Well-being

Is this news? "Following a lengthy, one-person study we conducted in our free time over the past decade or two, we've concluded that other alcoholic drinks that can make you happy include: wine, whiskey (and whisky), vodka, gin, Qream, tequila, rum, Lime-A-Ritas, absinthe, moonshine, ether (in a pinch), brandy, ouzo, Zima, wine coolers. But note: feelings of happiness with all of the above may be empty, fleeting."

There are times when I think I’d be much happier if I could spend the rest of my life lounging on the sands of the Mediterranean, having someone fan me with palm fronds while feeding me superfood grapes. In other words, life would be better without any stress. Or would it?

According to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, a little stress may not be so bad for us after all. While chronic stress may be harmful, acute (short-term) stress may actually boost our cognitive function. The findings are supported by other research suggesting a little bit o’ stress may have beneficial effects for our brains and bodies. The key, of course, is knowing when we’re too harried for our own good.

A simple but valid formula for happiness.

"Blitz limiting beliefs."

"Develop body love."

Grow up.

This is great. It will bring a smile to your face. 

For some, that smile will not last for another minute. 

You saw, you came, you lost interest. Don't worry. 

Sonja Lyobmirsky's new book on Happiness Myths. VIdeo, too.

C'mon, c'mon. Get Happy. Take a music break.

Sound basic advice.

"In her book It’s Always Personal, Anne Kreamer points to recent research from Sigal Barsadeof the Wharton School of Business that indicates positive moods prompt “more flexible decision-making and wider search behavior and greater analytic precision,” which in turn make the whole company more willing to take risks and be more open. On the flip side, analysis conducted by the Gallup Organization found that disgruntled employees disengage and cost the American economy up to $350 billion a year in lost productivity."

Well, maybe. These are ways to get more emotional payoff from your money, but I am skeptical if they have much impact on my longterm happiness. 

Sonja Lyubomirsky, happiness diva

Forty days is not a long time.

In your book, you offer an action plan for people that takes 40 days. Why does it take that much time to bring out your best self? Does the amount of time required to transform your life change based on who you are?

Like any effective practice, true transformation occurs with daily repetition. Begin with a 40-day commitment and start experiencing positive results immediately. Why 40 days? Metaphysicians and yogis place much emphasis on the repetition of a 40-day practice. Mythical examples range from Moses’s 40 days and 40 nights in the desert to the story of the Buddha reaching enlightenment on the full moon in May after meditating and fasting under the Bodhi tree for 40 days. The number has scientific significance, too: research has shown that after repeating a new pattern for 40 days, you can change the neural pathways in your brain to create long-lasting change. So let’s take a cue from the mystics and scientists alike, and commit to this 40-day fear cleanse. It’s the simple, consistent shifts that count when you’re making change—so I’ve outlined May Cause Miracles to be fun and achievable. In the book I guide readers to keep it uncomplicated and stay on track. And one day at a time you’ll begin to experience the miraculous shifts.

I LOVE THIS. 

Small company takes happiness seminars.

“Nearly all of us can be happier,” Sole insists. “It’s just a set of habituated behaviors really. So if we learn those behaviors, then we can be happier on just about every level.”

Sole covered everything in the workshop from the importance of gratitude--her students were encouraged to start gratitude journals--and finding meaning and purpose in life to the use of tools like meditation. She even led the class in a guided meditation.

She also shared current research from the field of happiness studies. “I had never even heard of the idea of studying happiness,” Kolman says, noting that she appreciated Sole’s intellectual approach. “I loved it because I’m on the analytics and insight team, so research is what I do, and it’s where my passion lives. I come at everything from a very analytical and intellectual approach.”

The subject of happiness is getting serious attention from academics these days. Harvard University actually has a course on happiness taught by Tal Ben-Shahar, also known as the “Harvard Happiness Professor.” And theHarvard Business Review devoted an entire issue to the theme of happiness earlier this year.

"Traditionally the thinking has been that employers should appeal to workers’ more obvious forms of self-interest: financial incentives, yes, but also work that is inherently interesting or offers the possibility for career advancement. Grant’s research, which has generated broad interest in the study of relationships at work and will be published for the first time for a popular audience in his new book, “Give and Take,” starts with a premise that turns the thinking behind those theories on its head. The greatest untapped source of motivation, he argues, is a sense of service to others; focusing on the contribution of our work to other peoples’ lives has the potential to make us more productive than thinking about helping ourselves."

Not SF?

Another semantic error. 

Here's how this works. The writer defines happiness as the momentary emotional state. Then say it''s more important to lead a satisfying life. Call it 'meaning." Then say meaning is more important than happiness,

Authors who pull this stunt are simply showing they are not very familar with the literature. 

Photos are great reminders of good times gone by. I've done this for years.

Lost in translation. Half of this stuff is the opposite from the situation in the US.