This post was originally published on The BridgeMaker, and written by Michael, part of the team at happier.com.
You have always been told to “count your blessings.” This is a tradition that has been passed down for generations and is a central value in the lives of many people. But does this age-old motto actually make people happier?
New research at some of the top universities in the world has shown that it does! People who practice the act of counting their blessings every night, and many other age-old customs of faith, have now been proven to be correlated with living more happy, productive and fulfilled lives. In fact, there is a new field of research that has exploded over the past 10 years called positive psychology, commonly referred to as the “science” of happiness.
Like “counting your blessings,” many age-old ideals have been put to the test, and researchers have now found proof to back up many of our most ingrained traditions. happier.com is a new website that takes these tested philosophies and puts them into easy-to-follow exercises so that anyone can boost their mood, productivity, and quality of relationships on a daily basis.
For example, happier.com helps its users count their blessings and track their successes with an exercise called “Three Good Things.” You can see demo videos of all of the exercises here, and an explanation of why the “Three Good Things” exercise works here.
More about Positive Psychology:
In the past, psychology has primarily focused on the question “What makes really sad people sad?” Positive Psychology asks the question “What make really happy people happy?” – and they have found some exciting and often counter-intuitive answers!
In the last 10 years, the “science” of happiness has exploded – and expert researchers have pinpointed many of the simple traits that make people more optimistic, productive and fulfilled in their lives.
Many of these complicated findings have been boiled down into easy to use tests and exercises which, when practiced on a regular basis, have been shown to increase a person’s overall optimism and confidence, build stronger relationships, and help people be more productive and fulfilled in both their work and home lives … by an average of 20% in only 8 to 12 weeks! Because it is rooted in science and RESULTS, positive psychology has shown that it can change lives and turn around relationships.
This post was originally published on The BridgeMaker, described as an honestly written lifestyle blog that focuses on the importance of faith, inspiration and stories of personal change. Posts fall into three ares: faith, inspiration, and stories of change.
The BridgeMaker is one of the fastest growing faith-based blogs on the Internet with over half a million readers in the last nine months and a world-wide audience from over 201 countries (source: Google Analytics). It has been featured on Deepak Chopra’s Sirius/XM satellite radio show, Wellness Radio, Self Improvement magazine, Zen Habits.net, LifeHacker.com and Intent.com.
When we launched happier.com, we reached out to Alex Blackwell to talk about how our tools might be relevant to the faith community. What resulted was this post, guest-authored by Michael, part of the team at happier.com.
happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.
The last time that I checked, I have held jobs at nine different companies. I have been a salesman, a product manager, an organization development consultant, a training manager, and even a college football coach. And, I can honestly say that there were certain aspects of every job that I really loved. As a salesman selling payroll services, I enjoyed speaking with prospects about their companies. Working in the field of training helped me discover my passion for teaching and helping others. Managing other people allowed me to learn that I do much better working on teams where I can consult with others on big or complex decisions. As a football coach, I enjoyed connecting with the players and seeing them improve.
I can remember one conversation with a friend of mine about ten years ago after I had finished telling him about a new job. He said, “It’s amazing how much passion you have for each new job. You talk about how you’re helping people or your product is the best thing since sliced bread. You know, Doug, you’re kind of an idealist…” I don’t really remember what he said after that. Keep in mind this is someone who had majored in one subject in college, got a Master’s degree in the same subject, and has been working in the same field for the last 19 years. I was really taken back.
“Am I really just an idealist, chasing something that I will never attain?” I thought. It was a scary thought and kept me occupied for the next couple of days. In the end, I realized that by finding meaning and purpose in my work, I was highly motivated and more productive. In his popular book, Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar writes, “Being an idealist is being a realist in the deepest sense – it is being true to our real nature.”
I have two goals in life: inspire other people to be happier and leave the planet in better shape than I found it. These are some pretty lofty goals but I really cannot imagine living life any other way. Having lofty goals motivates me for the long term. My vision for happier.com is that we are the place to go for anyone interested in improving themselves. I can see us improving the lives of millions of people, helping companies, and, possibly, affecting public policy in a positive way. But, my goals also motivate me in the short term. There are certain aspects of my current role that I do not like but knowing my goals and my strengths always seems to pull me through the toughest of tasks.
So, if you are having trouble with your current role, you can always look for something else. In the meantime, ask yourself these questions to see if you find meaning and purpose in what you do.
- Who do you serve directly in your current role?
- Who might benefit, indirectly, from what you do every day?
- How might you contribute more by using your strengths?
- If I were to write my own personal mission statement, what would it say?
As Todd Kashdan writes in Curious, “Meaning enhances our capacity to work toward a future that is most in sync with our deepest values and interests.” So, while we usually think of being happier as pleasurable activities, finding meaning and purpose in what you do every day has the staying power for long-lasting happiness.
happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.
Todd Kashdan’s latest book, Curious?, is a must read for anyone serious about improving their own happiness and well being. He mixes science, story-telling, and some very practical advice to help us all reap the rewards of heightened levels of curiosity in our lives.
While I found the entire book (from it’s sparse, bright yellow cover to its in-depth use of research) useful and fun, there were several elements that really caught my attention and that I put into practice almost immediately.
First, Todd displaces the notion that happiness is the ultimate goal in life. He writes that we should consider meaning, maturity, wisdom, and compassion in addition to being happier. His definition of curiosity (”recognizing novelty and seizing the pleasures and meaning that they offer us”) sets the stage for a much deeper understanding of this word and the enormous impact that practicing curiosity can have on us. So, much like a business that writes a mission statement, having a purpose in life helps you make decisions regarding your career, family, friends, where to live, etc. Meaning and purpose provide us with a foundation that helps us stay in sync with our interests and values.
Besides helping create this strong foundation, curiosity has some very tangible benefits, as well.
- Health: There is some promising research showing that higher levels of curiosity may reduce your risk for some neurological diseases and even reverse the degenerative effects.
- Intelligence: The evidence supports the case that increasing one’s curiosity can lead to higher IQ tests scores in both adults and kids.
- Meaning & Purpose: Curiosity is the driving force that allows us to try new things, learn from our experiences, and contemplate our futures.
- Social Relationships: Closed-minded people are much more likely to rely on stereotypes and they fail to see people in a greater context.
- Happiness: In several well-documented studies, curiosity is at or near the top of the list in terms of predicting a person’s level of happiness.
On the other hand, curiosity taken to an extreme can be harmful. It is not meant to be the relentless search for the “truth.” In fact, the need for certainty dampens the positive effects of curiosity and limits our ability to learn and adjust, as needed.
In short, Todd has done a masterful job of explaining that curiosity probably did not kill the cat and that the intentional practice of curiosity will actually help you lead a life of positive emotions, engagement, and meaning.
happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.
