Happiness Psychology: 5 proven tips
- 1. Happiness Psychology: 5 Proven Tips From a Udemy class by Andrew Luttrell, Ph.D.
- 2. Contributors to Happiness From the book “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky: 50% Set Point (Genetics and Birth Variables) 10% Life Circumstances (Marital Status, Income) 40% Intentional Activities (Voluntary/Controllable Choices)
- 3. Benefits of Happiness - Confidence - Optimism - Sociability - Being Helpful - Coping With Challenges - Creativity - Physical Health
- 4. Happiness and Work/Career Success - more likely to secure job interviews - evaluated more positively by supervisors once they obtain the job - superior performance and productivity - handle managerial jobs better - more likely to graduate college - more likely to get better jobs - more likely to be satisfied with those jobs
- 5. Happiness and Social Success - more close friends - greater social support - less jealousy - less loneliness - better social interactions - feeling happy makes you more sociable and have better interactions with others - less likely to get colds, healthier immune system
- 6. Happiness and Health - Feeling better physically - Experiencing less pain - Less likely to smoke, eat poorly, and abuse drugs/alcohol
- 7. Tip #1 - Say Thank You - Be thankful for 3-5 things, do this once a week briefly, casually, reflectively - No need to overdo this
- 8. Tip #2 - Be Kind To Others - Being kind to others is a win-win, you also get fulfillment from helping - Develops a sense of community
- 9. Science of Kindness - randomactsofkindness.org - Teachable and Contagious - Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins - More energetic - Fewer aches and pains - Decreases stress, anxiety, depression, blood pressure
- 10. Tip #3 - Have a “Social Snack” - Form social connections during times when you otherwise might not - Get to know other people in the world even if it won’t turn into a long-term relationship
- 11. Tip #4 - Smile - When your body makes the face of happiness, it causes you to be happier - Biting a pen activates the muscles for smiling
- 12. Tip #5 - Simplify Your Decisions - Too many options (Example: cereals) makes us less happy and satisfied - Maximizers: when making decisions, will look at all available options and critically evaluate each - Satisficers: finds some threshold and choose first thing that meets that criterion - The less options, the more happy people are with the choice - The more options, the more likely to regret having made the decision - It might be worth simplifying your life
- 13. Recap Tip #1 - Say Thank You Tip #2 - Be Kind To Others Tip #3 - Have a “Social Snack” Tip #4 - Smile Tip #5 - Simplify Your Decisions