Before We Begin

• Think about the past 24 hours

• Briefly review your activities (work, home, leisure, hobbies,
chores, families, friends, etc.)
• List three activities that made you feel most satisfied
(things that went well) and why you think they did

3 GOOD THINGS
PRACTICE
THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPY-NESS
The Positive Psychology Movement
Happiness is a human right. It’s neither a luxury nor a triviality.
It’s given to you at birth, but you must recognize its existence.
It’s as important as the breath of air in your lungs. If people
aren’t happy, the world is not right. -Pharrell Williams

 This webinar will describe the strategies and

techniques that we know can increase one's level of
satisfaction or happiness with life.
 After this presentation, participants will be able to:
 Describe the history and research of the Positive
Psychology movement
 Explain techniques which participants can utilize to
increase their level of life satisfaction
Happiness is the meaning and
the purpose of life,
The whole aim and end of
human existence.

Aristotle
Positive Psychology is the
study of the conditions,
processes and
characteristics that
contribute to optimal
functioning.
 Why study this?

 Improve well-being of everyone

 Understand optimal/best functioning
 Positive affect/feeling is more common than negative
affect
 Positive emotions protect against mental and physical
health problems
 Optimistic people perform better
 Three Pillars Of Positive Psychology
Individual Traits

BIO (Genetics)

SOCIAL PSYCHO (self)

(circumstance)

GROUPS/COMMUNITIES/ EXPERIENCES
INSTITUTIONS
 Adults: We can increase our happiness – with
Interventions/PRACTICE

Under own control ~

40%
Genetics ~ 50%

Circumstances ~ 10%

Lynbomirsky, S. (2008) The How of Happiness. New York: Penguin.

 Genetics-Hot Off the Press

 Recent neuroscience researchers have demonstrated

that a genetic variation in the brain makes some
people inherently less anxious, and more able to
forget fearful and unpleasant experiences. This lucky
genetic mutation produces higher levels of
anandamide — the so-called bliss molecule and our
own natural “high” in our brains.
(NY TIMES March 6, 2015)
 Optimism

Subjective Well-being

Happiness
Does money buy happiness or does
happiness buy money?
Does happiness make us
smarter/more creative?
Study: Do happy doctors make
better doctors?

 44 doctors asked to diagnose a difficult case

 One group first got a bag of candy
 One group first read positive statements about medicine
 One group was the control group

 Isen, Rosenweig,Young (1991)

 Answer

The doctors who received the

candy were the quickest and the
most accurate
Does happiness make us
healthier?
 The Nun Study

 POSITIVE FEELINGS WRITTEN IN DAILY JOURNALS PREDICTED

LONGEVITY
 “God started my life off well by bestowing upon me grace of
inestimable value…The past year …has been a very happy
one…I look forward with eager joy …” CECILIA
 “I was born on…,the eldest of 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys…My
candidate year was spent in the mother-house, teaching
chemistry and second year Latin…With God’s grace I intend to
do my best…” MARGUERITE
 Other Studies Support The Link
Between Happiness And Good Health

 OPTIMISM AND HEART ATTACKS-Gitay et al (2006)

 WORRY AND DIABETES-Ekbom, Sweden
 OPTIMISM AND BREAST CANCER-Peled (2008)

 Theory - the link between increased cortisol and

inflammation and poor health
 Practice
Try These Out Yourself

 BELLY BREATHING – DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING (see

Whitney Zweeres,PTA-Learn the Diaphragmatic
Breathing Technique-on you tube)
 RELAXATION/Progressive/Autogenic/Visualization
 OPEN HANDS – Marsha Linehan
 POWER POSE- (see Amy Cuddy-TED talk-Your Body
Language Shapes Who You Are)
 MEDITATION/MINDFULNESS-(see Richard Hanson/Jon
Kabat-Zinn/Richard Davidson/Dalai Lama)
 ANXIETY? PAIN? INSOMNIA? WHATEVER AILS YOU
RELIEF WITH BELLY BREATHING

 This is a very powerful and very simple technique.  It teaches you slow breathing from the
"diaphragm" or belly.  It relaxes you and directly reduces many of the symptoms of anxiety and
panic.  It can be both the first step in mastering panic and the first step in learning meditation.  
 Plan to practice Belly Breathing once a day, starting with five minutes.  Then, gradually increase
the time up to about 15 minutes. 
 Here's a good way to learn Belly Breathing:
 Lie comfortably on your back, with a pillow under your head, your knees bent and your back flat. 
You can stretch your legs out if that's more comfortable.  Place one hand on your belly.  Once
you're comfortable, you can start the exercise.
 Inhale while you slowly count to 4.  Expand your belly as much as you can – like a balloon.   You
know you're doing "belly breathing" right when you can feel your belly expand.  Then, exhale to
the slow count of 4, just letting all the air out of the balloon.  As you exhale, just feel yourself
letting go of tension.  
 Keep repeating the belly breathing to the slow count of 4.  When your mind wanders, just gently
bring your attention back to the counting and belly breathing.  
 After you have practiced this exercise for about a week, try doing your Belly Breathing when you
are sitting.  Then, try it at different times during the day, even when you are standing.  Notice
that it is very relaxing.
 Once you have mastered your Belly Breathing, you can use it when you have symptoms of
anxiety or panic.  Many of the "scary sensations" of panic are related to "hyperventilation",
which simply means rapid breathing.  Also, during panic, people tend to breathe from the chest
instead of from the belly.  Breathing rapidly from the chest increases anxiety.  Breathing slowly
from the belly lowers anxiety and reduces many of the "scary sensations" of panic.
 A Little History

 Martin Seligman
 Learned Helplessness/Depression
 Attributional Style
 Internal/External
 Pervasive/Specific
 Permanent/Temporary
 (the study about baseball players)

LEARNED OPTIMISM
 Qualities of Happy People
Include:

 Self-esteem
 Personal Control
 Optimism
 Extraversion
 Hope
“Use your signature strengths and virtues in the service of
something much larger than you are.” ~ Martin Seligman

• The pleasant life: a life that successfully pursues the

positive emotions about the present, past, and future.
• The good life: using your signature strengths to obtain
abundant gratification (through activities we like doing) in
the main realms of your life.
• The meaningful life: using your signature strengths and
virtues in the service of something much larger than you
are. (Seligman 2002, p. 249).
 5 Elements to Well-Being

• Positive emotion
• Engagement
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Achievement
PERMA
 Practice
Gratitude Visit

 Pick one person (not a relative) who lives nearby,

who you should thank
 Write a letter of appreciation to that person (ex. How
they helped you, affected you,
 Take it to that person, read the letter and leave it.
 Gratitude Visit

 Within 1 week people with moderate depression

reported a decrease in depressive symptoms almost
into the average range
 The effect lasted about 6 weeks
 Practice
Gratitude Diary/Journal

 3 GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO YOU

and/or
 1 GOOD THING YOU DID FOR SOMEONE ELSE

 After completing this activity every day for a week,

participants began to report more happiness and less
depression after one month, an effect that remained at three-
and six-month follow-ups. However, the long-term benefits of
weekly versus daily gratitude journaling remains unclear.
 Practice
Smile

 “SMILING IS YOGA FOR THE MOUTH”-THICH NHAT HAHN

 Paul Ekman’s research on facial expression-a smile

produces a change in brain activity and creates a happier
mood.

 Kraft and Pressman study-a smile can alter stress

response. It can slow heart rate and decrease perceived
level of stress.
 Practice
Savoring

 We are biologically predisposed to think there is a

tiger in the bushes when there isn’t.
 Therefore we have to make a conscious effort to
attend to the good.
 TAKE IN THE GOOD – RICK HANSON
 Change Your Mind To Change
Your Brain

 Let a good fact become a good experience

 Savor the positive experience – feel it in your body –
intensify it
 Sense and intend that the positive experience is
soaking into your brain and body-registering it into
emotional memory
 Change your brain to change your mind
 Practice
Discover and Use Your Signature Strengths

VALUES IN ACTION VIA questionnaire

 240 ITEMS – 24 STRENGTHS
 See Seligman – Authentic Happiness website
 So far, the research is Positive

 5 interventions + placebo
 Placebo-write about early experiences
 Gratitude visit
 3 good things-write what went well
 You at your best-write about it
 Identify your signature strength-VIA (Values In Action
questionnaire)
 Use signature strength in a new way
 Outcomes

 On measures of happiness:
 Gratitude visit had strongest immediate response
 Using signature strength in a new way and writing
three good things had longer sustained effect
 New Study With Persons With
Severe, Persistent Mental Illness

 Positive living group treatment: practice strengths,

write one good thing, one episode of savoring,
mindfulness, set positive goals, gratitude visit, write
positive life summary
 Results: increased hope, well-being, savoring, self
esteem; decreased depression, psychotic symptoms

 Meyer, Johnson, Parks, Iwanski, Penn (2012)

 Practice
Developing Optimism

 How we attribute meaning to good or bad events

 OPTIMISTIC TRIAD
 Permanent: bad doesn’t last, good does
 Pervasive: good affects everything; bad is localized
and doesn’t affect other parts of life
 Personal: Good=my doing; Bad=random
Happiness in the Workplace

Meaning

Sense of purpose

Ability Positive
emotion

Strength Pleasure
 Meaning/Pleasure/Strength Process

 What gives me MEANING ?

 What gives me PLEASURE ?

 What are my STRENGTHS ?

(list and find the overlap)

 MEANING

Helping others
Making a contribution
Feeling connected

Sense of humor Reading

Fairness Playing games
Non-judgmental TV
Socializing
STRENGTHS PLEASURE
 How To Feel Happier

 Smile
 Belly breathe/relaxation/meditation/visualization/mindfulness
 Open hands
 Power pose
 Take in the good feeling/savor it
 At the end of the day, list 3 activities that made you happy and
why
 Do something nice for someone else
 Gratitude diary/journal
 Gratitude visit
 Continued

 Develop your strengths/do what you love

 Optimism training
 Learn new things
 Cultivate relationships
 Live a healthier life: diet, exercise, sleep, healthy
environment
Work like you don’t need the money
Love like you’ve never been hurt
Dance as if no one were watching
Sing as if no one were listening

Live every day as if it were your last

 THE THOUGHT STOPPING
TECHNIQUE
 Every time a negative thought strikes, you replace it with a reasonable,
alternative, positive thought. You repeat this positive thought aloud, and
if possible, write it down. Saying positive thoughts employs multiple brain
processes: the frontal lobes for decision-making; language centers for
expressing and comprehending speech; auditory centers for hearing;
lower brain centers for breathing and coordination; motor strip for
muscle movement; temporal lobes, hypothalamus and limbic system for
mood and memory. When we write, we activate visual processing, eye-
hand coordination, spatial skills and the kinesthetic feel of reading and
writing.
 Next time any nasty, negative thoughts strike you: create realistic
alternatives. "I'm ugly," can change to "I look okay," or "I have a nice
smile."
 After two or three weeks of practice it becomes second nature to self-
correct. If you have thoughts like: No-one likes me; I'm never good
enough; I'm stupid; I'm a rotten person; who'd want to be my friend, try
these kinds of substitutes: * I have friends: I am likeable * It's normal to
make mistakes: I'm not stupid. * I'm not perfect: I have good qualities.
 Make creating positives your new feel-good habit! Positive self-talk
nourishes not only your emotional and psychological health but also your
physical health and well-being via the body-mind connection.
POSITIVE ENERGY – Dr. Judith
Orlaf
 Energy Psychiatry – the subtle energetic
components of health and behavior
 It blends the practice of mainstream
medicine with subtle energies – our life
force (Qi or Chi or Prana)
 Dr. Orlof has formulated ten essential
prescriptions for boosting energy,
improving relationships, and combating
energy vampires.
 POSITIVE ENERGY
The signs of positive energy in
people:
1. They exude an inviting sense of
heart, compassion, and
support.
2. You intuitively feel safe,
relaxed, wanting to get closer
to them.
3. They emanate a peaceful glow.
4. You feel better around them.
5. Your energy and optimism
increases.
 CHALLENGE YOUR WOULDA,
SHOULDA, COULDA’S!

 Rehearse success:
 When you aren’t happy with the way you handled a particular
situation, try this exercise:
 Write down three ways that it could have gone better
 Write down three ways it could have gone worse
 If you can’t think of alternatives to the way you handled it, imagine
what someone whom you greatly respect would have done
 Or think what advice you would give to someone else facing a similar
situation
Remember that mistakes aren’t failures. They’re good to
learn. Mistakes give you the chance to rehearse other ways
of handling things. This is great practice for future crises.
 FOLLOW YOUR BLISS

 Passions lead to good health

 A positive attitude to life contributes to joy and health
 For positive psychological health:
 Be authentic with your feelings
 Let go of blame, guilt, and fault
 Keep your attention on what feels good
 Happiness = the life force and energy that keeps us
vital and healthy
 REMEMBER
 Remember, spend time with your loved ones, because they are not
going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to
someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person
soon will grow up and leave your side.
 Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that
is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost
a cent.
 Remember to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones,
but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when
it comes from deep inside of you.
 Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that
person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak,
and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
 28 SECRETS TO HAPPINESS
 Live beneath your means and within  Don’t argue.
your seams.  Get organized.
 Return everything you borrow.
 Be kind to kind people.
 Donate blood.
 Be even kinder to unkind people.
 Stop blaming other people.
 Admit it when you make a mistake.  Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
 Give all the clothes you haven’t worn in  Take time to be alone.
the last three years to charity.  Reread a favorite book.
 Every day do something nice and try not  Cultivate good manners.
to get caught.
 Be humble.
 Listen more; talk less.
 Every day take a 30-minute walk in your
 Understand and accept that life isn’t
neighborhood. always fair.
 Skip two meals a week and five the  Know when to say something.
money to the homeless.  Know when to keep your mouth shut.
 Strive for excellence, not perfection.  Don’t criticize anyone for 24 hours.
 Be on time.  Learn from the past, plan for the
 Don’t make excuses. future, and live in the present.
 Don’t sweat the small stuff.
 Mother Theresa
People are often unreasonable, If you find serenity and
illogical, and self-centered; Forgive happiness, they may be
them anyway. jealous; Be happy anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse

you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be The good you do today, people
kind anyway. will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
If you are successful you will win
some false friends and true Give the world the best you
enemies; Succeed anyway. have, and it may never be
enough; Give the world the
If you are honest and frank, people best you've got anyway
may cheat you; Be honest and
frank anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it
is between you and God; It
What you spend years building, was never between you and
someone could destroy overnight; them anyway.
Build anyway.
Nelson Mandela’s Inaugural Speech
(1994)
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens
us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God
that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Salamat.