Are you happy?
What kind of question is that?
I mean, really, who's happy?
And for that matter, what is happiness?
I'm not unhappy, so I guess I'm happy, right?
These are the types of questions that a group of psychologists in the cutting edge field of Positive Psychology have been studying for the past decade. Positive Psychology is concerned with identifying and cultivating all that is good in life and it's findings and methods are opening eyes and changing lives throughout the world. In fact this past month saw articles related to Positive Psychology in Parade Magazine, Oprah Magazine, and many other popular venues.
In this month's Positive Planner, I review some of Positive Psychology's findings on happiness and offer you my thoughts about how you can use this information to help yourself be happier, healthier, and more productive.
Three Pathways to Happiness
To a great degree, happiness is individually defined. What makes me happy may be very different from what makes you happy. However, according to the work of former American Psychological Association president Martin Seligman and his colleagues, there are three main routes to happiness that appear to transcend individual differences.
The Path to The Pleasant Life
The first route to happiness is traveled by increasing pleasure and positive emotion. Typically, in our culture many people see this as the only route to happiness. In fact, most of the topics that I have covered in previous Positive Planners have dealt with this aspect of happiness. Cultivating gratitude, practicing kindness and forgiveness, learning how to be optimistic and stopping to savor the precious moments of your life are among the ways to increase positive emotion to lead a more pleasant life.
But there's more to happiness than just positive emotion.
The Path to The Satisfying Life
The second pathway to happiness involves identifying, cultivating, and using your character strengths. People seem to be pretty well versed at identifying and focusing on their weaknesses, but positive psychologists suggest that when people identify, connect with, and build on their most prominent strengths, they experience more rewarding, satisfying and productive lives. The next topic provides more information about character strengths.
The Path to The Meaningful Life
A third pathway to happiness relates to connecting with and using your character strengths in the service of something larger than yourself. You can rapidly experience the rewards of pursuing the path of meaning by connecting with family, community, religion, or through volunteer or charitable work.
True happiness can be found enroute to the pleasant life, the satisfying life, or the meaningful life, and positive psychology offers methods and support to help you start your journey and stay the course. Use the section below to start thinking about embarking on the path to a more satisfying life, and the sidebar offers more information on why happiness is important and how to pursue the three pathways to happiness.
Strengths Toolbox
You can think of your character strengths as your own personal toolbox for a more satisfying, productive and fulfilling life. These are tools that you already have available. You're preloaded with them. I'll never forget when my son was about 7 and asked me why people don't come with user's manuals. If we did, I'm sure our personal user's manuals would tell us how to identify our strengths and use them as much as possible.
When we use our strengths, not only do we get more accomplished, we also feel better. We're energized, more effective and we feel good about ourselves when we use our strengths more frequently and in the service of our most important goals and values.
Here is a list of the 24 strengths that have been described by researchers and practitioners in positive psychology.
Strengths related to Wisdom and Knowledge
include curiosity, love of learning, open-mindedness, creativity, and perspective
Strengths related to Courgage
include bravery, perseverance, and authenticity
Strengths related to Love and Humanity
include kindness, and the capacity to love and be loved
Strengths related to Justice
include citizenship, fairness, and leadership
Strengths related to Temperance
include self control, prudence, and modesty
Stengths related to Transcendance
include appreciation of beauty, gratitude, optimism, spirituality, forgiveness, humor, zest and enthusiasm
As you read this list, you may have identified with the names of some of these strengths, and if so, you have taken the first step toward taking inventory of your strengths toolbox. You also may have questions about whether these strengths apply to you, what they are specifically referring to, and what you can do to use them in a more frequent and focused manner. Check out the sidebar to learn more about how to identify and sharpen these tools that you already carry with you.
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Why be happy?
If this month's topic evokes thoughts along these lines,
"Happiness sounds lovely but it's kind of cliche. I'm doing just fine, plus I'm really busy taking care of business, my family, and the bottom line. I don't have time for fluffy subjects like happiness.",
then you're experiencing something similar to my skeptical reaction when I first heard of about the science of happiness.
That's why I want to tell you why cultivating happiness supports the bottom line.
Pursuing happiness is more than just looking for a positive state of being. It's a great means to an end. Far from the stereotypical image of happy people wasting their lives with their heads in the clouds, evidence is rapidly mounting that progress along the three paths to happiness is associated with a host of tangible and important benefits including creativity, out of the box thinking, productivity, friendship, health and even longevity.
So happiness is not such a "fluffy" topic after all.
If you're busy with the bottom line, the question to consider is whether the pursuit of happiness is worth it for the side effects even if leading a happier life is not on your to do list this month?
Books about Strengths
A new book about the Character Strengths is about to be published. Written by top researchers Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues will be available for purchase through my website when it is released later this month.
In 2002, Martin Seligman published the book Authentic Happiness. In this scientifically based self-help book, Dr. Seligman describes the three pathways to happiness in detail. Authentic Happiness and a variety of other books and products related to leading a more positive life are also available through my site.
Click here to visit my bookstore.
For Further Exploration
If you are interested in using some free internet based assessments to measure your level of happiness and to identify your character strengths, visit www.authentichappiness.org where you can take a variety of interesting and informative assessments. The strengths assessment is called the Values In Action (VIA).
If you're curious about impacting your bottom line by pursuing any or all of the three pathways to happiness, give me a call at 518-478-0093 or email Michelle@PositivePlan.com. I would love to talk with you about helping you develop and follow a plan to lead a more joyful, gratifying and meaningful life and to support your journey to experience all of the benefits associated with the pursuit of happiness. I offer a free initial consultation.
Feel free to forward this to anyone who might be interested.
Have a pleasant, satisfying, and meaningful day,
Michelle
The Positive Plan
Michelle Marks, PhD
5 William Paca Court
Glenmont, NY 12077
Phone: 518-478-0093
Fax: 518-478-9038
email: Michelle@PositivePlan.com
www.positiveplan.com
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