Happiness
Impossible Things: Happiness
Impossible Things: Happiness
Jim Isaak
Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi -- Happiness as “flow”
Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi -- Happiness as “flow”
- Meditation
- “lost” in your work
- Can happen when you are reading, watching TV
- Also playing video games, etc.
Key points on Flow
Key points on Flow
- Completely involved in what you are doing focused, concentrated
- A sense of ecstasy - being outside everyday reality
- Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done and how well we are doing
- Knowing that the task is doable our skills are adequate to the task
- a sense of serenity - no worries about ones self a feeling of growing beyond the ego boundaries
- Timelessness - focus on present hours seem to flow by in minutes
- Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces flow it becomes it's own reward
Layard Lectures
Layard Lectures
- “By happiness I mean feeling good enjoying life and feeling it is wonderful. And by unhappiness I mean feeling bad and wishing things were different. “
- Research results Most happy to least happy:
- Sex, Socializing after work, Dinner, relaxing
- .... down to childcare, work, commuting
- Money counts up to about $15k/yr (2000)
Synthetic Happiness - Dan Gilbert
Synthetic Happiness - Dan Gilbert
- 1 year after: Lottery or Paraplegic
- We Synthesize happiness
- Art Prints example
- Photo class (reversible decisions decreases happiness)
Brain - Matthieu Ricard
Brain - Matthieu Ricard
- Buddhist monk – Molecular biologists
- Well being (target term)
- Deep sense of serenity & fulfillment
- Maybe while sad?
- Breaking negative thought reinforcement
- Mind training via meditation
- Brain plasticity - research shows mediators are many deviations outside of the curve.
Why Happiness - Nancy Etcoff
Why Happiness - Nancy Etcoff
What else counts?
What else counts?
- Mindful action & Intentionality
- Impact
- Self & Spiritual actualization