Date:  July 10, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Perspective

Once we move our thinking beyond the newness of or even the shock of this new genetic reality, we will realize that this now-proven “fact” – that we have a “happiness thermostat” that is preset at birth – is both good and bad news for each of us.

Good News. The good news is there is now some rational explanation for those of us who – have you noticed – always seem down or sad compared to those who always seem so happy and upbeat. Discovering that we each have some inherent level of happiness that is genetically-predetermined provides some relief and comfort by neatly explaining what we so frequently notice:  some people are naturally happier or unhappier than we are. This makes sense and, for some – particularly those of us who have struggled through various efforts to be happier in our lives – it’s a relief to know there’s maybe nothing wrong with us – that’s “just the way we are.”

Another part of the good news about our genetically-set “happiness thermostat” is that, in the face of hardship and loss and their faithful companions, pain and suffering, we can still feel comforted and confident that, after experiencing all but the most extreme “lows” of life, no matter how unhappy we may feel in the moment, over time we can expect with some certainty to return naturally to our “normal” baseline, inherited level of well-being – our “set point” or “set range” of happiness. It can be reassuring when science confirms what we’ve observed and often experienced to be the case. And, in this case, we are often relieved in a way to find out that our dogged resilience in the face of the human trials and tribulations that come to all of us has some basis in scientific findings.

And, more good news:  even if we seem to be on the low end of the genetic happiness scale, our genetic starting point should not be cause for feelings of futility. Even though science now suggests a fixed “set range” for our level of happiness that is circumscribed by our genetic inheritance, it turns out that personality traits are not as strongly “hard-wired” as other traits like height and weight, so that feelings like happiness can be lastingly increased. Heritability does not mean immutability from the moment of conception.

Bad News. The bad news, of course, is that our genetic “happiness thermostat” means that our ability to positively increase our level of happiness is not unlimited as we may have hoped – or as previous decades of positive thinking without scientific foundation have had many of us believing. Instead, it is more limited – even though certainly not non-existent – because there are now genetic boundaries to what has been termed our “human plasticity” – or what was thought to be human beings’ almost unlimited ability to change almost everything about ourselves if we just worked at it hard enough. Still, all is not lost. We are quite able to increase our levels of happiness sufficiently to live sustainably happier lives.

Date:  July 3, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Balance

Happy 4th of July to all!

Date:  June 26, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  The Three Major Determinants of Happiness

If self-reported subjective well-being is the definition of happiness, and if these feelings are generated by both short-lasting pleasurable feelings of joy and longer-lasting, deeper feelings of satisfaction, contentment and meaning, and if this feeling has been validated by studies of our brain chemistry, then what determines how we experience these feelings? Leading psychologists the world-over now believe our level of happiness – our self-reported subjective well-being is determined by three major factors:

1. Our Genetic Inheritance. Heredity happens to each of us whether we like it or not. And, although it may initially come as a surprise to you (as it did to me), part of our capacity for happiness is “in our genes.” We have each received our own unique genetic predisposition for a certain level of sustainable happiness that we can’t change beyond some limits – our internal “happiness thermostat” setting, if you wish. Hundreds of relatively recent studies of identical and fraternal twins have unequivocally established that we each have a “set point” or a “set
range” of happiness that we are given at birth. This is “Nature” – of course – playing a role. In the same way that we inherit a familiar and proven predisposition for height and weight from our biological parents, psychologists have estimated that this genetic happiness inheritance accounts for about half [50%] of our overall “normal” level of happiness. As you will see, with focused effort, we each can rise above our genetic inheritance to live happier lives in the upper level of our “set range.”

2. Our Environment and Life Circumstances. As we might suspect from the historically familiar “Nature” and “Nurture” discussions, “Nature” imposes limitations on our potential for happiness in the form of our genetic inheritance – and so too does “Nurture.” Our past experiences – our upbringing – and our current life circumstances and demographics – our age, race, gender, education, where we live, etc. – also influence our pre-set range of happiness – but not nearly as much as we might imagine. This second limitation – which psychologists estimate accounts for only maybe a tenth [10%] of our predisposition for happiness – are our life circumstances:  our past and present environment – including where we grew up, the major positive and negative events of our childhood and our lives right up to the present, our current amount of money – income or assets, our material possessions, our age, gender, ethnicity, appearance, marital status, education, specific occupation, our religious affiliation if we have one, our neighborhood, our living conditions, our health including whether or not we have a chronic or acute illness. Ten percent only.

3. Our Happiness-Increasing Thoughts and Actions. The final factor influencing the level of happiness we experience in our life is up to us to determine. No matter how long or short our genetic leash may be and no matter what challenges our upbringing left us to deal with or how our current situation is, it has been conclusively demonstrated that, within some limitations, by choosing to be more deliberately intentional about who we are as a person and our thoughts and actions – that is, by consciously directing our life in proven positive directions – each of us can affect slightly less than half [40%] of our potential level of well-being often in sustainable, long-lasting ways. By observing happy people and learning their habits, we can use their attitudes, behavior and life situations as a guide for our intentional thoughts and actions. The six imperatives are focused on these sustainable happiness-increasing strategies —pursuing both pleasure and more meaningful activities that can significantly raise our level of well-being in the short-term (minutes and hours), the medium-term (days, weeks and months) and for the long-term (years and for life).

Date:  June 19, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Definition of Happiness

Social scientists now mostly agree on a definition. They define happiness as subjective well-being. Simply put, this definition means that each of us is exactly as happy as we think and say we are when asked. And, these same scientists have now measured peoples’ level of happiness reliably by using what is termed “self-reported subjective well-being” – which means letting people record how happy they’re feeling by answering a simple questionnaire. This definition has been validated as being accurate. And there is corroboration from the field of biology. Happiness isn’t just some vague, ineffable feeling. It is in fact an observable physical state of the brain that can be induced deliberately. According to a field called affective neuroscience, PET (Positive Emission Tomography) scans have demonstrated that the left pre-frontal cortex of our brain – the area associated with positive emotions – lights up when we are feeling happy and is often cited as the prime locus of happiness. If we reflect for a moment about what makes us happy, this definition of “self-reported subjective well-being” accurately reflects how we feel by including both bursts of pleasurable experiences resulting in positive emotions which make us feel happy for a short time, as well as deeper, more underlying feelings of well-being, contentment and satisfaction with life in general – feelings that life is good, purposeful, worthwhile, satisfying and has meaning. These deeper feelings of happiness are more sustainable and longer-lasting. We have all, hopefully, experienced both of these types of happiness feelings at some point in our lives.

And, what we’ve experienced is borne out by the research:  short-term pleasure certainly makes us feel happy, even euphoric. But, for more sustainable happiness, we also need depth and people and meaning in our lives. Neither alone is sufficient, but both together can be rewarding and reinforcing by making us feel happy in different ways and for varying lengths of time.

Date:  June 12, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Don’t Die Wondering

Don’t die wondering why your life turned out the way it did – and whether or not it could have been better. A happier life awaits those who choose to pursue implementation of these WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS. There is confidence and freedom and power in the realization that many of the solutions and proven paths to a happier life seem almost timeless and can be implemented successfully by almost everyone.

The most frequent reason that more people don’t live happier lives is a failure to change their thinking and their attitudes and ultimately their actions. They fail in the most essential task of all:  to proactively incorporate the proven thinking and recommended actions that lead to a happier life into the way they live their lives each and every day on an ongoing basis. There are many reasons for this failure – often it is due in part to the rampant levels of anxiety and depression that are present in our societies today.

No matter what the reasons, however, trust that – except in extreme cases – the human condition can be improved by intelligently applying what’s been proven to make us not only happier but also healthier, more productive, better married and longer lived.

Date:  June 5, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Three Cautions

I know, you’ve barely started your happiness journey and already there are cautions. What’s up with that?

Well, forewarned is forearmed.

Here are the cautions:

First, some of the proven WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS for living happier lives will be so familiar – like the time-honored advice you may have been fortunate enough to have received from your parents or grandparents – that you might tend to say to yourself:  “Of course, I knew that.”  Please remember,  just because you’ve heard some of these recommended actions as platitudes for most of your life, don’tlet historical familiarity – or what is termed “hindsight bias” – cause you to discount or dismiss the power of some of these proven ways of thinking, acting, being and doing to increase the amount of happiness in your life. In hindsight, most proven truths seem like common sense – something that of course each of us knew all along to be true. So, instead of being sidetracked by the “I knew it all along” smugness, be confident that a happier life is closer and more achievable than ever for you because of this foreknowledge.

Second, some of the recommended actions may surprise you. If so, don’t be dismayed or dismissive. Stay open-minded to the proven paths that are offered – they have helped millions of people live happier lives and they can help you do the same. Whatever your reaction, be assured that all of the WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS are implementable in some form by virtually everyone.

Third, the research demonstrates conclusively that there is no one single factor – no one “secret” – that is both necessary and sufficient for a happier life. The serious pursuit of happiness is more complex than that. Instead of just one “secret” way, there are multiple paths you can follow. In fact, implementing any of the WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS has been proven to have the potential to increase your level of happiness. The scientific study of well-being on which these actions are based can help you re-think your priorities and how you allocate your time each hour of each day of each week for the rest of your life.

_________________________________________________________

Date: May 29, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Balance

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

_____________________________________________________

Date: May 22, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Choice

Choose to proactively implement the WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS into your life. The pursuit of happiness, it turns out, is a challenge – a contest, a race that you can actually win – rather than just a mere whim of fate you must await while hoping for the best. The actions brightly light the paths for you to follow on your journey to a happier life. Historically, there has been a time-honored view about happiness – that “the bluebird of happiness” may fly in the window if we leave it open. Nathaniel Hawthorne memorably said:  “Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” These passive views, although eloquent, have been proven to be false.

So, prepare to work at changing how you think and act if you desire a happier life. If you want to flourish and thrive, you must actively seek to implement the WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS that my research has shown are the proven paths to a happier life. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.”

And, good news: you don’t have to wait until the end of your pursuit of happiness journey to feel happier. An added incentive is that each step you take on your journey, no matter how small, brings with it an immediate boost in feelings of well-being. This motivates your next effort on your journey. And the next. And the one after that. In fact, some of you may notice that just reading this blog and committing to begin your journey to a happier life has already made you feel happier.

To make you feel even better:  be confident that, no matter what manner of circumstance exists now or may befall you in the future as you navigate through the various chapters of your life, you will soon possess all of the proven strategies, key insights and tested actions necessary to live a happier life.

As a beginning step:

Share your choice to commit yourself to living a happier life with at least three close family members and/or friends whom you can trust to be supportive of your efforts on your happiness journey.

________________________________________________________

Date: May 15, 2011

Phase:  PREPARATION

Topic:  Commitment

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

- Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher (600–531 BC)

Commit to getting serious about embarking on or continuing your lifelong journey in pursuit of happiness. This blog will help you by providing an easy-to-follow roadmap to a happier life replete with specific WEEKLY RECOMMENDED ACTIONS based on scientific research about how to flourish and thrive – how to live a lastingly happier and more fulfilling life.

Think of the weekly posts to follow as a robust menu of proven recipes – each of which will increase your level of happiness. All that is required is for you to select some or all of the entrees that seem most appetizing and then add them into your day-to-day life.

All journeys are more successful when the trail is clearly marked.

By focusing the majority of your limited time and energy on those paths that have been proven to have the most durable and longest-lasting effect on your happiness – in some cases, a lifelong positive effect – you can have the maximum success at creating a lastingly happier life. Remember that, for all of us, when the wild, roller coaster rumpus that is our life winds down, we are the choices we’ve made each day along the way. Be bold. Begin your journey now. A happier life can be yours.

____________________________________________________________