D A Y 3 – T H E G O O D L I F E

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF

HAPPINESS

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

On a scale of 1 (not at all) – 10 (extremely)

Do you feel:

•Happy?

•Relaxed?

•Awake?

AGENDA

• Grounding Exercise

• Homework Discussion

• Self-Assessment& Review from Last Class

• Resiliency, Biology, and Mood

• Meditation/Mindfulness - Savoring

• Flow & Character Strengths

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

On a scale of 1 (not at all) – 10 (extremely)

Do you feel:

•Happy?

•Relaxed?

•Awake?

HOMEWORK DISCUSSION

• Honoring Yourself

• Best Possible Selves

• Dealing with 2nd Darts

HAPPINESS GUIDE

(REVIEW)

• What are three key ideas from last class that you found the most insightful?

SELF-ASSESSMENT

True or False

1. Being happy tends to lead to more success in a persons endeavors.

2. We are always conscious of our needs and how to fulfill them.

3. The Hedonic Treadmill is the result of sensory adaptation.

4. For the most part, the pursuit of pleasure is detrimental for happiness.

5. We perceive the world exactly as it is.

6. One way to counterbalance the negativity bias is to make the experience of positive emotion more common – a habit.

REVIEW

• Another way to counterbalance the negativity bias is to develop resiliency.

RESILIENCY

• Definition:• Resilience refers to the ability to cope with adversity, or

“persevere and adapt when things go awry.”

• We often can’t control our conditions of living (C)

• But the majority of our suffering isn’t the result of C. It’s the result of our thoughts and beliefs about C.

• The Buddha understood this a couple thousands years earlier.

RESILIENCY

• Psychological Research:

• Resilient people have flexible thinking and can avoid exaggeration, hence more accurate thinking.

• Issues arise from…

• Explanatory Style

• Cognitive Distortions

• Buddha

• First Darts: The events in our lives that cause pain and suffering.

• Second Darts: The judgments we make about these events that perpetuate and exaggerate our suffering.

HOW TO DEVELOP RESILIENCY:THE LIMBIC SYSTEM (AMYGDALA) & PFC

HOW TO DEVELOP RESILIENCY:

LIMBIC SYSTEM (SUBCORTICAL)

• Thalamus: • sensory switchboard to

cortex;

• Amygdala: • Determines if stimuli should be

approached or feared

• Hypothalamus:• Regulates emotional

behaviors and motives (e.g., sex, hunger, rage, hormone release)

• Hippocampus: • Critical for memory formation.

AMYGDALA

The amygdala

Responsible for assessing threat

Damage to the amygdala results in abnormality in processing fear.

chapter 13

THE AMYGDALA

REVIEW FROM LAST CLASS:

THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN & SUFFERINGThe Fear System (Panksepp)

PREFRONTAL CORTEX (PFC)

Need to exercise control over older, strong, emotional and instinctual brain of the subcortex.

Sustained AttentionSelf-Monitoring

Impulse Control(behavioral inhibition)Emotional Modulation

RESILIENCY

The Big Idea:

• Become more aware of ones emotional reactions and judgments. Then consciously choose an appropriate response, challenging negative thoughts that may not be accurate.

Activity:

• Think of some examples within the last 48 ours when you threw 2nd darts at yourself and list them down.

• Then try to reword the 2nd darts in more neutral (accurate), non-judgmental language.

PRACTICING NON-JUDGMENT:

FORGIVENESS

• Forgiveness of others (letting go of unnecessary judgments of others).

• Forgiveness of ourselves (letting go of unnecessary judgments of oneself).

• Frequent forgiveness exercise:

• Reflect on any feelings of guilt, or thoughts of self-criticism, that you may be holding onto. As you are experiencing these feelings and thoughts, try to see yourself as a dear friend that is worthy of forgiveness. Then, imagine what you would say to this friend to indicate that you have forgiven him or her.

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

On a scale of 1 (not at all) – 10 (extremely)

Do you feel:

•Happy?

•Relaxed?

•Awake?

DAY 3: “THE GOOD LIFE”

Engagement with the World &

Satisfaction in Daily Life

• Meditation & Mindfulness

• Finding Flow

• Engaging and Developing Character Strengths

MINDFULNESS

• What is your background with mindfulness and meditation?

Half an hour’s meditation each

day is essential, except when you

are busy.

Then a full hour is needed.

-St Francis de Sales 1567-1622

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

• Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges through…

1. paying attention on purpose,

2. in the present moment,

3. and non judgementally to things as they are.

REMEMBERING V

H = S + C + V

• The problem is that V is often on “automatic pilot”

• Mindfulness is paying attention and being conscious of our behaviors and thoughts.

WHY PRESENT MOMENT?

WHY DO WE HAVE STRESS?

STRESSORS: WHAT CAUSES STRESS

NOW?

WHERE ARE THESE STRESSORS?

Regrets/Grudges Worries/Fears

(past) (future)

Present: own thoughts wanting things to be different than they are now.

MANY STRESSORS ARE NOT REALLY

HERE, NOW.

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

On a scale of 1 (not at all) – 10 (extremely)

Do you feel:

•Happy?

•Relaxed?

•Awake?

PRACTICING MINDFULNESS:

MEDITATIONS

Do you have any favorite practices?

Psychological Categories:

• Concentrative Meditation: Attention is paid to a single focal point (i.e., object, thought, sound, phrase, etc.)• Produces relaxation response and thus works to reduce

stress

• Mindfulness Meditation: Based on widening attention span to become aware of everything experienced at a given moment

BASIC MINDFULNESS PRACTICES

• Mindful Breathing

• Image Meditation

• Word/sound Meditation

• Mindful Walking

• Guided imagery meditation

• Body Scan

• Mindful Eating

• Random Task

EXERCISES

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

(EXERCISE #1)

Daily Meditation

• Every morning and evening dedicate some time (5 or more minutes) to a meditation.

• Remember that there is no goal with the exercise.

• Let go of any expectations.

• You are simply practicing the art of paying attention.

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

(EXERCISE #2)

Random Task Meditation

• Pick any daily task and try to use it as a mindfulness practice. As you perform the task, become non-judgmentally aware of the sensations associated with the task. When you notice thoughts enter your awareness, draw your attention back to the activity.

• Examples: taking a shower, brushing your teeth, taking a walk, washing the dishes, folding the laundry.

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

(EXERCISE #3)

The “Ok” Mantra

• We often take our lives for granted. However, if we take the time to think about it, we are wealthier than many, have health that allows to function, and live a life full of freedoms that many lack.

• A simple daily mindfulness practice is cultivating the habit of simply saying “everything is ok.”

•• You may want to set an alarm to remind you on a daily

basis, or you may want to simply keep the intention to say the this phrase whenever you feel stress and anxiety.

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

On a scale of 1 (not at all) – 10 (extremely)

Do you feel:

•Happy?

•Relaxed?

•Awake?

STUDYING MEDITATION

• Video

EFFECTS OF MEDITATION

• Triggers Relaxation Response: • internal response that prevents activation of adrenal

glands (parasympathetic NV)

• Stress Control:• Lowers heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension,

boosts immune system

• Help with Pain Reduction, insomnia, anxiety disorder, anger management

• Increase in levels of happiness.

• Relief from Habitual Thinking & Judgment

MINDFULNESS & SAVORING

Definition: Savoring consists of intentionally engaging in thoughts and behaviors that heighten the positive emotions that a pleasurable experience elicits.

• Our thoughts too often draw us away from savoring positive experience.

• Being mindful allows us to consciously choose to savor positive experience

SAVORING

Four types of savoring: (Seligman, 2002)

1. Basking: Reveling in or making the most of praise or congratulations

2. Thanksgiving: Experiencing or expressing gratitude

3. Marveling: Being filled with wonder, astonishment, or awe

4. Luxuriating: Delighting in the experience of the senses

SAVORING PRACTICES

1. Relish Ordinary Experiences

• Imagine how lucky we are to be living the life we are living.

• What everyday conveniences do we take for granted?

Exercise # 4:As you go through your day, be mindful of all the small conveniences and pleasures of your daily experience and attempt to savor them. It may help to image what life would be like without them. Every night, attempt to write down 1-3 of these experiences, allowing yourself to savor them again while reminiscing.

SAVORING PRACTICES

2. Savor and Reminisce with Others

• It’s often easier to savor when sharing a positive experience with another.

• Another person can also help bolster the power of positive reminiscence.

Exercise # 5:When with others, try to make a conscious effort to express your pleasure with, and appreciation for, a shared experience (food, a beautiful sunset, etc…). You may also consciously choose to reminisce on past positive experiences you have shared.

SAVORING PRACTICES

3. Be Open to Beauty and Excellence

• Beauty and displays of talent, genius, and virtue are all around us.

• Can you name any that you have noticed within the last 48 hours?

Exercise # 6:Every morning hold the intention to be open to beauty, talent, genius, and virtue that is constantly around you. Some of these may be often missed, existing only in the background of your awareness. Savor the experience of excellence in the world as you notice them. Every night, attempt to write down 1-3 of these experiences, allowing yourself to savor them again while reminiscing.

AN INTERESTING STUDY

1970’s Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi happiness study.

What points in a persons day did they feel happiest?:

When we they were active and in FLOW.

FLOW

Csikszentmihaly’s Explanation:

• World is chaotic. Therefore our consciousness is often chaotic.

• We are most satisfied/happy when our thoughts and actions are ordered to achieve order in consciousness.

• People have “optimal” experiences when this state of consciousness is achieved.

• “Flow” – since many subjects stated it felt like life was “flowing” or that their actions were “flowing” out of them.

FLOW DESCRIPTIONS

• “My mind isn’t wandering. I am not thinking of something else. I am totally involved in what I am doing.”

• “My concentration is like breathing. I never think of it.”

• “I am so involved in what I am doing. I don’t see myself as separate from what I am doing”

• “I lost my sense of time.”When have you

felt this way?

CLASS ACTIVITY

• Time to doodle!

COMPONENTS OF FLOW

1. Challenge-Skill Balance. A balance between the demands of the situation and personal skills.

2. Action-Awareness Merging. Deep involvement that makes actions seem automatic.

3. Clear Goals. Certainty about what one is going to do.

4. Unambiguous Feedback. Immediate and clear feedback that reaffirms actions.

5. Concentration on Task at Hand. Feeling focused.

6. Sense of Control. Happens without conscious effort.

7. Loss of Self-Consciousness. Concern for self disappears as person becomes one with activity.

8. Transformation of Time. Time passes faster, slower, or there is unawareness of time.

9. Autotelic Experience. Feeling of doing something for its own sake, with no expectation of future reward.

EXAMPLES OF THE FLOW EXPERIENCE

EXAMPLES OF FLOW EXPERIENCE

M. CSIKSZENTMIHALYI (1990)

Athletics “being in the zone”

Religion “ecstasy,” perhaps nirvana

Art, Music “aesthetic rapture”

Athletics “being in the zone”

Religion “ecstasy,” perhaps nirvana

Art, Music “aesthetic rapture”

“The opposite state from the condition of psychic entropy (disorder) is optimal experience. When the information that keeps coming into awareness is congruent with goals, psychic energy flows effortlessly. There is no need to worry, no reason to question one’s adequacy. But whenever one does stop to think about oneself, the evidence is encouraging: “You are doing all right.” The positive feedback strengthens the self, and more attention is freed to deal with the outer and inner environment.”

PRACTICING FLOW

(EXERCISE #7)

Experiencing Flow

• Reflect on an activity that you do, or have done, that has provided you with the flow experience. Schedule some time daily to participate in this activity, altering it if it becomes to difficult or too easy over time.

HOW TO ENTER FLOW:

1. FINDING A BALANCE

Find a balance between skills and challenge.

�During flow individuals are completely involved in what theyare doing; our skill level matches the challenges of the task,we feel compelled to persist at what we are doing until weget it right and we lose track of time

�Flow provides an important pathway to happiness as itprovides the deep satisfaction of successful engagement

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CONDITIONS FOR ‘FLOW’

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COMFORT ZONE

STRETCH ZONEScaffolding may be put in place to support weaker students in achieving FLOW in their work

PANIC ZONE

Tal Ben-Shahar (2007)

This area equates to Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development/Learning(Vygotsky, 1978)

ACTIVITY

Activity that requires skill and is challenging What makes it challenging?

ACTIVITY

Activity that does not require skill or is not challenging.

What can be done to make it challenging?

PRACTICING FLOW

(EXERCISES #9 & 10)

Finding Flow Through Challenge

• Take a mundane activity that you do regularly and come up with a way to make it a bit more challenging. Attempt to add this challenge to this activity through the days leading up to our next class.

Find Flow Through Skill

• Take a stressful or difficult activity that you do regularly. Can you think of a way to decrease the difficulty of the activity (smaller, shorter, re-organized, etc…)or to perform it in a way that better suits your skill level. Attempt to make these adjustment through the days leading up to our next class.

HOW TO ENTER FLOW:

2. UTILIZING “SIGNATURE STRENGTHS”

Martin Seligman

• � Let’s focus on strengths rather than weaknesses!

• � Throughout the last 3000 years of cultural traditions, religions, philosophies, what are a list of human virtues?

• �Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman founds lots, but each tradition valued 6 common virtues.

• � Each virtue can be displayed in several ways – 24 character strengths.

SIGNATURE STRENGTHS

• Seligman referred to these as signature strengths and described their classification as “ a classification of the sanities”

• They provide a counterbalance to classifications of psychological illnesses.

• People happiest when engaged in their signature character strength. Allows one to be more “authentic” and true to their nature.

• Would anyone care to share theirs?

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MAKING USE OF

SIGNATURE STRENGTHS

Utilizing your signature strength often leads to flow, so…

• Use Strengths in Novel Ways:

• Seek out novel experiences and new areas and opportunities to apply your strengths. Especially at work or home.

• Use Strengths to Manage Weaknesses:

• When you have to do something you are not good at or do not like doing, find a way to use your strengths to get it done. In groups, networking strengths, or effectively utilizing each group-member's set of strengths for the best of the group can lead to the highest achievement.

EXERCISE #11

Utilizing Your Character Strengths

• Reflect on a mundane activity that you do regularly (or an activity that you simply do not look forward to doing).

• Think of a way to make use of your character strengths while doing this activity.

• Attempt to utilize your character strength while performing this activity. Feel free to alter your strategy or activity depending on your emotional feedback.

HOW TO ENTER FLOW:

3. SET CLEAR GOALS

� Csikszentmihalyi (1990) explains that having meaningful

goals and a clear sense of purpose is essential to attaining

flow

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HOMEWORK

• Take your three important points for each of the last three classes and find an image that you feel relates to that point. The image can be from the internet, a magazine, newspaper, advertisements, etc…

• Do the same with any exercises you feel to be useful.

• Then, create either a booklet, poster, or any other physical medium that you could easily refer to and that you can share with the class. Leave space for three more points having to do with purpose and meaning that we will add in our last class meeting.