I’m
almost positive that everyone has had one of those horrible days when it seems
like your world is close to ending. You might think that there’s no possible
way you could be happy after failing a test, forgetting a project or just
having too much to do after school. Think again, according to psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, forty percent of our
happiness may be within our power to control. In the article “The Happiness Diet,”
she explains a recent study, she found that found people
who thought about happy life events for eight minutes every day for three days
felt increased life satisfaction four weeks later than they had prior to the
study. She calls this theory the “40 Percent Solution. In her book, "The
How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want,” she
lists various activities to make yourself happy. Psychologists have been using
these “happiness activities” to help their clients achieve true happiness in their
lives.
Lyubomirsky
mainly focuses on the differences between happy people and unhappy people and
how to increase the number of the happy ones. She looks at happiness as a diet.
You can’t eat healthy one day and expect to lose ten pounds; you have to work
at it. Just like a diet, you need to work on your happiness all the time as
well. You can’t do one happiness exercise and expect to be happy for the rest
of your life. You have to do it every day and really put effort into boosting
your own happiness. I know you may be thinking that you barely have time to
breathe during the day…where are you supposed to find the time to make yourself
happy. Just remember it only takes about eight minutes of your day and it will
probably help make you motivate and more productive with your work.
Many
people believe the myth that weather can add to your happiness. That people in Florida
where it is always warm and sunny are happier than people in Maine where it is
usually cold. Weather actually has nothing to do with it because you become
adapted to the weather wherever you live. However, if you move to Florida you
may have an increase in your happiness for a little bit because the warm and
sunny weather is new to you. But after a while you will adapt to it and that
happiness will return to normal. This is one reason why people like to go on
vacation so much: change of scenery. Variety changes the way we look at things
and that helps us to truly enjoy what we have.
Happiness
not only will give you a new outlook on life but it can improve relationships,
creativity, social life and leadership skills. Happiness has so many benefits to
it, why live a life controlled by all the negatives. So I challenge you to ask
yourself: What makes you happy? Do you think that eight minutes can change your
whole day? How can you change up your everyday routine? Would you look at
things differently if you were in a better mood?
I completely agree with this article. I definitely think that taking time to think of something positive will make your whole day positive. When I am having a rough week in school, for example, I get through it by thinking of how much fun I will have during the weekend.
ReplyDeleteThis could prolong your life int he same way that studies have show laughing can. As described in the website linked below, people with good senses of humour who go through life laughing live longer than those with bad senses of humour.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-11-health-laughter_N.htm
I completely agree with this article! Recalling happy memories does in fact improve your attitude in any stressful situation. Personally, I try my very best to get through miserable Mondays by thinking about funny happenings form the weekend before. As busy and stressed out IHA girls, we often forget to stop and think about happy moments; there simply is not enough time! However, if you don’t stop and give yourself something to smile about every day by lifting yourself up with a funny joke or happy memory, you will surely become inundated with anxiety. According to an article written by Dr. Pamela Gerloff, the effects of thinking happy thoughts are incredibly beneficial to one’s health. Whenever we laugh, our stress hormone levels drop, and our health-enhancing hormones, such as infection-fighting antibodies, increase. The happier we are, the more relaxed we are, and the less susceptible we are to contracting illnesses. Thinking happy thoughts, therefore, is not only mentally healthy, but also physically healthy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-possibility-paradigm/201106/are-you-meeting-your-laugh-quota-why-you-should-laugh-5-year-ol
I definitely agree with a lot of this article. I think you have the power to influence your attitudes and with these exercises, can drastically improve your mood. However, I do think that you have to be careful with what you are expecting to gain from the exercises. If used correctly, yes, they will improve your mood and attitude. However, they will not magically fix your problems or suddenly make your life better. Instead, they provide a positive attitude that can help you to take action to improve your life. I think it is important to remember that action must accompany these mental exercises.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that eight minutes can truly change your day for the better. Personally I find myself most happy when my life is balanced. By taking a few minutes a day to get my priorities straightened out, I get all aspects of my life in order and eliminate the stress that is caused by the chaos of everyday life. I think that most people tend to forget that their happiness is in their own hands, and so many dwell on the fact that they are unhappy rather than doing something to change it. By simply putting aside eight minutes a day to reflect on what you should be thankful for, you can actually completely transform your mindset from one of stress and discontent to one of relaxation and appreciation. As Olivia mentioned, this is a practice I actually find myself doing often during the school week; I keep my mind preoccupied with weekend plans to avoid becoming overwhelmed with schoolwork. There is, however, a wrong way to go about these eight minutes. Someone may use the eight minutes to reflect on positive life events, but then go right back to thinking negative thoughts. The point of the eight minutes would be to refocus your outlook; you can't just expect immediate happiness if you're not willing to change your mood.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that our attitude/mood can be manipulated by our minds. If we take the time to breathe, do what we love, and prioritize, we can experience a complete mood transformation. However, if you take this theory and reverse it, it also holds true, meaning it can only take eight minutes to sadden your day. That is why practice is a key part to maintaining a happy attitude. You must develop skills of finding the optimistic stand point and letting go of everything else. However, being happy all the time isn't ideal either. You must experience sadness, despair, stress, and sorrow to truly appreciate the good in life. "Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain, but you can't have a rainbow without a little rain", definitely holds true in this example. Switching topics a little bit, I slightly disagree with some of what is being said in that distracting yourself works but only for a little bit. Focusing on another goal to forget about what is causing you trouble will cause those feelings to come back stronger later. That is why the eight minute time set aside for yourself is such a brilliant idea. During these eight minutes, focus on how to complete your task, how happy you are going to be afterwards, and express your true emotions in order to make room for the happiness.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that our happiness is based, in part, on our minds. One of my good friends, whenever she feels really sad, she laughs- it's a nervous reaction, but once she starts she tries to keep laughing, because she knows if she laughs for a while, her mind will be tricked into thinking she's happy. And it works! It's all just about taking the time to sort of reevaluate and start thinking of things a little differently. Personally, on days where I feel stressed out of my mind, I'll either go for a drive, or take an hour to watch an episode of Law and Order and paint my nails. I might not be consciously reevaluating my day or my week or my life, but I am giving myself time to relax and not think about all of the things I have to do. It doesn't force me to feel happy, so we're not getting both extreme ends, but it does give me time to let my emotions level out, so I can figure out exactly how I'm feeling, so that way when I go back to things, I don't immediately stress back out, I'm more calm and content.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that eight minutes can change your whole day, for the better or for the worse. If something small but annoying happened like you stubbed your toe really hard or got into a mild fender-bender, you might be more hostile for the rest of the day. However by that same token, I feel that if you took so little as eight minutes of "me time" everyday, it could drastically boost morale. For me, I know taking an hour and a half to work out is my "me time," but I don't always have such time, so I resort to things like blasting my favorite music, giving myself a quick manicure, read a book, or walking my dogs. I find personal happiness is extremely important, especially in the beginning of the day, as it taints the way you go through the rest of your day. For me, I find that my purest happiness comes when I'm either surrounded by friends, or complete solitude. Either way, I usually prefer to be outdoors, always. Not to get all Aboriginal on everybody, but I feel there is something about the serenity of nature that I feel I connect with deeply. When I'm outside, I have the opportunity to STOP what I'm doing and appreciate life in general- let's call it stopping to smell those roses everyone keeps talking about.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this article in that we can control much of our own happiness. Often when I think of things that make me happy, it puts me in a really great mood and I know that it's not just a coincidence. Focusing on only happy thoughts for a few minutes can really relax a person and alter one's mindset from a negative to a positive. It can also work the opposite way in that thinking of sad thoughts can make one depressed. I truly believe that emotions are manipulated by our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI would change my own routine by choosing to only think positively and to always look on the bright side, even in the worst situations. This new, positive outlook on life would definitely help me to see things in a different light and would lead me to become a more friendly and relaxed person. Life is short, so we should all strive to be happy 24/7. This happiness begins with making our own decision to be positive and to only focus on the good, instead of the bad.
I agree that our happiness can be controlled to some degree. If you are constantly worrying about the past and thinking of things that make you sad, you are never going to be happy. If you spend time thinking about good memories and things that make you happy, then your mood will improve. Sometimes when I have a bad day or am upset about something, I try to remember a time when I was really happy or do something that makes me happy, in order to feel better. I think it is interesting that eight minutes is all you need to start being happier. Now that I know this, I am definitely going to practice thinking positively every day.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that the eight minute "diet" for happiness could work. This reminded me of what we learned in BLINK about how someone can alter their negative stereotypes by being exposed to something positive. There is also the example in BLINK of how when words associated with old age were read in sentences, people subconsciously acted more tired. This is the same idea. By thinking about positive things, we can prime our brains to think positively. We certainly cannot control any negative events that may occur in a day. But, we can ready ourselves in the morning to be in a better mood and to react better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that this method definitely has the potential to add to our ability to recognize and appreciate what we have. "Thinking happy thoughts" always seems to help me get through a particular situation, such as a test or a tough project. Even when I'm going through something that makes me terrified or anxious, like going on a roller coaster, I just think to myself, "In less than a minute, this will all be over and I'll be on the ground." Just thinking such a secure thought at a time of fear helps me to move on with the situation. Calming myself down with the great ideas of what will happen later (for example, thinking about my exciting future in college when staying up until 2am doing homework now in high school) helps me deal with whatever the struggle.
ReplyDeleteHappiness all depends on how we approach life and what we expect from our lives. If we go through life taking the time every day to realize what we already have, then we will automatically be happier and more generous people. We start to live for the "little things in life" that put a smile on our face, not for the materialistic things that many of us think define happiness.
I agree that, to a certain extent, we can control our own happiness. It makes sense that this method is like a "diet" because it needs to be constantly worked at and requires effort. Sometimes when I'm upset about something I realize it is because I am choosing to dwell on it rather than think about something positive. I find it very interesting that though it may be difficult, thinking about something positive for just 8 minutes a day can be very helpful. A simple 8 minutes may not being able to change someones's whole attitude or mood at any given time, but if it is worked at consistently I think it would help people be more positive and motivated. Being in a bad mood causes people to see everything in a negative light, and some wonderful things can be overlooked if you aren't open to them. By simply thinking about or doing what makes you happy, the way you experience things will be more positive, too.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article has some point. Thinking of a happier memory is going to somewhat boost your mood. This reminds me a little of the power of positive thinking; if you think positively, you're likely to do better on the task. So if you think of a good memory, you're also likely to have a better attitude. That being sad, I really don't think this is just an eight minute thing. And to be honest, I think I would feel a bit stupid deliberately trying to think of memories for a whole eight minutes. I think that a more effective mood booster would be for it to be a natural progression, like when something around you triggers the happy memory. I just do not really understand how forced recall is going to truly make you feel better when it's a forced action.
ReplyDeleteThis article has some truth to it, in the sense that happiness is a choice, and one that doesn't require a constant reminder. Every night before I go to bed, I think of happy memories so that I don't go to bed upset and I rarely have nightmares. I personally believe that what this article promotes is accurate. To make the conscious choice to be happy, and think about positive things will definitely improve your quality of life especially if you do it for eight minutes everyday. Like Ashley said, thinking positively delivers positive outcomes, therefore thinking happy thoughts should produce a happier attitude.
ReplyDeleteI definitely do believe that we are, to an extent, responsible for our own happiness. I know that we're all very familiar with the quote that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it, and I really believe that this is true. Though we may not be in control of some of the things that affect us in our lives, how we react to them is totally our choice. If we actively decide to have a negative outlook, then it will be very hard to feel truly happy about anything. On the other hand, when we make the decision to be positive, happiness is a natural result. If thinking happy thoughts makes you feel happy, then you will naturally be more positive if this type of thinking becomes a habit.
ReplyDeleteMy mom has a very stressful job, so a lot of times when she comes home from work she needs to vent and get things off her chest before she can settle down and forget about it. On these kinds of days, she pulls out her phone and watches cute little videos that she has of my two year old niece. Sometimes it's of my sister recording her as she jumps on the bed, sometimes it's a video message that she makes specially for "gama." But when my mom watches these videos, they make her instantly happy, and for the rest of the night she's in a better mood (and sometimes re-watches and re-watches and re-watches them).
However, I also feel that happiness is much more than thinking about happy things for a few minutes everyday. I think that while this certainly does help us to have a positive outlook about things, I also think that happiness is much deeper than watching 30 second videos. This is just a tool to help you.