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HAPPINESS"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln
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Why am I talking about happiness?
Me
My happiness quest
Your happiness quest?
What will you get?
Mild amusement
Some interesting facts
Happiness techniques you MIGHT want to try
What won’t you get?
Happiness
References
Actual science
Sensible answers to questions
International Happiness Day 20TH March
Sunday Assembly
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What makes you happy?
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But what is happiness?
Whatever you say it is……
Subjective Well Being
“The experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful,
and worthwhile.”Sonja Lyubormirsky. The How of Happiness
Social
Physical
MentalEmotional
Spiritual
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And why do we want it?
Live longer Live healthier
Better relationshipsMore productive – can contribute to society
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What are the barriers to happiness?
Us!
STRESS
TECHNOLOGY
MEDIA
SEEING HAPPINESS AS A
DESTINATION
OVER RELIANCE ON THE
EXTERNAL
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What makes a happy person
Being open
Optimism(No s&%t Sherlock!))
Good relationships
Satisfaction in career
Religion/a sense of
belonging/SundayAssembly
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Happiness is not a constant state
Without context, “happy” has little meaning
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10%
50%
40%
External
circumstances
Genetics
WHAT YOU DO
● Lack of freedom
● Below the poverty line
● Mental illness
Happy doesn’t happen to you
Sonja Lyubomirsky
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Happy doesn’t happen to you
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Can you improve your base level happiness?B
ase
Hap
pin
ess
leve
l
Time
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There are lots of happiness increasing techniques
Short and intense periods of positive feelings are good…..
…….but they won’t change your “base level” happiness
Use the 40% to shift the 50%
Shift the lens on the 10%
Change outlooks, thinking habits – not circumstances
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Hardwiring Happiness – Rick Hanson
Our ancestors could make two types of mistake:
1. Thinking there was a tiger in the woods, but there wasn’t
2. Thinking there wasn’t a tiger in the woods, but there was
The negativity bias
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Hardwiring Happiness – Rick Hanson
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Taking in the good – Rick Hanson
● Simple yet powerful method to change passing experiences into lasting, useful structure inside our brains
● We can rewire our brain to overcome the negativity bias
● Taking in the good
● Do not waste good opportunities – however small
● Gradual accumulation
● Doesn’t take much of the day
● Law of little things
● Have to ensure positive and negative do not cancel each other out (a common mistake)● Do not cover over negative truths
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HEAL – Rick Hanson
Have a positive experience
Enrich it
Absorb it Link it to something negative
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Alternative Meditation
Regularshort bursts
Enjoyable
Active
Focused
No brainnoise
No self assessment
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Alternative Meditation
The technique?
You tell me
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When all else fails
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Do not think lightly of good, saying, "It will not come to me." Drop by drop is the
water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills
himself with good.
