness and motivationHaving avarietyof tasks to do.

Getting positive feedback on your performance.

Having challenges which stretch you(but not to the point where you get highly

stressed!).

Being able to work on a product or service from start to finishe.g. a builder who

builds a house.

Having friends at work[24]

.Working in an environment that allows you to focus on your workwithout

being distracted.

Living close to where you work. The longer your commute to work, the less happy

you are likely to be, and people who are able towalk or cycle to workare likely to

be even happier: the exercise they get will have an impact but also the lack of stress

of sitting in traffic jams or waiting for a late train. In short, they are in control of

their journey to work.

Purpose: pursuing a cause that contributes to the greatergood.

Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread"Studs Terkel

"Alfredo Moser is a modern-day Thomas Edison, whose invention is lighting up the world. In

2002, the Brazilian mechanic had his own light-bulb moment and came up with way of

illuminating his house during the day without electricity - using nothing more than plastic

bottles filled with water and a tiny bit of bleach. In the last two years his idea has spread

throughout the world. It is expected to be in one million homes by early next year."See

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914[25]for the full story.

A study by Bruce Headey ( University of Melbourne)[26]found that people who placed a

higher priority on altruistic behaviours and family goalshad a long-term increase
http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/77545/dp753.pdfhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/teamwork.htm


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at work was the belief that the job had a positive impact on others.

Doing something for those less well of than yourself is also an excellent cure for self

pity. "By making someone else happy you secure your own happiness".

This could involve:

Improving yourself:getting fit, losing weight or improving your mind by studying.

Helping others:supporting your family and friends. It's not what you take out of

relationships that counts, it's what you put in. People who try to help friends,

family and community tend to live longer.

Improving the world:this could be a social or an environmental[29]goal such as

voluntary work at a nature reserve: fundraising for a charity

[30]

or helping thehomeless or starving people in a developing country[31],

See our voluntary work page[32]for lots of ideas on how to get involved.

Flow activities

Flow is the state reached when we are so immersed in an activity that we cease to

notice the passage of time and have deep, effortless involvement.Time seems tostop. Our happiness is greatest at such times. Sports people call this "being in the zone"

and mystics as being in an ecstatic state. It is the full involvement in flow, rather than

happiness achieved from sensory pleasures that makes for excellence in life. It produces

deep, long lasting satisfaction, rather than temporary cheerfulness.

Activities where we use and improve our skills produce flow

Enjoying doing something you are good at:you feelyou are doing exactly what you

most enjoy doingand don't want it to finish. Identifying your strengths[33]and

skills[34]and then using and improving these in your work, relationships and leisure

interests gives a deep and lasting source of satisfaction. It makes you forget all your

worries, and gives you a great sense of control and the satisfaction of a job well done.

there may be a rapid learning curve.

it involve concentration.
https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsmap.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/personalstyles.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/voluntaryWork.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/developing.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/charity.htmhttps://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Environment.htm


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It involves a challenge: it will stretch our mind or body.

Activities where we set and achieve goals produce flow

This involves becoming immersed in trying to reach a challenging goal. See our action

planning[35]page for tips on setting and achieving goals.

The secret is to have goals that are

clear and require appropriate responses

broken down into clearly defined steps.

compatible with what we want

you get feedbackon your performance: for example in a game you know

immediately whether you've won or lost orbeing thankedfor what you have done.

which require effort and stretch us,so they keep us engaged and allow us to

improve our skills: joining a new club, starting a hobby, sport or career.

problems need to be solved[36]but not so difficult that we give up in despair: you

have a good chance of success. If the challenge exceeds our skill level, we simply

become more anxious.

effort and discipline are required: you may need to learn how to persist when

things get tough.

skill is required:you may need to develop your skills to be successful. Choose
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activities that fit your personality, values, abilities. Think of what you already enjoy

doing and do something similar.

you feel a sense of control

The learninginvolved means that your brain is fed with constantly changing

positive experiences that prevent the hedonic treadmill from turning.

Life satisfaction is greatest for those involved in short term goals which are

enjoyable, not too difficult; and done in cooperation with others. Focus on one

objective at a time and always have the next goal in mind. To accomplish more

difficult tasks, break them down into components.[37]The most satisfaction comes

from pursuing an objective, not simply from achieving it. - Ari Kiev

Zig Ziglar quotes

Money won't make you happy: but everybody wants to find out for themselves.

Unless you have a definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to

realize your maximum potential.

You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other

people get what they want.

Its almost easier to come second because then you still have something to aim for. When youwin, you suddenly feel lost. You buy a shiny car, only to glimpse its superficiality. You win a

promotion, only to find the job was not all you dreamed of. Even Olympic winners fall victim

to an echoing sense of anticlimax: they have nothing more to aim for. Evolution makes us feel

miserable after triumph, so we can disengage and focus on the next challenge. If goal

fulfillment induced indefinite periods of contentment, we would be robbed of all future

motivation.

Taken from "Bounce", by Michael Syed[38]

Surprisingly flow is more likely to occur at work than in your free time.A job that

ticks the following boxes is usually called a Career!.

The work has clear goals and rules of performance.

You get feedback on your performance: increased sales or feedback from customers

or your manager.

A good work environment should encourage concentration and minimise

distractions
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The difficulty of the work should match your skills (unless you've been over or

under-promoted!).

Research at Massachusetts Hospital [39]found that an 8 week course of half an hour a

day in mindfulness meditation[40]led to structural changes in the brain.

Mindfulness meditation focuses on non-judgmental awareness of sensations &feelings.

Brain scans were taken of 16 participants before & after the training. Increases in

density in the hippocampus (responsible for learning and memory) were found &

decreased density in the amygdala (responsible for anxiety & stress responses),

showing that the way we feel (calm or anxious) can be correlated with real structural

indicators in the brain.

Meditating doesn't just give a sense of peace & relaxation, but appears to give benefits

in mental & emotional well-being, memory, sense of self, empathy & reduced stress

that persist long term. Regular meditators have reduced levels of negative emotion,

increased well being and contentment and improved immune responses. reductions

in reactivity, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Mindfulness-based treatments appear

to provide antidepressant and antianxiety effects, as well as decreases in

psychological distress.

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the

things you can't hear, & not bothering.

Winnie the Pooh!

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Gandhi

Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.

Natalie Goldberg

Flow is often experienced in games such as chess or football because they have goals

and rules that make it possible for the player to act without questioning what

should be done, and how.For the duration of the game the player lives in a self-
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contained universe where everything is black and white.

Flow is rarely experienced in passive leisure activities, such as watching television

or relaxing. Reading booksleads to a lot of flow experiences whereas watching

television rarely produces flow.

Flow activities need an initial investment of effort before they start to becomeenjoyable. If you are tired, anxious, or lack the self discipline to overcome that hurdle,

you may go for relaxation rather than flow activities. You need some time to do

nothing; relax on a sunny beach reading a novel, or just watching TV but it should be

in proportion.

Holidayscan help to clear your mind & to look at your situation from a new

perspective. Getting rid of all the unused junk in your home to produce a tidy,

uncluttered environment, can also help.

Relationshipscan of course also have a profound effect on your happiness but this is

dependent on the whims of your partner. Flow happiness is of our own making.

Flow can also be achieved via prayer or meditation -being in the moment. Flow can

even be achieved when doing routine tasks: doing the washing up or peeling potatoes,

if we approach these tasks with a state of mindfulness(total absorption in the task to

do it as well as we possibly can). See the Zen saying "Chop wood, carry water![41]"

(see box on right.)

Lower blood pressure which is related to your state of relaxationis also correlated

with happiness. Average blood pressure is lower in Ireland, Holland, Denmark and

Sweden than in Germany and Portugal and people have been found to be happier in

the first group of countries than the latter.

Blanchflower and Oswald, Journal of Health Economics

[42]

Flow is not always positive. Gambling can put you into a flow state, and if not

controlled it can have addictive tendencies: for example, a workaholic may neglect

other aspects of their lives such as their families

For more on flow see the research done by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi[43]
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199707/finding-flowhttp://imechanica.org/files/andrew_oswald_presentation_071129.pdfhttp://www.interluderetreat.com/meditate/chop.htm


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Flow usually occurs

when you are doing

your favorite things

playing team games or

sports

games such as chess,

tennis, or poker or

computer games

playing a musical

instrument or listening

to music

painting, pottery,

writing poetry, music or

a computer program

collecting coins or

stamps

making

clothes

growing

plants

inventing

something

religiousritual

climbing a

mountain

watching

a sunset

cooking a

nice meal

drivingdown a

country

lane

feeding

birds or

fish

talking to

friendsreading a

good book

Research in the US found that

teenagers experienced flow in

sports & games 44% of time spent

hobbies 34%

watching television 13%

Yet these teenagers spent four times

more of their free time watching TV

than involved in hobbies or sports.

Similar ratios are true for adults.

What can you do if you can't change your job?

Sometimes you can't change your job, especially in the short term and with fewer jobsavailable due to the economy, so how do you make it more meaningful? Sometimes our

jobs have an impact on others, but were too distant from the customers or end users to

see this. For example when university telephone callers responsible for getting

donations from alumni[44]spent 10 minutes talking to just one beneficiary of their

work they increased their weekly revenue by over 400%. When we see the direct

consequences of our jobs for other people, we find more meaning in our work.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597806000641


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An exercise called job craftingcan help to reenergise your work. It involves redefining

your job to incorporate your motives, strengths, and passions. You to visualize the job,

map its elements, and reorganize them to better suit you. You can put personal touches

on how you see and do your job, and youll gain a greater sense of control at work

becoming happier and more effective.

You can change the boundaries of your job by taking on more or fewer tasks, expandingor diminishing their scope, or changing how they are performed. A graduate in sales for

example might take on additional event planning because he likes the challenge of

organizing people and logistics. You can also change the nature or extent of your

interactions with others, for example hospital cleaners who lacked patient

contact provided emotional support to patients and their families[45]and how you

think about the purpose of certain aspects of your job. For more about job crafting,

see"Turn the Job You Have into the Job You Want".[46]

If you can't change your work in the above ways, another solution is to find meaning

outside your work byvolunteering[47]in evenings or weekends or taking an evening or

online course[48]. I remember one drama graduate who wasn't talented enough to

become an actress and eventually ended up in a rather boring job as an administrator

for an airline, but she gained great satisfaction by becoming a leading light in her local

amateur theatre company.

For further information see

Also see our pages on Coping with being unemployed/Maintaining your morale[49]

and Striving for excellence[50]

A King was going to his palace after his rounds in the city when he met a beggar. He asked

the beggar, What would you like?

The beggar laughed and said, You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!

The king was offended. He said, Of course I can fulfil your desire. What is it? Just tell me.

And the beggar said, Think twice before you promise anything.
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/excellence.htmhttp://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/copingWithRejection.htmhttp://www.hotcourses.com/https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/voluntaryWork.htmhttp://hbr.org/2010/06/managing-yourself-turn-the-job-you-have-into-the-job-you-want/ar/1http://amr.aom.org/content/26/2/179.short


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1. http://www.tda.gov.uk/about/mediarelations/2006/20060727.aspx?keywords=boredom

2. http://issuu.com/glencrust/docs/graduate_wellbeing_initial_results__8c57ebe7c945bc/1

3. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sme.htm

4. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htm

5. http://www.unisi.it/eventi/happiness/curriculum/nattavudh.pdf6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23613211

7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23613211

8. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/12/08/1015962107.full.pdf+html

9. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/forbes/P95294.asp

10. http://tiny.cc/pp5oy

I will fulfill anything you ask. I am a powerful king, what can you possibly desire that I can

not give to you?

The beggar said, It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with

something?

The king said, Of course! He called his vizier and told him, Fill this man's begging bowlwith money. The vizier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it

disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would

disappear. And the begging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumour went throughout the city, and a huge

crowd gathered. The prestige of the king was at stake. He said to his vizier, If the whole

kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar.

Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty. The begging bowl

seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it immediately disappeared, went out

of existence. Finally it was the evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence.

The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. He said, Just tell me

one thing. You are victorious but before you leave, just fulfil my curiosity. What is the

begging bowl made of?

The beggar laughed and said, There is no secret. It is simply made of human desire.


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11. http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131104231507-17970806-most-popular-college-

degrees-earned-by-millionaires

12. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/184767769X/ref=sr_1_4?

s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292324315&sr=1-4

13. https://www.i-l-m.com/Why-ILM/Research-reports/Beyond-the-bonus

14. http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.2726.html

15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill

16. http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn.2726.html

17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21537359

18. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/time.htm

19. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/decisionmaking.htm

20. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selfemployment.htm21. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/whitehallII/pdf/Whitehallbooklet_1_.pdf

22. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/strength-based-interviews.htm

23. http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/

24. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/teamwork.htm

25. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23536914

26. http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/77545/dp753.pdf

27. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/values.htm

28. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/apl/92/5/1332/

29. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Environment.htm

30. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/charity.htm

31. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/developing.htm

32. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/voluntaryWork.htm

33. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/personalstyles.htm

34. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsmap.htm

35. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsactionplanning.htm

36. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/decisionmaking.htm

37. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsactionplanning.htm

38. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bounce-How-Champions-are-Made/dp/000735052X


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39. http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~lazar/

40. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016/full

41. http://www.interluderetreat.com/meditate/chop.htm

42. http://imechanica.org/files/andrew_oswald_presentation_071129.pdf

43. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199707/finding-flow

44. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597806000641

45. http://amr.aom.org/content/26/2/179.short

46. http://hbr.org/2010/06/managing-yourself-turn-the-job-you-have-into-the-job-you-want/ar/1

47. https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/voluntaryWork.htm

48. http://www.hotcourses.com/

49. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/copingWithRejection.htm

50. http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/excellence.htm

career satisfaction

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