£50,000-a-year can buy you happiness – after that its down to you

Earning less than that amount can make you miserable – but earning more does not greatly increase enjoyment of life, it was found.

Researchers found that life contentment only rose steadily with annual income up to level – $75,000, or just below £50,000.

Once earnings soared above this the important things in life such as family and wellbeing made money much less significant

The quality of the randomly-selected participants' everyday experiences did not improve significantly beyond a salary of £48,960.98.

But as income dropped from that amount, respondents reported decreasing happiness and increasing sadness and stress, according to the findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The psychologists Prof Daniel Kahneman and Prof Angus Deaton explained people's life evaluations rise steadily with income but the quality of emotional daily experiences levels-off once earnings reach a certain amount.

Life evaluations were measured by asking 1,000 respondents to rate their lives on a scale of zero to 10 while emotional wellbeing was measured according to experiences of certain positive and negative emotions the previous day.

The data also suggested the emotional pain of unfortunate events or circumstances including disease, divorce and being alone are exacerbated by poverty.

The researchers said the study does not imply people's lives will not improve after a raise in annual income from $100,000 (£64,900) to $150,000 (£97,350).

But above a certain income people's emotional wellbeing is held back by other more important issues.

Prof Kahneman and Prof Deaton, of Princeton University, New Jersey, said: "The question of whether 'money buys happiness' comes up frequently in discussions of subjective wellbeing in both scholarly debates and casual conversation.

"More money does not necessarily buy more happiness, but less money is associated with emotional pain.

"Perhaps $75,000 is a threshold beyond which further increases in income no longer improve individuals' ability to do what matters most to their emotional wellbeing such as spending time with people they like, avoiding pain and disease and enjoying leisure."

They said it is also likely when income rises beyond this value the increased ability to purchase positive experiences is balanced by some negative effects.

A recent psychological study suggested a possible link between high income and a reduced ability to savour small pleasures.

Prof Kahneman and Prof Deaton said it was not that earning more would not make people happier just that income increases the less effect it will have compared with other factors.

"What the data suggest is that above a certain level of stable income, individuals' emotional wellbeing is constrained by other factors in their temperament and life circumstances," they said.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Don't worry...be happy

It used to be said that life begins at 40, but happiness now does not begin until 54, according to a new report.

Almost one million 45 to 54-year-olds are unhappy with their lives - making their age group the most frustrated in the country, the study found.

Researchers for online bank first direct dubbed the age group the Baby Gloomers - Britons born between the mid-1950s and mid 1960s.

They found that 11.5 per cent of the 8.5 million people in that age group are discontented, while fewer than 40 per cent feel completely happy with life, compared to a national average of 48 per cent.

However at 54, more Britons describe themselves as "happy" and "content" than "stressed" and "self-conscious" for the first time, while 71 per cent of over 65s are content with their lot.

Money worries are the key concern of one in five (19 per cent) of Baby Gloomers - making them the most financially discontented of any generation.

Along with the prospect of later retirement, gloom factors for this generation include having to work longer to save for retirement, closure of final salary pension schemes plus soaring costs of parental care and children's education.

The research suggests that money has a less important role to play in happiness than many other factors.

The next generation up - called "Golden Baby Boomers" - place emphasis on travel.

Nearly one in 10 55 to 64-year-olds (8 per cent) plan to go on a trip for three or more months.

First direct head of marketing Paul Say said: "The first generation of Baby Boomers is known as the 'Golden Generation'; those who came a decade later appear less fortunate, facing work and financial pressures that seem to be weighing down on them particularly.

"Three-quarters are resigned to working far longer to fund their retirement, compared to just six in 10 of the general population.

"But looking to other generations, people are gaining satisfaction in their lives from much more than just money. Even in their late 50s and early 60s, Brits are undertaking a raft of changes to make their lives richer, more colourful and - ultimately - happier."

* The research was conducted online among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Britons aged 16-plus in August.

Source....

Happiness

Thu 18 Mar, from 07:30pm to 09:00pm
At Global Retreat Centre

It’s been said that ‘happiness is no laughing matter’ but must we really take it so seriously? Or does it come automatically when we understand, as Ken Dodd puts it, that happiness is a frame of mind?

Neville Hodgkinson is an author and journalist who started writing about happiness more than 30 years ago whilst working as medical correspondent of the Daily Mail. He was quite miserable at the time but has since learned that ‘When you go to measuring a man’s success, don’t count money – count happiness!’

Watch!

Oxford Happiness test!

Take the Oxford Happiness test...



Then go here:


(You may have to register)

Then take the Brief Strengths test

Look through your results and identify your five key strengths

Then go here:

For ONE week use ONE of the five key strengths in a different way (there are a variety of different ways described in the practice exercises)

Then take the opening test again.

Let me know the results

Protect your heart - be happy

People who are typically happy and enthusiastic are less likely to develop heart disease than those of a gloomier disposition, researchers say.

An increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke has previously been linked to getting angry or stressed, but a study by American researchers, published in the European Heart Journal, claims to be the first to show an independent link between emotions and coronary heart disease.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to help to prevent heart disease by boosting a person’s mood, says the lead researcher, Karina Davidson, of Columbia University, New York.

“Everyone should try and inject some fun into their daily routines to counteract any effects of stress on their health, rather than waiting for holidays,” she said. “Some people wait for their two weeks of vacation to have fun, and that would be analogous to binge drinking.

"Essentially, spending some few minutes each day truly relaxed and enjoying yourself is certainly good for your mental health, and may improve your physical health as well.”

Over ten years Dr Davidson and colleagues tracked the health of 1,739 adults who participated in a 1995 health survey in Nova Scotia, Canada.Nurses assessed participants’ risk of heart disease and measured symptoms of depression, hostility, anxiety and their degree of positive emotions, referred to as “positive affect”.

Writing in the European Heart Journal, the researchers define positive affect as the experience of pleasurable emotions such as joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm and contentment. Although these feelings can be transitory or short-lived, they can also represent stable character traits, particularly in adulthood, they add.

The study pParticipants were awarded a score out of five for positive affect, varying from “none” to “extreme” depending on their answers to questions on how they responded to stressful situations or expressed their emotions.

After taking account of age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that, over the ten-year period, people with increased scores for positive affect were less likely to suffer a fatal or non-fatal heart attack or stroke.

“Participants with no positive affect were at a 22 per cent higher risk of heart disease than those with a little positive affect, who were themselves at 22 per cent higher risk than those with moderate positive affect,” Dr Davidson said. “We also found that if someone who was usually positive had some depressive symptoms at the time of the survey, this did not affect their overall lower risk of heart disease.

She suggested there could be several possible explanations for the link, including typically happy people having longer periods of rest or relaxation, or being able to recover more quickly from stress or anxiety.

They may also not spend as much time “re-living” or dwelling on depressing events, “which in turn seems to cause physiological damage,” she added.

Dr Davidson said that to improve mood and relaxation, people should devote time daily to a hobby or preferred leisure pursuit.

“If you enjoy reading novels, but never get around to it, commit to getting 15 minutes or so of reading in. If walking or listening to music improves your mood, get those activities in your schedule.

She added that more studies were needed to confirm the link between mood and physical health: “We desperately need rigorous clinical trials in this area.”

“If the trials support our findings, then these results will be incredibly important in describing specifically what clinicians and patients could do to improve health.”

Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said that the charity was funding ongoing research to “unravel the biology” that underlies the link between happiness and health. But she warned that existing risk factors such as obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise or smoking should not be discounted.

“Today’s study used an experimental design that is great for observing trends and associations, but doesn’t prove cause and effect or tell us for sure whether changing our mood can definitely reduce our risk of heart disease,” she added.

“This research suggested that those who naturally had a ‘glass half-full’ mood seemed to be most protected from disease. But we’re not all like that, and we know that improving your mood isn’t always easy – so we don’t know if it’s possible to change our natural levels of positivity.

“We would of course recommend that people take time to indulge in healthy activities that can lift their mood, but trying to keep established risk factors under control remains really important.”

Source: The Times

Does Money Buy Happiness?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

Certainly giving away the money can create happiness...read this...

From the paper:

"Although the correlation between income and happiness is not negative, it is modest..."

That depends surely on whether you KEEP the money or SPEND it - and if so, on what/whom?

"Psychologists have found that people who spend their money on simple experiences such as going to the theatre, dining out or taking adventure holidays tend to be happier with their purchases than those who buy material possessions, regardless of how much they spend."

In 2002 the BBC reported:

"They say "money can't buy you happiness" but researchers have proved the opposite.Winning just £1,000 can be enough to change a person's outlook on life, suggests the study by researchers at the University of Warwick."

Eight years later the BBC reported:

"Recent research seems to suggest that money can make you a happier person after all.

That, of course gets economists rather excited: maybe we could measure the economics of happiness? If possible, it would make politicians happy too."

Remember: don't buy things - buy experiences...

Does Happiness Vary by Culture?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

Nations differ strikingly in happiness...

According to the BBC, Denmark is the happiest nation.

But why?

Important factors:

• Wealth
• Natural beauty
• Small size
• Quality education
• Good health care.

The World Values Survey, which has compiled data from 350,000 people in 97 countries since 1981, found Denmark to be home to the planet's most contented citizens (again) with Zimbabwe as the most miserable (again). Classic Scandinavian front-runners like Sweden and Finland were nudged out of the top 10 by Puerto Rico and Colombia. El Salvador placed a surprising 11th, beating out Malta and Luxembourg. Further down the list came the U.S., ranked in 16th place.

See BusinessWeek.com's slide show for a look at the world's 10 happiest countries.

Does Happiness Vary by Race?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

"Knowing someone's race or ethnic group also gives little clue to the person's psychological well-being...'

The University of Michigan's World Values Surveys (WVS) has compiled data on the happiest countries in the world for over twenty years. Their results are considered the most authoritative by happiness researchers.

WVS measures the happiness of individuals by two different means. The first is to simply ask them how "happy" they are. The second is to ask them how "happy" they are, and also how "satisfied" they are. The results are then combined to arrive at a measure of their "subjective well-being," a term generally considered synonymous with happiness.

Because of these two different ways of measuring happiness, some confusion arises in determining which countries in the world are happiest. There is support for the the validity of both measures. For example, former president of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Martin Seligman, uses the "happiness only" measure in his book Authentic Happiness. However, Dr. Ron Inglehart, director of World Values Surveys, considers the "subjective well-being" measure a more accurate indicator of personal happiness.

For further information about the 2004 survey read on....

Does Happiness have a Favourite sex?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

"...men are five times as vulnerable as women to alcoholism and antisocial personality disorder..."

Maybe then (1991) but now? With more women drinking than ever before? With 24 hour drink laws?

Read this about alcohol and women....

'...gender accounted for less than 1% of people's global well-being...'

Recent data would disagree...

Researchers from the University College London questioned nearly 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found that women were more optimistic than men.

Dr Elizabeth Breeze, who co-authored the report, said that women tended to become happier as they got older once they no longer had to worry about looking after their families.

However...Why Men Are Happier Than Women

1. We keep our last name.

2. The garage is all ours.

3. Wedding plans take care of themselves.

4. Chocolate is just another snack.

5. We can be president.

6. We can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

7. Car mechanics tell us the truth.

8. The world is our urinal.

9. We never have to drive to another gas station because this one's just too icky.

10. Same work, more pay.

11. Wrinkles add character.

12. Wedding dress - $5000; tux rental - $100.

13. People never stare at our chest when we're talking to them.

14. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

15. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle our feet.

16. One mood, ALL the time.

17. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

18. We know stuff about tanks.

19. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

20. We can open all our own jars.

21. We get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

22. If someone forgets to invite us, he or she can still be our friend.

23. Our underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

24. Everything on our face stays its original color.

25. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

26. We don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

27. We almost never have strap problems in public.

28. We are unable to see wrinkles in our clothes.

29. The same hair style lasts for years, maybe decades.

30. We don't have to shave below our neck.

31. Our belly usually hides our big hips.

32. One wallet and one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.

33. We can "do" our nails with a pocket-knife.

34. We have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

35. We can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives, on December 24, in 45 minutes

Is happiness a particular age?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

"...no time of life is notably happier or unhappier than others…’

Look at the components of unhappiness. Whatever they are, are they more likely to be present at a particualr age? Is illness more or less likely at an older age? Are financial difficulties more or less likely at a mid-age? Is sexual bewilderment more or less likely in the teenage years?

'...knowing someone's age gives no clue to the person's average sense of well-being...'

'..People do face crisis times, but not at any predictable age...'

What may cause the crisis? Divorce? redundancy? Are these not more likely at any particular age?



The paper says : "The empty nest syndrome also turns out to be rare..."

Really?


Starting University:
How To Deal With Empty Nest Syndrome

The happiest men in the world

Link to the book is here....

However, others say this book is far better....

Maybe this one is the best - the monk is featured in the article linked to below...


An interesting article here...

Extract:

"Whereas Layard believes that there are seven areas of life — family, work, health, mental attitude and so on — that influence fulfilment and happiness, Ricard believes that the mind trumps all. “If you have inner peace,” he says, “then whatever happens, you are going to be fine....Brain scans found that Ricard’s grey matter produces a level of gamma waves — those linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory — never “reported before in the neuroscience literature”, according to Dr Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin.

In addition, his brain is dramatically asymmetrical. The left prefrontal cortex is swollen, while its counterpart on the right is shrivelled and prune-like. No prizes for guessing what each cranial bedfellow is responsible for; Ricard has an abnormally large propensity for happiness, and his capacity for negativity has all but withered away."

The Venerable Matthieu Ricard’s philosophy of happiness

• Learn to meditate.
• Cultivate altruism.
• Practise mindfulness.
• Make space in your life for spirituality.
• Find a genuine spiritual teacher.

Lord Layard’s philosophy of happiness

• Be socially connected.
• Be physically active.
• Take notice of your surroundings and savour them.
• Keep learning.
• Give regularly.

Optimism - the happy person

From an article by Med Jones...

The Unhappy Personality

Unhappy people tend to be pessimists: they exaggerate the negative impact of events and propel their thinking into worst-case scenarios. For example:

• They get an invitation to go on a date and then their minds (consciously or subconsciously) start to generate negative thoughts. They may imagine awkward moments, Maybe I won’t look beautiful enough, Maybe I won’t be funny, S/he is not going to like me enough, He is only after sex, She is only after my money, Sex won’t be good, S/he will eventually break my heart
• If someone wrongs them, they'll think S/he hates me, S/he is a bad person and this is a bad relationship.
• If they make a public mistake, their self-image is shattered, their ego is devastated and they can't sleep well for several nights
• When something bad happens, it is not just a bad event, it's a bad day. If they think it’s big enough, then it’s a bad year, or worse a bad life. Some pessimists live with bad events far longer than when the actual event took place. They can't let go of the past: they dwell on their misfortunes and the mistakes of others for ages.
• Some of them are masters of negative chain thinking. For example, if they make a mistake on an assignment, they think they’ll lose their jobs and all they have worked for. Their relationships and eventually their lives are destroyed. They take an exaggerated or dramatic view toward the events in their lives.
• When a good thing happens, pessimists think it’s a fluke.
• Pessimists almost always blame others or external life circumstances for their own failures.
• Most of the time, they find themselves asking a negative "Why?" They ask Why me? Why can’t I have this or that? Why can’t I be this or that?

• Pessimists tend to justify their attitude by negative historical events or past major traumas, but what they don’t realize is that past events are dead and these events only live in their minds

• Their main motto is Life is not fair.

Pessimists tend to be overly sensitive people and they use negativity as a defense mechanism. They tend to keep their expectations low in order to risk fewer disappointments. What they don’t realize is that this thinking pattern, over time and with practice, creeps into other areas of life, which leads to the following critical consequences:

1. Pessimists miss out on promising new work and relationships opportunities due to preconceived negative expectations.
2. Negative expectations of others lead the person to adopt passive, defensive or aggressive behavior, which incites bad will and similar reactions from others, thus falling into the trap of negative self-fulfilling prophecies. That cycle will reinforce their negative expectation of events or people and they will say I knew it. or " I had a feeling it was going to be bad"
3. Pessimists are so focused and preoccupied with a negative experience that their minds filter out the good experiences and their memories store mainly bad events
4. Pessimists become subjected to chronic stress and long periods of depression, anxiety or anger and may develop mental and physical diseases, such as headaches, high blood pressure or low sexual drive.
5. Worst of all, their expectations of most things and events in life become so low that their life for the most part, lacks excitement and joy.

In short, the pessimistic thinking pattern doesn't merely ruin a good time, it causes individuals more stress and exerts a lot of pressure on their personal and work relationships. In other words, it sucks happiness out of their lives and the lives of the people they love.

On the other hand, let's examine the opposite personality type

The Happy Personality

Happy people tend to be optimists: they exaggerate the positive impact of positive events and propel their thinking into best-case scenarios. For example:

• Optimists get an invitation to a date and then their mind starts to generate positive thoughts. They may imagine wonderful moments. They assure themselves that they’ll look and sound their best, that they are going to have a nice meal, that they will have fun and may experience romance and passionate sex.
• If someone wrongs them, the optimists think it is a mistake: The other person does not know better and I have what it takes to be assertive, correct the situation and maybe even win him or her over to my side.
• When optimists make a public mistake, they view it as part of a learning process, they know that no one is perfect and they care less about false images. Their peace of mind is far more important to them than the gossip of people.
• When something good happens, it's a good day; if they think it's big enough, then it’s a good year, or better yet a great life.
• The best of them are masters at positive spin, for example if they make a mistake or fail an assignment, they know they can get themselves a second chance. Even if they lose their jobs, they believe they can find another one with better pay and whatever skills they have learned at their previous job they can use for bettering their new careers.
• When something bad happens optimists think it’s a fluke.
• Most of the time they find themselves asking a positive “How?”. They ask how can I get this? How can I achieve that? How can I be/do this?
• Their main motto is "Life is not fair, but I’m going to make the best of it and learn to be on the winning side."

Optimists tend to have better self-esteem and are more resilient to negative events. They use “positive thinking” as a self-defence and self-motivation mechanism. They tend to raise their expectations in order to get the most out of their experiences and they view disappointments as developmental lessons. Optimists may or may not realize that this thinking pattern influences other areas of their lives, which leads to the following important positive side effects:

1. Because the optimists see life as an adventure, and they tend to seek new experiences, they are willing to try new things and meet new people. That opens a wide range of social, work and pleasurable opportunities for them.
2. Positive expectations of others lead the optimist to behave peacefully, openly, and actively which promotes goodwill and similar reactions from others, thus falling into the positive self-fulfilling prophecy cycle.
3. Optimists move through unfortunate events, but hardly stay with them. They use these events as lessons and move on immediately. Their memories filter out negative experiences and sensations. Optimists become subjected to long terms of happiness and tend to develop strong mental and physical health. Optimists are less likely to suffer from depression, but when they do, depression does not last long. They lead healthy lifestyles and have more fun.
4. Best of all, their expectations of most events in life become high, their lives, for the most part, is filled with excitement and joy.

In short, the optimistic thinking pattern doesn't merely enhance good times; it causes optimists to feel less stressful during life crises and it enriches their personal and work relationships. In other words, it brings happiness into their lives and the lives of the people they love. Is it a wonder that optimists tend to do better in most avenues of life?

Optimists tend to justify their attitude with good luck, but what they may not realize is that their fortune or life events, whether good or bad, are far less important than they think, and that their happiness is a result of their own mindsets and thinking pattern.

Note: I’m not talking here about irrational or blind optimism that leads to high risk behavior and falling into the life traps such as scams, drugs, crime or addictions. Like irrational cases of pessimism, unrealistic optimism leads to personal dysfunction.

The key question is: which group did you identify with the most?

Most people are somewhere in the middle. At different times of their lives, they move between the two ends of the scale, from being mildly to intensely pessimistic or mildly to intensely optimistic. What’s important is that with the knowledge of how your thinking is impacting your life, you now have a new alternative. By simply choosing to lead a happier lifestyle and continuously training your mind to think in positive patterns, you can improve your emotional well-being as well as the quality of your life immensely.

Important Message:
Optimism should not be confused with positive affirmations. Although this paper addresses pessimism and optimism as its main subject, real transformation and happiness is not the result of positive thinking. Positive thinking is the effect not the cause. Positive thinking or affirmations may or may not lead to change and if they do they are limited to temporary mood improvement. Only a change in your lifestyle will lead to a lasting change in your emotional health. The solution I found is to adopt the following transformation system:

• Re-examine your negative conditioning and programming (outlook, attitudes, values, associations, conclusions and belief system)

• Drop limiting values and associations and learn new positive ones

• Build a sustainable personal development system (mental, physical and social)

• Lead a new lifestyle to enforce your learning and the transformation of your personality and your life

It's not as difficult as it sounds: it only takes time and practice. You can change. I did.

Who is Happy?

For this post I am going to be considering sections of the paper 'Who is Happy?' by Myers and Diener. Download the paper from here.

'Social desirability is a substantive characteristics that enhances well-being'.

Between 1924 and 1927 Elton Mayo carried out the Hawthorne Experiment. The conclusions included:

The need for recognition, security and sense of belonging is more important in determining workers' morale and productivity than the physical conditions under which he works.

It is therefore possible that the mere event of being involved in the study, enhanced well-being. the participants felt 'involved' and 'important'. Also their answers are likely to be influenced by this social desirability and the mneed to portray themselves in a positive light. In the paper there seemed to be no consideration of either point.

Many years ago I took part in an experiment at Oxford University. At the beginning of the experiment we were told that we were going to be filmed at the end and asked to talk about something. Then the experiment began testing reactions to statements. At the end I was waiting for the filming and was told that there never was going to be any filming and we were just told that to make us nervous and on-edge. This then would affect our answers to the other questions.

I was actually looking forward to the filming and the 'promise' of celluloid immortality had had a positive, not negative, effect on me.

How to be OPTIMISTIC

Optimism is measured by your explanatory style, or how you define events. If you can learn to define positive events as being a) because of something you did, b) a sign of more good things to come and c) evidence that good things will happen in other areas of your life, you’re halfway there. If you can also think of negative events as a) not your fault, and b) isolated occurrences that have no bearing on future events or other areas of your life, you’re the rest of the way there!

Time Required: Just a Few Extra Minutes

Here's How:

1. When something positive happens in your life, stop to analyze your thought process for a moment. Are you giving yourself due credit for making it happen? Think of all the strengths you possess and ways you contributed, both directly and indirectly, to make this event occur. For example, if you aced a test, don’t just think of how great it is that you were prepared, but also think of how your intelligence and dedication played a role.

2. Think of other areas of your life that could be affected by this good event. Also, think of how the strengths you possess that caused this good thing to happen can also cause other positive events in your life. For example, what other good things can come from your intelligence, dedication, and ability to effectively prepare for tasks?

3. Imagine what future possibilities could be in store. Because you hold the key to your success, shouldn’t you expect to do well on future tests? Isn’t a successful career a natural result.

4. When negative events occur, think of the extenuating circumstances that could have contributed to this happening. If you do poorly on an exam, for example, were you especially busy in the preceding week? Were you somewhat sleep deprived? What outside circumstances contributed to your failure? Keep in mind that this isn’t necessarily a reflection of personal weakness.

5. Also remember that you’ll have endless opportunities to do better in the future. Think of your next potential success, or other areas where you can excel.

Tips:

1. The key to optimism is to maximize your successes and minimize your failures.
2. It’s beneficial to look honestly at your shortcomings so you can work on them, but focusing on your strengths can never hurt.
3. Keep in mind that the more you practice challenging your thought patterns, the more automatic it'll become. Don't expect major changes in thinking right away, but do expect them to become ingrained over time.
4. Always remember that virtually any failure can be a learning experience, and an important step toward your next success!
5. Practice positive affirmations. They really work!

What You Need:

• A willingness to examine your thoughts.
• A few extra minutes to consistently reexamine your thought patterns.

Another way....

1. Let go of the assumption that the world is against you, or that you were born with a gray cloud over your head. It is an assumption that has no basis in reason or science. To believe that the universe or a spiritual entity has singled you out and shifted the world order just to make your life miserable is both self-centered and illogical. Be humble and stop pretending you've got the world all figured out. Sometimes bad experiences lead to good experiences, and you can't predict the future, so you can't assume it'll always be bad.
2. Look for the source of your pessimism. Deep-rooted negativity can often be traced to childhood experiences, when growing minds observe their circumstances and make presumptions about how the world functions. If all you saw growing up were disappointments, betrayals and failure, it's no surprise that now it's what you expect from the world as an adult. Sometimes we pick up a flair for pessimism from a parent who made negative assumptions about the world somewhere along the line. Either way, the sooner you can attribute your pessimism to a unique set of circumstances rather than the state of the world itself, the easier it'll be to change your perspective.
3. Understand that the past does not equal the future. Just because you've experienced pain or disappointment in the past does not guarantee that it's all you'll experience in the future. There were many things in your past that you couldn't control, and everybody comes across unfortunate circumstances at some point in their lives - you're no exception. But there are also many things in life we can control to one degree or another, and therein lies the possibility of change. A day or week that starts badly will not necessarily end badly. Do not make a bad start turn into a self fulfilling prophecy for a bad ending.
4. See yourself as a cause, not an effect. You don't have to be a product or a victim of your circumstances. Stop thinking about what is happening to you and start thinking about what you can make happen. If you're not happy with the way your life is now, set goals and move on. Use your past negative experiences to build character and make better decisions, instead of letting pessimism turn you into someone who avoids risk at all costs. Sometimes it is necessary to take risks to receive rewards. Moreover, taking no action is taking an action. It is better to play to win rather than merely to avoid losing.
5. Accept pain, failure and disappointment as a part of life, not the entirety of it. Life involves taking many risks every day, and not all of them will end positively. That's what defines risk. But the flip side is that some actions will lead to good results, and it's generally better to have a mixed bag than to have nothing at all. Ideally, the good stuff will outweigh the bad, but you'll never reach that point unless you put yourself out there and hope for the best. When in doubt, remember Lord Alfred Tennyson's words of wisdom:
   
   I hold it true, whate'er befall;
   I feel it, when I sorrow most;
   'Tis better to have loved and lost
   Than never to have loved at all.
6. Be thankful. Everyone has something to be grateful for. Make a list of the good things that have happened to you. If nothing instantly springs to mind, you aren't trying hard enough. The key to being an optimist is recognizing the benefits and possibilities of any situation, and understanding that it could always be worse. If all else fails, think of how life could be worse, and flip the thought process to recognize what you do have. For example: "I'm flunking out of school" can turn into "Well, at least I have a chance to go to school, and I still have time to turn my grades around." Get a notebook and a pen, and write down all the good things that you have. Every time you are feeling negative, read through them and remind yourself that it's not all bad.
7. Use positive affirmations. Write down short statements that remind you of what you're trying to change about the way you see the world. Put them in places where you'll see them every day, such as on your bathroom mirror, the inside of your locker, on your computer monitor, and even taped to your shower wall. Some affirmations to start with are:
   
   
   • "Anything is possible."
   • "I create my circumstances, my circumstances don't create me."
   • "The only thing I can control is attitude towards life."
   • "I always have a choice."
   • "I choose to live my positive side of life
8. Source: WikiHow

Links to follow up:

ezine article

The Key to Happiness

The Happiness Project

The below post originally appeared here....

I’m working on my Happiness Project, and you could have one, too. Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. Join in—no need to catch up, just jump in right now. Each Friday’s post will help you think about your own happiness project.

A while back, my husband and I noticed a characteristic we shared—neither of us did a particularly good job of staying connected with our past. It was true of us as a couple, too, once we got married. In each stage of life, we’d have good friends, but when we moved to the next stage, we found it difficult to stay connected to the people to whom we’d earlier been close. I’m not sure I would have remarked on this fact if I hadn’t seen the contrast to my younger sister—she does an outstanding job of staying close to friends from every stage of her life.

Philosophers and scientists agree: If there is one element that is the key to happiness, it’s having strong relationships with other people. Many of my happiness-project resolutions are aimed at helping me build or strengthen friendships: Show up, Make three friends, Join or start a group. (Here are some other tips for making new friends.)

Also, remembering happy times in the past is a great way to boost happiness in the present.

My resolution to “stay connected to my past” is meant to address both these sources of happiness. As a consequence of this resolution, I sign up for high-school, college, and law-school reunions without hesitation. I don’t begrudge the time I spend on Facebook. I make a big effort to keep my friends’ contact information up to date. I keep a one-sentence journal. I look for reasons to visit my old neighborhoods.

The Happiness Project Toolbox....

Buy the Happiness Project at Amazon...

Teaching Happiness

Read this article about teaching happiness....

"

The team also identified the inner work that can improve your wellbeing. They incorporated many techniques from CBT that have been proved to help to overcome depression and anxiety disorders. They also tried out cognitive and pedagogic techniques from ancient philosophy and spirituality, such as the idea of character strengths from Aristotle, mindfulness from Buddhism and learning to challenge one's irrational beliefs from Stoicism, then tested these insights empirically, to see if they really worked. As Seligman says: “We took some ideas from ancient philosophy and married them to the new scientific study of happiness. Aristotle never had the benefit of the seven-point scale [used to measure life satisfaction].”

So, while positive psychology is in some ways a “new science”, and a new way of approaching education, in other ways it is a return to the norm for Western education, which for centuries, through the Roman Empire and beyond, taught young people philosophic techniques to manage their thoughts and emotions. Indeed, he may not know it, but the ABC model of emotions that Darren is learning on Tyneside comes directly from a Stoic philosopher called Epictetus, who suggested that “it is not events, but our beliefs about them, that cause us suffering”."

Another book plug

The Happiness Hypothesis may be bought here....

Review:

"This was my best non-fiction book of 2006. Haidt is an academic of genuine flair. In the Happiness Hypothesis he has produced for the general reader a synthesis of robust thinking and research around happiness. It is expressed in an accessible style, using some very simple metaphors to hold the reader's attention on key themes, as the author reviews the best of the philosophy, psychology and neurology of happiness.

To put it another way, this was accessible enough to read in bed, and robust enough to fill over 24 pages of references.

My only caveat, I thought the subtitle - 'Putting ancient wisdom and philosophy to the test of modern science' - did not get to the heart of the book. This makes it sound like a series of tests of famous aphorisms. In face, Haidt is primarily interested in evidence, but uses literary and philosophical sources to illustrate and enliven his science; to ask questions of it, and to keep an open mind. But then I think that's just good science."

Book Plug

Amazon review:

Singer Bobby McFerrin had a monster hit in 1988 entitled Don't Worry, Be Happy. The hypnotically perky, happy song hopped its way across the globe, magically lifting the spirits of listeners everywhere. The lyrics say: "In your life expect some trouble / When you worry you make it double / Don't worry, be happy / Be happy now." If only happiness were that easy to achieve. Indeed, happiness requires considerable focus and effort, but psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky promises that it is eminently achievable, even for the galactically unhappy. She outlines some proven psychological stratagems and explains why they work, if you put in the effort. Just be aware of and implement specific mood-lifting techniques to improve the level of happiness in your life. Whether or not you cheer up when you hear McFerrin's catchy tune, I suggest giving Lyubomirsky's scientific happiness-inducing techniques a shot. Don't worry, be happy: They just might work.

From the book....

12 Happiness Activities

There are twelve happiness activities:

• Avoiding over thinking (rumination)
• Social comparison
• Practicing acts of kindness
• Nurturing social relationships
• Developing strategies for coping
• Learning to forgive
• Increasing flow experiences
• Savouring life’s joys
• Committing to your goals
• Practicing religion and spirituality
• Taking care of your body through physical exercise and meditation
• Acting like your happy

The author discusses the book:

Increasing happiness

Tips and Techniques

3 Blessings Exercise

Our brain tends to ignore what goes well and it focuses by default on what might go wrong. Martin Seligman and others have devised and used a simple technique to address this, called the three blessings exercise.

Have a Beautiful Day

Professor Martin Seligman, in his book 'Authentic Happiness', describes methods that we can employ to increase momentary happiness in our lives.

Gratitude Visit

Select one important person from your past who has made a major positive difference in your life and to whom you have never fully expressed your thanks. Choose someone who is still alive.

BBC Happiness Manifesto

‘Making Slough Happy’ BBC 2 TV series rounded up research on happiness. Do these for two months and see if they make a difference.

Climbing the Pyramid of Forgiveness – REACH model

Dr Everett L Worthington, Jr has developed a model which can help people to learn how to forgive.

Eight Steps Towards a More Satisfying Life

Sonja Lyubomirsky, University of California. This is more of a “summary” TTT which brings together a number of different stands from this famous psychologist’s research.

Active and Constructive Responding

Shelly Gable, assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of California, has examined the different types of responses we give to other people's good news.

Subjective Happiness scale (shs)

The following questionnaire has been devised by Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky to measure a person's rating of their own happiness level. Within the next few weeks you will be abel to complete the questionnaire on-line on this site and get a result. In the meantime you can review the instrument.

The Satisfaction with Life Scale

The following questionnaire has been devised by Dr Ed Diener to measure a person's own assessment of their life-satisfaction. Within the next few weeks you will be able to complete the questionnaire on-line on this site and get a result. In the meantime you can review the instrument.

10 tips for boosting happiness