"The Happiness Advantage"

I loved the way Shawn makes it fun to listen to his work! Shawn Achor is a leading expert on the connection between happiness and success. You can read more about his work on his website at http://goodthinkinc.com/speakers/shawn-achor/

In the above video He says,

"It is not reality that shapes us but the lense through which our brain views the world-that shapes our reality. If we change the lense through which we view the world, then we change our reality and happiness."

His studies have shown that your external world circumstances are not predictive of happiness. Instead, 90% of our happiness is based on how our mind processes the world.

This way of thinking and research is called "positive psychology". Where traditional pyschology has been focused on psychiatric illness or pathology-positive psychology seeks to study wellness and happiness. The focus is on the "build what is strong" approach as opposed to the "fix what is wrong" approach.

For more on positive psychology go to- http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/      .  On this site there are some great tools you can use to better study your own happiness. Go to
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/questionnaires.aspx

Research has suggested that meditation , journalling and leisure or play are all ways to increase  happiness. As with anything -practice is the key and as I have said before with practice new neural pathways can be created in the brain. Sean Achor challenges people to do one brief positive exercise every day for 21 days. He gives these as examples.

• Write down three new things you are grateful for each day
• Write for two minutes a day describing one positive experience you had over the past 24 hours
• Exercise for 10 minutes a day
• Meditate for two minutes, focusing on your breath going in and out
• Write one quick email first thing in the morning thanking or praising someone in your social support network (family member, friend, old teacher)