mentalhealth

Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays

15/12/2021 by Marie

What Are The 7 Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays?

One of the things I love about life today is the easy access to inspiring ideas and content. We now have millions of experts, researchers and professionals at our fingertips, publishing content on the internet, just a click away.

By far, one of the best curators of engaging talks and content is TED, and when it comes to the topic of happiness, they do not disappoint. TED has featured many of the great positive psychology superstars over the years (check out these top 11 positive psychology talks of all time), and they continue to publish new content on happiness from psychologists, journalists and monks among others.

But like many of these amazing platforms, it’s easy to get drawn down a rabbit hole of random content. That’s why we’re pulled together this list for you – to keep you focused on the best and most recent inspiration, research and knowledge on happiness. So, if you want to start 2022 with a fresh and happy new outlook, these are the top happiness Ted Talks to watch these holidays.

Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays

3 Rules for Better Work-Life Balance, Ashley Whillans, 5:07

Have you answered a work email during an important family event? Or taken a call from your boss while on vacation? According to behavioural scientist and Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, “always-on” work culture is not only ruining our personal well-being — but our work, as well. She shares which bad habits are stopping us from getting what we need out of our free time and three practical steps for setting boundaries that stick.

What’s your Happiness Score?, Dominic Price, 14:37

How do you rediscover a happier, more purpose-driven (and less productivity-obsessed) self in the wake of the pandemic? Quiz yourself alongside work futurist Dominic Price as he lays out a simple yet insightful four-part guide to assessing your life in ways that can help you reconnect with what’s really important.

How to be your best self in times of crisis, Susan David, 45:54

“Life’s beauty is inseparable from its fragility,” says psychologist Susan David. In a special virtual conversation, she shares wisdom on how to build resilience, courage and joy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Responding to listeners’ questions from across the globe, she offers ways to talk to your children about their emotions, keep focus during the crisis and help those working on the front lines.

Helping others makes us happier – but it matters how we do it, Elizabeth Dunn, 14:20

Research shows that helping others makes us happier. But in her ground-breaking work on generosity and joy, social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn found that there’s a catch: it matters how we help. Learn how we can make a greater impact — and boost our own happiness along the way — if we make one key shift in how we help others. “Let’s stop thinking about giving as just this moral obligation and start thinking of it as a source of pleasure,” Dunn says.

The lies our culture tells us about what matters – and a better way to live, David Brooks, 14:45

Our society is in the midst of a social crisis, says op-ed columnist and author David Brooks: we’re trapped in a valley of isolation and fragmentation. How do we find our way out? Based on his travels across the United States — and his meetings with a range of exceptional people known as “weavers” — Brooks lays out his vision for a cultural revolution that empowers us all to lead lives of greater meaning, purpose and joy.

How to turn off work thoughts during your free time, Guy Winch, 12:20

Feeling burned out? You may be spending too much time ruminating about your job, says psychologist Guy Winch. Learn how to stop worrying about tomorrow’s tasks or stewing over office tensions with three simple techniques aimed at helping you truly relax and recharge after work.

This is what makes employees happy at work, Michael C. Bush, 3:59

There are three billion working people on this planet, and only 40 percent of them report being happy at work. Michael C. Bush shares his insights into what makes workers unhappy — and how companies can benefit their bottom lines by fostering satisfaction.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

Talking to Strangers (E97)

13/12/2021 by Marie

Happiness for Cynics

On today’s episode Marie and Pete discuss talking to strangers and the surprising mental health benefits of sharing a deep and meaningful conversation.

Transcript

Coming soon

How to Avoid ‘Toxic Positivity’ and Take the Less Direct Route to Happiness

08/12/2021 by Marie

Brock Bastian, The University of Melbourne and Ashley Humphrey, Federation University Australia

The term “toxic positivity” has received a good deal of attention lately. Coming off the back of the “positivity movement” we are beginning to recognise while feeling happy is a good thing, overemphasising the importance of a positive attitude can backfire, ironically leading to more unhappiness.

Yes, research shows happier people tend to live longer, be healthier and enjoy more successful lives. And “very happy people” have more of these benefits relative to only averagely happy people. But pursued in certain ways, happiness or positivity can become toxic.

Our research, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology and involving almost 500 people, was inspired by these apparently inconsistent findings – pursuing happiness may be both good and bad for our well-being. We aimed to uncover a key ingredient that turns positivity toxic.

Expecting the Best, Feeling Worse

Some studies have shown that when people place a high value on their own happiness it can lead to less happiness, especially in contexts where they most expect to feel happy.

This tendency to expect happiness and then to feel disappointed or to blame oneself for not feeling happy enough, has been linked to greater depressive symptoms and deficits in well-being.

As the line to a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen depicting a patient confessing to his psychologist puts it:

I am very, very happy. But I want to be very, very, very happy, and that is why I’m miserable.

However, researchers have also observed when people prioritise behaviours that maximise the likelihood of their future happiness – rather than attempting to directly increase their levels of happiness “in the moment” – they are more likely to experience improvements (rather than deficits) in their levels of well-being.

This may mean engaging in activities that provide a sense of achievement or purpose, such as volunteering time or completing difficult tasks, or constructing daily routines that support well-being.

This work suggests pursuing happiness indirectly, rather than making it the main focus, could turn our search for positivity from toxic to tonic.

Valuing Happiness vs. Prioritising Positivity

We wanted to find out what it was about making happiness a focal goal that backfires.

To gain a better understanding, we measured these two approaches to finding happiness: valuing happiness versus prioritising positivity.

People who valued happiness agreed with statements such as “I am concerned about my happiness even when I feel happy” or “If I don’t feel happy, maybe there is something wrong with me”.

People who prioritised positivity agreed with statements such as “I structure my day to maximise my happiness” or “I look for and nurture my positive emotions”.

We also included a measure of the extent to which people feel uncomfortable with their negative emotional experiences. To do this, we asked for responses to statements like: “I see myself as failing in life when feeling depressed or anxious” or “I like myself less when I feel depressed or anxious”.

People who expected to feel happy (scoring high on valuing happiness), also tended to see their negative emotional states as a sign of failure in life and lacked acceptance of these emotional experiences. This discomfort with negative emotions partly explained why they had lower levels of well-being.

On the other hand, people who pursued happiness indirectly (scoring high on prioritising positivity), did not see their negative emotional states this way. They were more accepting of low feelings and did not see them as a sign they were failing in life.

What this shows is when people believe they need to maintain high levels of positivity or happiness all the time to make their lives worthwhile, or to be valued by others, they react poorly to their negative emotions. They struggle with these feelings or try to avoid them, rather than accept them as a normal part of life.

Pursuing happiness indirectly does not lead to this same reaction. Feeling down or stressed is not inconsistent with finding happiness.

What Makes Positivity Toxic?

So, it appears the key ingredient in toxic positivity is not positivity itself, after all. Rather, it is how a person’s attitude to happiness leads them to respond to negative experiences in life.

The prospect of experiencing pain, failure, loss, or disappointment in life is unavoidable. There are times we are going to feel depressed, anxious, fearful, or lonely. This is a fact. What matters is how we respond to these experiences. Do we lean into them and accept them for what they are, or do we try to avoid and escape from them?

If we are aiming to be happy all the time then we might feel tough times are interrupting our goal. But if we simply put a priority on positivity, we are less concerned by these feelings – we see them as an ingredient in the good life and part of the overall journey.

Rather than always trying to “turn a frown upside down”, we are more willing to sit with our low or uncomfortable emotions and understand that doing so will, in the long run, make us happy.

Learning to respond rather than react to these emotions is a key enabler of our happiness.

Our reaction to discomfort is often to get away and to reduce the pain. This might mean we employ ineffective emotion regulation strategies such as avoiding or suppressing unpleasant feelings.

If we do, we fail to engage with the insights an unpleasant experiences bring. Responding well to these experiences means getting “discomfortable” – being comfortable with our discomfort. Then we can be willing to feel what we feel and get curious about why those feeling are there. Taking this response allows us to increase our understanding, see our choices, and make better decisions.

As the saying goes: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional”.

Brock Bastian, Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne and Ashley Humphrey, Lecturer in Psychology, Federation University Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

Arts on Prescription (E.96)

06/12/2021 by Marie

Happiness for Cynics podcast

This week, Marie and Pete talk about arts on prescription and how it might be part of the solution to your happiness needs.

Show notes

Street Art

During the podcast Pete references a story in which the Mayor of Melbourne, Australia, has contracted street artists to revitalise the streets after such long and stressful lockdowns. These artists are going to be paid up to $20,000 for their art.

Battle of the Somme

During the podcast Pete talks about a picture taken at the Battle of the Somme but incorrectly references it to WWII. The battle was fought between 1^st of July and the 18^th of November 2016 during WWI. We apologise for this mistake.

Neighbourlytics – https://neighbourlytics.com/

Urbantech company equipping the property industry, governments and consultancies with lifestyle data on neighbourhoods.

Transcript

[Happy intro music -background]

M: Welcome to happiness for cynics and thanks for joining us as we explore all the things I wish I’d known earlier in life but didn’t.

P: This podcast is about how to live the good life. Whether we’re talking about a new study or the latest news or eastern philosophy, our show is all about discovering what makes people happy.

M: So, if you’re like me and you want more out of life, listen in and more importantly, buy in because I guarantee if you do, the science of happiness can change your life.

P: Plus, sometimes I think we’re kind of funny.

[Intro music fadeout]

M: Let’s go.

P: Hi!

M: We’re here.

P: We’re queer.

P: We are queer, aren’t we?

M: Yep.

P: Laugh.

M: We are queer ally, at least.

P: Laugh. Such an ally. You’re more than an ally.

M: In the traditional sense of the word, very queer.

P & M: Laugh.

M: My mom uses queer in a very weird way, laugh! “They’re all queer!”

P: I’m like “Ok Mum.” Laugh.

M: A lot of these words in the LGBTQI++ community had meaning before, like gay just meant happy.

P: Mmm. Well, language in itself evolves and changes and shifts, and I find myself going, “Oh, what does that mean now?” I’m not up on the latest language and correctness and all that sort of stuff.

M: I saw a fabulous screenshot of a conversation where someone texts, what’s for dinner? And the person used emojis to put an eggplant and some cheese on there and the guy was like –

P: Laugh!

M: – dick cheese???

P: Exuberant laughter.

M: It was eggplant parmigiana, laugh.

P: Ah. That is not where I went with that!

M & P: Laugh!

M: No.

P: Laugh, anyway. Let’s, let’s elevate out of the gutter for a little bit shall we.

M: Let’s move on.

P: Still laughing.

So, this week, we’re doing a little bit of a reflection, aren’t we? We’re looking back.

M: What?

P: Oh, we’re revisiting some things that we’ve actually got going across before. I came across this article this week from the conversation which I flicked to you –

M: Mmm hmm.

P: – and we both have a little read.

And this is a bit of a testament to the podcast itself that I’m sort of now aware of things much more in the media when I read articles and studies and I’m like, ‘Oh, I know what that means,’ And ‘that’s because of this, this, this.’

M: Mmm hmm.

P: Because of the investigations that we’ve gone through here on the podcast as we approach our 100th episode.

M: Oh!

P: Ba ba dum!

M: Which is very exciting.

P: Very exciting. But this article was talking about the fact that happiness is becoming more expensive and out of reach for many Australians, and I think this also applies to American listeners.

M: Oh, ah no. Not more expensive.

P: Mmm?

M: So, as we’ve discussed before with Maslow’s hierarchy, there are certain things you need to just… like your basics, your foundations, that you need to have.

P: Mmm hmm.

M: Security, shelter, food, et cetera.

P: Ok.

M: And from there you can be happy once you’ve got those basic needs met.

P: Yes.

M: So, the base level of income that you need to have those basic needs met has gone up.

P: Okay, yes.

M: And that would make sense because there’s inflation.

P: Yeah, it’s gone up… They’re mapping it in Australia, and it has gone up from, let me get my facts straight here –

M: – 43 to 74 thousand (AU$).

P: Thank you very much, Marie.

M: And we’ve discussed this before. We might not have actually spoken about $74,000 in Australia, I know we’ve used US metrics in the past.

P: Mmm.

M: But a really good reminder, as you were saying that if you want to be free from worry and stress –

P: Mmm hmm.

M: – about those things, like how to feed your family and put petrol and car etcetera and have your basics covered, then $74,000 is the income you need to aim for, strive for.

P: Mmm. Sadly, in Australia’s case, the amount of people that actually have access to that 74K income is dropping. So, the number of Australians on the income below that, what we call the change point, which is the $74,000 has increased from 60% to 74%.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: And I think that’s the point that the article is making is that more people are now falling below that change point income, and that’s going to prove a problem in the future if this trend continues. And what I was reflecting on when reading this article was that I was the person that if you’d asked me two years ago, does money buy happiness? I would have given you a resounding no, and said, ‘No, definitely not!’

M: It doesn’t, it’s not what this says.

P: It doesn’t but it makes it a damn sight easier to have access to it when you have a certain income, or you have the ability to –

M: I think the lesson here is that money enables you to be free from things that detract from happiness, and then after you get to that $74,000 a year income level. What you do with your money can contribute to happiness, absolutely, and we’re about to get into the real point of this episode here and what we really wanted to talk about. But again, we saw this news. Both of us read it. And we’re like, did you see this?

P: Laugh! We talked about this a year ago.

M: And again, once you’ve got your basic needs met once you’ve met that $74,000 income in Australia, that’s what it costs to live free from financial stress.

P: Yeah.

M: And to live free from other stresses and worries that are what we’ve called negative affect.

P: Yeah.

M: So once you clear that benchmark, then what you do after that is within your control.

P: It’s very true, and the authors who are Richard Morris and Nick Glozier, they do mention that in the article where they say, “Income by itself doesn’t explain a large proportion of variance in happiness.”

M: Mmm hmm.

P: So, you’re absolutely right there. But it still made me sort of prick my ears up and think, ‘Yes, so politics and economics and all those big, big pebbles do have an influence on people’s happiness levels, there is a link there.

M: Yeah.

P: And that’s the, that’s the take home message that drew, that I drew from this article for me was that you think it doesn’t matter, but it actually does and so it’s really important that those of us who are above that 74K understand that maybe and realise that we are in a beneficial position. But to canvass.

M: To be grateful for.

P: Yes, absolutely. But there’s a social responsibility as well to canvas, to advocate for things like basic minimum wages and things like that. And be really aware that these things matter to the bulk of the population and as a result your society in which you live, and you participate.

M: It really comes down to what do you value in society? I’d love to live in a world where everyone has a basic level of income that enables them not to have to worry about how to put food on the table or get to work or clothes on their kid’s backs, etcetera.

P: Yes, exactly.

M: And where we can all, and I know that sounds really idealistic and I am an optimist.

P: Laugh!

M: I will say. But some countries are playing around with these ideas, and UBI – Universal Basic Income- is a fascinating topic. Imagine if every person in your society could have a $74,000 income and then you get to decide what you want to do with your time every day or week.

P: Yeah, that’s a big change.

M: Yeah, Definitely. So anyway, what we were going to talk about today and what I’m excited to explore a little bit because we haven’t spent much time on this topic is something called Arts on Prescription.

P: Mmm.

M: And it comes from an article that we read in The Canberra Times, Canberra Times Magazine, about a gentleman called Patrick McIntyre, who is the CEO of the National Film and Sound Archive. And his thinking about the impact of ballet and film and dance and opera and all of the arts and how that can impact people’s happiness.

P: Mmm.

M: And so, we started out talking about needing the 74,000 just to get your house in order.

P: Yep.

M: So, if you have 75[K] what do you do with that extra thousand is really what we’re talking about here.

P: Ha ha, yep.

M: And we know that buying houses and cars and good clothes and nice shoes and all of that will not bring you happiness.

P: Yes.

M: We also know that doing things like practising gratitude, spending time with friends and family, you know, there are many, many things that you can do that are free that will bring in happiness.

P: Yeah.

M: But if you do have extra money on top of that 74[K] another great way to spend that money to bring yourself happiness is to spend it on experience.

P: Which we talked about before. And that’s such a valuable, valuable investment.

M: Absolutely. Buying stuff won’t help you to build your happiness, but experiences will.

P: The hedonistic treadmill!

M: Absolutely. And so, what Patrick McIntyre is arguing for is for all of us to go prescribe ourselves some art.

P: Laugh! That’s on prescription.

M: Yes.

P: We’ve touched on this before and one of our other episodes about cityscapes, and we talked about the programme that is social prescription in the UK.

M: Yes.

P: That the UK health system are prescribing for mental health and for advancing better mental health in the community. Instead of prescribing people for doctors, they’re sending them into community centres. They’re targeting the organisations that can help bring about a sense of community and get people out there socialising, which we know is one of the pillars of happiness is keeping social connections. Laugh, ergo Marie Skelton.

M & P: Laugh.

P: Writer extraordinaire and happiness expert.

M: We talk about health and wellbeing as one of the other pillars in there.

P: Mmm.

M: And this is really one of those intangible but fabulous ways to get yourself engaging with your surroundings in a mindful way.

P: Mmm yes.

M: And learning and growing that growth mindset. And so, Patrick is probably a bit extreme. He may have a bias here.

P: Laugh. He’s worked in the Arts for 20 years.

M: He says, “Culture is everything. Once we’re fed and sheltered, everything beyond that is culture.”

P: Mmm, yes. That’s a big claim.

M: Mmm hmm. Now Maslow didn’t agree, there are a whole lot of other things in there, like self-actualisation and all the things that we talk about.

P: Yep, yep.

M: But I think there’s something to this, though.

P: I agree. Yeah, it’s a lovely concept.

M: And I know we had a friend who, during lockdown on his daily exercise walks, was spending time going through Newtown and the Inner West area and finding street art and posting it.

P: Yeah, and so much.

M: Yeah, there’s so much, it’s kind of like Chile, they have Valparaiso, which is famous and well known for its street art.

M: We’re kind of becoming like that here in Newtown. It’s fun and I like it.

P: Yeah. Well, the Mayor of Melbourne recently was on ABC News, which is our local broadcaster here in Australia. Melbourne City Council has just thrown, I’m gonna get my figures wrong here, so do forgive me. I think it’s $11,000 at a selection of 30 street artists to take to the alleys in Melbourne to revitalise Melbourne as they come out of lockdown.

M: $11,000? Each? It had to be each.

P: I’m not sure about the figures, don’t quote me on that.

M: Otherwise, that’s really piss-poor.

P: Yeah, I’m not sure about the figures. But she was, she was saying that, you know, we are the street art capital of Australia.

M: Oh! Here we go, laugh.

P: Oohh! It’s on! The [gauntlet] has been thrown.

M: Sydney, accepts your challenge, Melbourne.

P: Laugh! But I think it’s, I think it’s again it buys into so many different cities that we’ve seen, and we’ve mentioned before, like Vancouver and Berlin, that pay their artists to get out there and take over the streetscape.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: And create places where people do gather, socialist, congregate and use those spaces.

M: And experience the art.

P: Yes, definitely.

M: Yeah. And so, our friend spent a lot of time exploring his neighbourhood, and it became almost a little game to see what else you could find, what else you could post and share.

P: Yeah.

M: So, there was the social aspect of showing friends, you know, what he was discovering every day and discovering new things and taking photos, and they’ll pop up on his Facebook.

P: Yeah.

M: Next year again.

P: Good use of social media.

M: Yep, and he’ll be able to revisit that and the experience of exploring his neighbourhood to find art.

P: Mmm.

M: Having said that, there are also so many museums in nearly every large city around the world. And I guarantee you, the longer you’ve been in a city, the less familiar you are with its museums.

P: Yeah, I’ll give you that. I’ve never really visited museums in the city that I’ve lived in.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: I’ve always done it when I travel, usually because it’s a time thing.

M: Yep.

P: I’ve got the time to wander into a museum. But I can relate a personal story here. I think it was the second time that I went to London, and I was on my own and it was freezing. It was so cold, and I was walking up towards Shaftesbury Avenue and it started to really rain, and I didn’t have a brolly [umbrella]. I was like ‘What am I going to do?’

M: Laugh.

P: And I ducked into a door that was open and it happened to be the National Portrait Gallery.

M: Aww.

P: And it was cold, and I was like in there, and I was shaking myself down and this person said, ‘Would you like a headset?’ And I was like, ‘Excuse me?’

M: Laugh.

P: ‘Are you coming in?’ I went, ‘Where am I?’

M & P: Laugh.

P: A long story short. I bought a headset.

M: Short story?

P: Short, short story. I got a headset, and I did this wonderful tour through the National Portrait Gallery. I was there for an hour and a half, and that was my first real museum experience. And I loved it and it hooked me. And I was so intrigued. And it was because I had the headphones, and I got the stories behind the paintings and behind the sculptures.

M: Yep. Well speaking of stories and speaking of the social connection and social cohesion, so many of these museums and art, so dance, theatre; They’re essentially storytelling.

P: Yes.

M: They’re telling the culture, telling the story of our culture. So, there is so much more to experiencing your own culture through painting or through dance, or that can bring to your life.

P: Yeah.

M: And we really, if we can afford it. And oftentimes there are many free museums out there as well. We really should be looking to lock in two trips next year, kind of getting to the end of this year, it’s time to be setting some goals, putting in some activities into your resilience planner. Thanks, Pete.

P: Laugh.

M: Your 2022 calendar. So, as you’re looking at, what trips can you take through the year, have a look at what free museums or performances are out there. Or, you know, if you’ve got a little bit of money aside that you can put towards it. These are great ways to plan for something. And we’ve spoken about the importance of planning for things and looking forward for things and hope.

P: Oh yes.

M: But also, they can really bring a lot of happiness.

P: Totally. You can even go even more local than that, like I was walking past my local church. Now this church is in Australia it’s old, it’s like 150 years old.

M: It’s ANCIENT!

P: Our European listeners are probably like, ‘what?!’ Laugh. But it’s this really lovely stone church and its opposite my greengrocer and I walk past it every week, and this week I walked past it and went, ‘Oh yes, live music is coming back.’ Chamber orchestras, quartets, performing in churches. It makes such sense because they’re brilliant sound acoustic areas.

But it’s that combining of culture, as you say, I mean, this is a local peace, and often you will find little local performances that are free and lunchtime concerts and so forth. And they’re a brilliant way to tap into that culture. If maybe you are a little bit reticent about buying a subscription to the Sydney Symphony or the theatre Company or the dance company.

M: There’s too many different ones to buy subscriptions to every single one of them.

P: Laugh. That’s where your friends are really important because they can get the subscription and take you along as a handbag.

M: Okay, great. I’ll lock you in for that.

P: Aahh! I’m a poor student!

M: Laugh.

P: Oh, I get student rates now. Yay!

M: Laugh!

P: I can get student price, I didn’t think of that.

M & P: Laughter!

M: I love it, I’m in.

P: Laugh.

M: So, I can’t remember before, I just wasn’t listening to you Pete, sorry.

P: Oh, no. All good.

M: Whether you mentioned any of the stats?

P: Laugh! I’ll just babble over here in the corner, laugh. I’m here for light amusement.

M & P: Laughter!

M: So, you did mention the Arts on Prescription programme in the UK, which we have mentioned before, but for those of you who are interested in the stats here, that programme was designed to address mental health issues.

So, people with depression, anxiety and a raft of other mental health conditions they were prescribed arts, so trips to museums and Theatre etcetera. And through that programme they saw a

37% drop in GP visits.

P: Huge.

M: Which is General Practitioner or just your local doctor for people outside of Australia and a

39% reduction in hospital admissions.

P: Big numbers.

M: Absolutely.

P: Really effective, and I know that the Australian government is looking at rolling out a similar program here in Australia on the basis of the success that it’s had in the UK.

M: Yeah, and the other thing is just the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] that the arts industry brings to any local economy, and they’ve really had it tough in the past 18 months.

P: They have. Yep, yep.

M: So, if we can start reinvesting in local theatre companies and performances over Christmas, there’s going to be a lot coming up over our summer months in Australia. But just a lot generally opening up around the world, if we can start reinvesting in that the benefits for society are huge.

P: Yeah. I was watching a show this morning that was talking about World War I and it struck me how amazing it was that we’ve got these images of the Battle of the Somme [1916] and things like this. There were photographers there who were there to document that kind of history and that’s all we’ve got.

And the presenters were trying to recall memories from soldiers, and they had all the letters that the soldiers had written. And these have become historical artefacts and that that’s culture.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: That’s artistic expression.

M: That’s our story.

P: Yeah, and they do last. And those letters are now being used to relay how personally it felt for that soldier being in the trench. And they weren’t just from Australians. They had some of the German ones as well. Giving a perspective of the battle, from their perspective of the bringers of death they were fighting in the, in the forests. It was really gripping stuff and quite emotional. But it’s really valuable. So, I think that investment in writing and writers and so forth supporting our authors, supporting our playwrights so important as a record.

M: And our photojournalists.

P: Yeah, definitely.

M: And everyone today can be a photojournalist.

P: Very true, very true.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: And you know that’s the positive use of social media is documenting that, even if it’s only for your own personal reflection.

M: Your reflection, your gratitude. So, again we mentioned before looking back on positive moments can be really valuable.

P: Yeah.

M: Yeah.

P: So, one more data, before we leave which I really liked about this, that the direct social engagement in Melbourne and Sydney as a result of arts programs, and this was from a social data analyst called Neighbourlytics. I like that word.

So, they said that in Melbourne the engagement increased by 42% and by a massive 100% in Sydney. People posting photos of their own art when they couldn’t take selfies and they couldn’t go to galleries and all that sort of stuff that’s amazing. 100% in Sydney!

M: And that was engagement during lockdown. So how did we move our, when we weren’t able to go physically into a building? How do we move our consumption of art online and engage with everything online? And there are some fabulous virtual tours of big global museums.

P: Yes.

M: Well, maybe not all global. But big museums that you can go on as well. So, you don’t need to be in London, to –

P: No, to enjoy.

M: – see the masterpieces.

P: Mmm, and be moved by them.

M: Yeah.

P: It’s a great advert for the people who don’t think that they partake in culture.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: Some people may need to rethink that.

M: The other thing that we talked about a while ago when we were creating our happiness… boxes. I can’t think of the word we used. Anyway, it was curating, curating an experience based on an emotion and pulling together different forms of art.

P: Oh yeah.

M: A movie or…

P: Yep.

M: So, if you are curating joy for your friends. You might pick a movie and a song and a saying and some art and bring everyone over to experience that.

P: Curate you own happiness gallery.

M: I don’t remember, who knows.

P: Laugh.

M: In one ear and out the other with me.

P: Still laughing. On that note, laugh.

M: I tell everyone what they should do, and then don’t do it myself.

P & M: Laugh.

M: Move on.

P: Bright light.

M: Pretty much, laugh. I do, do some.

P & M: Laugh.

M: All right. Well, we are done for today. So, I have a fabulous week and we will see you next week.

P: Have a cultural week.

M: A cultural week. Enjoy your cultural week. Please do write in, we love to hear from all our listeners. It just brightens our day and makes us happy.

P: It does, it makes a huge difference.

M: And every now and then we might do a call out as well.

P: Laugh.

M: So, thank you to everyone who writes to us and we’ll see you in a week.

P: Have a happy week.

[Happy exit music – background]

M: Thanks for joining us today if you want to hear more, please remember to subscribe and like this podcast and remember you can find us at www.marieskelton.com, where you can also send in questions or propose a topic.

P: And if you like our little show, we would absolutely love for you to leave a comment or rating to help us out.

M: Until next time.

M & P: Choose happiness.

[Exit music fadeout]

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Volunteering and Happiness: Why Volunteering is The Superfood of The Positive Psychology Movement

01/12/2021 by Marie

International Volunteer Day takes place every year on 5 December. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and thank people all around the world who dedicate their precious time and efforts to voluntary service. It’s also a great opportunity to remind you that volunteering can have a huge impact on your happiness levels!

What’s the Link Between Volunteering and Happiness?

Volunteering is like the superfood of the positive psychology world. According to Dr Dawn Carr, author of 5 reasons why you should volunteer, volunteering has been shown to:

Connect you to others
Be good for your mind and body
Advance your career
Bring meaning and fulfilment to your life
Be good for society (of course!)

Not only that but finding the right volunteering activity can also give you the benefits of other proven positive psychology activities such as finding purpose, being social, being generous and practicing kindness – which have all been shown to also improve mood, mental wellbeing, resilience, physical health and even longevity.

Not convinced? Let’s dig a little deeper into what’s going on and how you can use volunteering to achieve a happier, healthier life. Read on!

4 Ways Volunteering Make us Happier

Does volunteering make us happy? The answer is a resounding yes!

Volunteers have greater levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and psychological wellbeing than those who don’t volunteer. Here’s how:

1. It Connects you with Other People

Volunteering is arguably the best way to engage with your community. Making friends takes time but getting involved in an activity with other people gives you a reason to keep coming back each week while relationships deepen. Whether strengthening old bonds or meeting new people, working together over a shared interests connects you to people and that boosts overall happiness.

In fact, economists Stephan Meier & Alois Stutzer released a study in 2004 which concluded that, “volunteering constitutes one of the most important pro-social activities and helping others is the way to higher individual wellbeing.” They found robust evidence that volunteers are more satisfied with their life than non-volunteers.

Are you shy? Want to meet new people but hate walking into networking events alone? Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and work on your social skills in an environment with little pressure. Don’t know what to say to your new contacts? Simple. You can just focus on the task at hand until you get to know everyone a bit better. After some time, progressing to drinks at the pub or dinner after work will seem natural.

2. It’s Great for Your Mental Health

If volunteering keeps people connected, then it stands to reason that volunteering – and the relationships it fosters – can also help to improve mental health by combatting loneliness and depression. Having good friends and strong social contacts are buffers against depression – allowing people to talk through issues and problems before they become overwhelming.

Not only that, but our brains are wired for social connection, so whenever we help others our brain releases pleasure hormones– further strengthening our mental health. Those meaningful connections can also lead to more empathy, which lead to more stress relief and help combat depression. Research from the UK found that volunteering was associated with a positive change in mental wellbeing, showing that people who volunteer become happier over time and those who volunteer more attract greater benefits from the experience. According to a Harvard study, volunteering at least once a week yields improvements to wellbeing equivalent to your annual salary doubling!

Additionally, being helpful stimulates pleasure for the giver. Similar to when we experience awe, volunteering takes your focus away from self-reflection and helps to stimulate contentment and inspiration. In the Journal of Happiness Studies, researchers Douglas A. Gentile, Dawn M. Sweet and Lanmiao He found that doing good deeds through acts of charity or volunteer work can make you feel better and happier. They also found that simply wishing someone well can have a similarly positive effect on our moods. In fact, even witnessing acts of kindness produces oxytocin, which aids in lowering blood pressure, and improves self-esteem, optimism and our overall heart-health.

A 2018 study on workers in a Spanish Company saw those giving out acts of kindness were even happier and more content than those who received the acts. “Our results reveal that practicing everyday pro-sociality is both emotionally reinforcing and contagious inspiring kindness and generating hedonic rewards in others,” said researchers, J. Chancellor, S. Margolis, K, Jacobs Bao, S. Lyubomirsky in the American Psychological Association Journal.

3. It’s Great for Your Physical Health

As many of us have noticed over the past few years, just getting out of the house is important for meeting the minimum movement levels we need to maintain a basic level of physical fitness…. Yet sometimes it’s just easier to sit on the couch. Having something to do and get us out of the house – such as a regular volunteering commitment – is a great way to ensure you get some movement into your days.

We know that getting more movement and exercise into our daily lives helps to combat a raft of diseases and conditions. Movement, and volunteering in general, has also been shown help lessens symptoms of chronic pain and reduces risk of heart disease. For retirees, the results of regular volunteering are even more pronounced, with studies showing regular volunteering yields improvements in blood pressure and chronic pain, and reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

In 2017, researchers looked at data on volunteering, employment and health of more than 40,000 European citizens. They found that volunteers are as healthy as non-volunteers who are five years younger. The researchers controlled for other determinants of health (gender, age, education level, migrant status, religiosity and country of origin) and found that volunteers were still in substantially better health than non-volunteers.

Although the researchers found that increases in health could be partly explained by higher income among volunteers (which could be explained by the benefits of volunteering on job prospects), they note that the direct association between volunteering and health was so highly statistically significant that it ruled out association by coincidence. Volunteering conclusively and positively impact our health.

“Firstly, volunteering may improve access to psychological resources (such as self-esteem and self-efficacy) and social resources (such as social integration and access to support and information), both of which are found to have an overall positive effect on health,” said professor Sara Willems. “Secondly, volunteering increases physical and cognitive activity, which protects against functional decline and dementia in old age. Finally, neuroscience research has related volunteering to the release of the caregiving-related hormones oxytocin and progesterone, which have the capacity to regulate stress and inflammation.”

4. It Can Help Your Career

Want to switch careers or industries, or build new skills for your next promotion? Think of volunteering as an unpaid internship, with all the benefits of gaining valuable skills while only working when it suits you. There are many organisations that will take eager, hard workers with little to no experience, or which are willing to take a bet on a worker who brings transferable skills from a different industry.

Volunteering in a busy environment can enhance your problem-solving and communication skills. This can prepare you for a more demanding career or give you a glimpse of the realities of different role before you take the plunge.

Volunteering can help you earn more experience and direct job skills that are relevant to the career you want to pursue. In fact, some volunteering opportunities are designed to offer intensive training to volunteers. In some cases, if you show determination and consistent results, you might earn a referral or a direct job posting. If you are an active job seeker, volunteering can add that much-needed weight to your CV. Finally, it helps you make connections and meet more people in the same field. This exposure increases your chances of finding a mentor who can shape your career faster or a potential new boss. Career fulfillment is a huge source of meaning, purpose and life satisfaction – especially in the modern competitive job market – so any attempts to bring you closer to a job you’re passionate about are well worth the effort!

Finally, the research showed that volunteers have a higher incomes. According to professor Stijn Baert: “This finding corroborates with previous research showing that volunteering activities on one’s CV yield higher employment opportunities, especially for non-natives.”

Volunteer Opportunities

It’s clear that volunteering involves more than meets the eye. All of the benefits discussed here culminate in an increased level of happiness in oneself and more satisfaction in life. So, how do you get started?

If you’re already working for a large corporate, many of them have partnerships where you can donate your time and skills. Otherwise, just get onto Google. There are many organisations and charities that are often on the lookout for volunteers. Why not look for opportunities to:

Mentor someone
Donate blood
Get involved in a charity day at your work such as Australia’s biggest morning tea or join in a fundraising walk or cycle, or grow a mo for Movember
Find an organisation you believe in or support and offer your time and skills on a regular and recurring basis

If you’re in Australia, check out your state-based organisation or NSW Volunteering for more ideas and active volunteer jobs listings. Or you can try my latest favourite organisation: The Australian Resilience Corps.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources! 

How to Live a Psychologically Rich Life

17/11/2021 by Marie

What is a Psychologically Rich Life?

We talk a lot about happiness and how to achieve it on this site, but if there is one thing I have learned in my exploration of happiness, it’s that achieving happiness is extremely subjective. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else. But, the journey of finding what works can be more fun, bring more joy and lead to greater self-discovery than finding the right happiness habits on day one.

So, I always love finding a new theory or way of looking at the pursuit of happiness, and this week I discovered the work of University of Virginia psychologist, Shigehiro Oishi, who defines happiness and wellbeing as a ‘psychologically rich life.’ 

According to Oishi, a psychologically rich life is characterised by variety, depth, and interest. It is a life without boredom, and full of novel experiences. As someone who gets bored far too easily, this kind of happiness appeals to me!

What’s interesting about this theory is that ‘novel’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘pleasant’ experiences. In fact, the research shows that experiencing things that push our limits or push us out of our comfort zone can be extremely beneficial to our mental health, often resulting in great feelings of accomplishment, gratitude or personal growth.

Recent research into understanding good stress verses bad stress back up this idea. For example, University of Rochester psychologists found that re-evaluating how you perceive stress can positively impact your mental health, general wellbeing, and success. Their study, which was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that training students to treat their stress response as a useful tool helped them to reduce anxiety. The shift in perception also helped them get better marks on tests, procrastinate less, stay enrolled in classes, and respond to academic challenges in a healthier way. The study builds on his earlier research on optimising stress responses.

Psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman agrees. “The psychologically rich life is full of complex mental engagement, a wide range of intense and deep emotions, and diverse, novel, surprising and interesting experiences. Sometimes the experiences are pleasant, sometimes they are meaningful, and sometimes they are neither pleasant nor meaningful. However, they are rarely boring or monotonous,” says Kaufman, who describes himself as a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist exploring the mind, creativity, and the depths of human potential.

“Recent research on psychological richness has found that it is related to, but partially distinct from, both happy and meaningful lives. Psychological richness is much more strongly correlated with curiosity, openness to experience and experiencing both positive and negative emotions more intensely,” says Kaufman in a recent article the Scientific American.

Dr Kaufman talks about the psychologically rich life as including:

Deep emotions
Diverse experiences
Novel experiences
Surprising experiences, and
Interesting experiences.

So how do you know if you’re living a psychologically rich life or just a ho-hum, comfortable life? Well, Oishi has a simple test for that.

Take the Test! Are you living a Psychologically Rich Life?

In their research, Oishi’s team poses questions to measure a person’s level of psychological richness, or propensity toward novel experiences. So, if you’re up for it, it’s time to do some soul-searching and see how you rate the below statements. Grab a pen and paper and write down the answers on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) and see how you go. What you do with your final score is up to you.

I have had a lot of novel experiences.
My life has been full of unique, unusual experiences.
My life consists of rich, intense moments.
I experience a full range of emotions via first-hand experiences such as travel and attending concerts.

I have a lot of personal stories to tell others.
On my deathbed, I am likely to say ‘‘I had an interesting life.”
On my deathbed, I am likely to say ‘‘I have seen and learned a lot.”

How to Live a more Psychologically Rich Life

If your above answers leave a little to be desired, there is so much you can do to get your life back on track. Here are three ways to challenge yourself that are also proven to positively impact your mental health.

Travel somewhere new: People dreaming of travel post-COVID-19 now have some scientific data to support their wanderlust. A new study shows frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all.

Do an online course: A study found that participants in online psychology courses saw increases in well-being from their baseline measures. If these classes have long-term benefits, they could become reliable public health interventions.

Find Your Purpose or Pleasure: (Psychology Today). Some argue that a sense of purpose is the key to healthy aging; others maintain that fun is more important. Research bolsters the idea that purpose is highly beneficial as we age, but some research also points to pleasure as essential for healthy mood. Creatively combining pleasure and purpose in these 7 ways might yield the best results.

If none of those ideas takes your fancy, then take a look at this fab article I found called “30 fun things to do if your summer holiday has been cancelled” for some inspiration for fun things to do.  

Please note that I get a small commission if you buy something from my site. Your support helps to keep this site going at no additional cost to you. Thanks!

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

Coronavirus: Tiny Moments of Pleasure Really can Help us Through this Stressful Time

10/11/2021 by Marie

Desirée Kozlowski, Southern Cross University

If I told you that last night I built a blanket fort in the living room, crawled inside with my cat, a glass of wine and my just-arrived copy of the New Yorker, would you think less of me?

After all, we’re in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic. Borders are closing, people are sick, dying, losing their jobs, and locked in isolation. And there was I, playing – as though I didn’t have a care in the world.

Meanwhile, you might be reading this holed up at home, screaming with fury at those bloody hoarders. Or perhaps you’re on a train valiantly trying to keep 1.5 metres away from the next person, shrinking back as they cough and splutter.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you think about the pandemic, the economy, or your compatriots, a tiny part of you knows you could do with a bit of pleasure right now.

The Effects of Sustained Stress

When we’re first exposed to something stressful, like a deadly new disease, our body reacts with a cascade of small changes such as releasing adrenaline and other chemicals, and activating brain regions related to fear and anger.

In many cases those changes make it more likely we’ll meet the challenges we face.

But if the stressful conditions continue, and especially if we feel powerless to fix the situation, the consequences of the stress response increase.

Our risk of chronic diseases increases, immune function can be compromised, and we become more vulnerable to mental health problems.

We can feel depleted, disconnected, anxious and depressed. We can become fixated on negative thoughts and on looking for signs of threat. Sound familiar?

The good news is the effects of stress on the brain are reversible.

Pleasure in Times of Stress

It may seem too simple to be true but shifting our attention toward the small, everyday pleasures in our lives can offset the consequences of stress or negative events.

US researchers reported last year that experiencing pleasurable emotions, for example having interesting things to do, serves as a buffer between chronic stress and depression. So, among people with sustained, high levels of stress, those who reported more pleasurable moments were likely to experience less severe depressive symptoms.

Pleasurable experiences might even be of most benefit in times of stress.

We experience pleasure in a myriad ways. Perhaps one of the most potent of pleasures, and one that springs most easily to mind, is a lover’s caress.

But to maximise the pleasure in every day, we should look more widely, to a multitude of sources.

If we’re too busy reading those alarming headlines to notice the beauty of the sun setting outside our window though, it’s a missed opportunity for a moment of delight.

When I recently asked people on Twitter to share the things bringing them delight in these challenging times, I received hundreds of replies within a couple of hours.

Each one was a small vignette conveying a personal moment of simple pleasure. Gardens and dogs and children and nature featured strongly, and many people reflected on the added pleasure of recalling such moments.

Indeed, recollection and anticipation – along with relishing pleasure in the moment – are effective ways to maximise the value of positive experiences or emotions. We call it “savouring”.

Luckily, we can get better at savouring with practice. And the more we savour, the less stressed we feel. And that’s why I’m here.

If we increase the pleasure we experience, it can lift our psychological well-being. In turn, higher well-being is linked to better immune function.

It’s About Boosting our Personal Capacity

My message is not to avoid the facts or pretend nothing has changed. It’s to intentionally build in moments of reprieve and restoration. It’s to turn your attention to what is still good and rich and fun – to really focus on those things.

This is how we can harness the protective power of small pleasures, for the sake of delight itself and to build grit and resilience.

So, there may never have been a better time to build a blanket fort, or to bring out a game of Twister, or to lie on your back in the garden making fantasy creatures out of passing clouds. Find excuses to giggle.

Making Pleasure Happen

In difficult, frightening times, no one is immune to worry; it’s a natural response. But what we can do is take steps to protect ourselves, as much as possible, from its physical and psychological ill-effects.

The challenge is to make this happen, to tear yourself away from analysing the COVID-19 curve and intentionally, systematically engineer more small delights into your day.

Do you like the sunshine? Then know when the sun falls on your balcony, in your garden or in the street near your place. Take a cup of tea or coffee with you and soak up the warmth.

Pets? Run, play, be silly with them. Eating a tomato? Plant the seeds and watch something grow, from nothing, because of you. Sing. Dance. Delight someone with an act of kindness.

Plan your opportunities for pleasure. Put them in your diary. Set your alarm for them. Commit to share them with others. Photograph them. Post them on social media or share them directly with friends and family. Anticipate them gleefully and reflect on them with delight. This is our time to be here. Savour.

Desirée Kozlowski, Lecturer, Psychology, Southern Cross University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

Covid Burnout and Why You Need a Holiday Pronto (E92)

08/11/2021 by Marie

Happiness for Cynics podcast

This week, Marie and Pete talk about Covid burnout, how it may be affecting you and why you need a holiday pronto.

Show notes

What does Covid burnout look like? – Sourced from Covid Fatigue and Burnout: How to Cope (healthline.com)

Feeling cynical and emotionally exhausted. Two of the most common burnout symptoms are feeling emotionally drained and cynical about the world around you. Researchers have observed these symptoms in people who have worked in demanding environments during the pandemic.
Being less effective on the job. Burnout happens when you’ve run out of personal resources. Self-doubt creeps in and, over time, you may not be able to pay as much attention to work tasks. Researchers have noticed that some people with pandemic-related burnout begin feeling like a failure at work.
Having a deep sense of anxiety about the future. Your anxiety may be related to your own future or the future of your community and the wider world. Researchers think this anxiety comes from the fact that you can’t predict when the pandemic will end. When things are unpredictable, people often feel they have no control over their lives.
Being less willingness to comply with health guidelines. As the pandemic drags on, more people are tiring of restrictions such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Growing tired of inconvenient public safety measures may be natural, but experts say it could prolong the pandemic even further.

Transcript

[Happy intro music -background]

M: Welcome to happiness for cynics and thanks for joining us as we explore all the things I wish I’d known earlier in life but didn’t.

P: This podcast is about how to live the good life. Whether we’re talking about a new study or the latest news or eastern philosophy, our show is all about discovering what makes people happy.

M: So, if you’re like me and you want more out of life, listen in and more importantly, buy in because I guarantee if you do, the science of happiness can change your life.

P: Plus, sometimes I think we’re kind of funny.

[Intro music fadeout]

P: And we’re back.

M: We’re back.

P: Here we are. Glad to see you all again. See you? See you? We’re seeing you. Laugh.

M: We’re seeing you?

P: Yeah, we’re seeing you today. We’re exploring our auras. We’re seeing the world.

M: Nice to see you and be seen.

P: Laugh, yeah. Ok, that’s nice.

M: Yes. How you doing?

P: Really!? Been a bad week, laugh. I’ve hit saturation point, I think.

M: Okay. Too much going on?

P: Either that or I’ve hit the point where I know that it’s the end or I know that it’s close to the end.

M: Mmm.

P: And so, I’m a big believer in The Body Keeps the Score [by Dr Bessel van der Kold M.D.]

M: Yeah.

P: Which is a very good book. The body lets you know when you’ve had enough, and it will hold off if you tell it to but it will hit you in the backside, laugh!

M: But then you crack.

P: Laugh, yep.

M: And just when you take holidays you get a cold.

P: Yeah, because you’ve turned off.

M: Laugh.

P: So, I kind of have hit this week going, ‘Oh, the end is in sight and I’m up to date with everything I can actually take a little bit of a load off.’

M: Laugh.

P: Oh dear, there goes my back and there goes my face, and you know, I was all weepy eyed.

M: There goes your face?

P: Yeah, I had a bad face day on Sunday. I was out for lunch and my, my eyes just wouldn’t stop weeping.

M: Aww.

P: And my right eye started to actually close in on me.

M: I have a lazy eyelid. You have to look closely.

P: Laugh!

M: But when I get drunk! It’s out there for everyone to see.

P & M: Laugh.

P: Are you looking at me? Or around the corner?

M: Laugh, not a lazy eye. Just a lazy eyelid.

P & M: Laugh!

P: So, yeah, hitting the wall.

M: So, this is really topical, actually, because today we’re going to talk about covid burnout. We’ve spoken a bit about work burnout and World Health Organisation, a couple of years ago now, started talking about burnout as a medical condition.

P: Mmm.

M: But today we’re not talking about normal burnout. We’re talking about covid burnout.

P: How is that more specific?

M: So, the World Health Organisation defines, its pandemic fatigue so they define pandemic fatigue as being demotivated and exhausted with the demands of life during the covid crisis.

P: Hmm.

M: So, the World Health Organisation warns that this fatigue could ultimately lead to longer, more devastating pandemic. So how this plays out in real life is you know, at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were scared and unsure, we were willing to follow the rules, we chipped in and did the right thing.

P: Laugh, everyone was doing the right thing, yeah.

M: Yeah, we made, we made an effort to wear a mask even outside.

P: Yes.

M: Even when the rules were unclear.

P: Yes.

M: We kept our distance in supermarkets and followed those little stickers.

P: Laugh.

M: Just to make sure we were 1. 5 metres away.

P: Laugh.

M: And we went got our vaccines when they were made available to us in general. We even did that weird elbow bump thing for a while.

P: Ahh…

M: Did you ever do that?

P: No, I didn’t. I did the fist bump, but not the elbow bump.

M: Uh huh. We did that, because we wanted to follow the rules and chip in and do our part for society and for helping to end the pandemic.

P: True.

M: Now, over time, we’re not as fearful. We kind of know what to expect we’re more frustrated, right?

P: I agree with that. Yeah.

M: So, this has been going on for a really long time and to be quite frank we’re just tired of it all.

P: Hmm.

M: So, that’s when exhaustion and complacency set in. And that’s what we’re talking about when we talk about covid burnout.

P: Mmm. Would you be able to apply this to maybe other pandemics like the Spanish flu as well?

M: You can apply it to any negative long events. So, if anyone’s ever cared for someone who’s terminally ill –

P: Yes.

M: – for a particularly long period of time, you can burn out with that.

P: Yes. Yeah, totally.

M: If you have, perhaps been in a war situation. I mean, these are extremes, right?

P: Mmm.

M: War situation. You can be extremely resilient. Humans are so resilient.

P: Very much, yeah.

M: But there comes a point where you’re just, you’re just over it.

P: I think when the threat is removed, I think what whilst you’re in the threat, you’re going, you’re in fright or flight, you’re in sympathetic nervous system response.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: You are running from the lion, and humans can do that for a very long time.

M: For a certain amount of time. But, you know, if you go back to World War II, that was a number of years. So, 1939 to 1945. I’m guessing after two, three years of, you know, Anne Frank hiding in a tiny upstairs room, she would have hit the wall at some point and gone. ‘I’m done. Maybe I want to go outside’, right? So, whether or not she did, um, I don’t know. I don’t know enough about her story even though I’ve read the book.

P: Mmm.

M: But at some point, people sort of would take more risks. She might go downstairs and look out a window.

P: Yeah, yeah. That’s true.

M: Right? There just comes a point where you go, ‘Oh, is this really worth it?’ And without any foresight and knowing when a war might end or a pandemic, how the pandemic might end or what the future could look like, It’s really hard to make rational, proper decisions.

P: Now that’s an interesting thing to explore scientifically, I imagine. What our brain does –

M: Mmm hmm.

P: – after a sustained period of fear.

M: And not only the brain, but how it impacts you physically. And there are so many studies of kids that were born during the war.

P: Mmm.

M: Not only the mental health implications on the mother and how that translated in utero to the kids and their personalities and all the rest of it, but also the physical implications of high stress.

P: Yep.

M: To the person experiencing the stress, but also they pass it through in different ways to their kids.

P: Definitely, yeah. And those hormones have an effect on foetal development.

M: Yep.

P: And more importantly on brain development.

M: Yep, absolutely.

P: Certain parts of the brain develop quicker or lag.

M: Yep. And so many of us have been in that low level fright phase, not so much flight phase for the last 18 months, which is low levels of stress, really is what we’re talking about.

P: It is, but the stimulus for the sympathetic nervous system doesn’t differentiate between stress.

M: Yep.

P: So, we could be having a less stress or more stress but the hormonal release is the same. The access which is activated to the adrenal glands still fires. So, the body doesn’t necessarily go, ‘Oh, this is a 50% stress.’ It just goes, ‘It’s stress!’

M: Yep.

P: So, that in built reaction of the brain releasing hormones from the hypothalamus into the pituitary gland down to the adrenal cortex.

M: What does differ, though, is our reaction to that stress. And so, if it’s unmanageable, then we’ll go into anxiety, depression, etcetera and a lot of people around the world have. A lot of people have been dealing with that stress and coping with it. And this is where they’ve gone from, perhaps flourishing and dealing with good mental health and doing all the things they should to coming back to languishing in a way. And maybe we can look at what are some of the signs of this covid burnout. So, in a lot of ways, it’s very similar to normal work burnout and everyone is different.

P: Yes.

M: We read a great article from healthline talking about some of the symptoms, so things like feeling cynical and emotionally exhausted.

P: Mmm.

M: So, probably two of the most common burnout symptoms for all types of burnout is just being emotionally drained and starting to get a bit negative, just really not having that well of positivity and mental health to draw from.

P: Yeah. All of a sudden, the coffee that won’t taste right becomes a dramatic throw it against the wall kind of moment.

M: Yeah, and we’re observing a lot of that with frontline employees, your nurses and doctors who have been in it for a very long time, who started out really positive and gung ho.

P: Yep.

M: And we’re going to save as many people as we can. And now a lot of the discussion in our media is about, ‘I can’t believe they’re still not vaccinating. I’m done with this. I’m not staying in this profession.’ You know, they’ve really just had enough.

P: Mmm.

M: And they can’t see the forest for the trees. They need a holiday, really. Laugh.

P: Oh, yes.

M: They need a break from all of the stress.

P: Yeah, don’t we all get to that point sometimes where you just need –

M: You need a break.

P: – a moment to step away, yeah.

M: And no one can step away from Covid. So, that’s the catch here.

P: Yeah, you can’t escape it in a way, especially when it’s restricting your movements.

M: Yes.

P: And I’ve noticed that with a lot of my clients, the things that they’ve usually dealt with that have helped them deal with stress, they haven’t had access to.

M: Yeah, like going to the gym.

P: Yeah.

M: So, the second one is being less effective in your work. So again, burnout happens when you just run out of that well of energy and resilience.

P: Mmm.

M: And things like self-doubt start to creep in. You don’t pay as much attention to work tasks or your family and really, the negative emotions that come with that, that lack of satisfaction from doing a job, start to spiral.

P: Mmm. The self-doubt one is a big one, because that’s like a little wedge that gets inside the door, and it grows.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: It is like a cancer. It starts to spread, and so all of a sudden, you’re making rash decisions. You’re making emotional decisions.

M: Emotional, yes.

P: Not logical [decisions]. Or you’re not having that that calmness because you’re second guessing everything that you do.

M: Yep, and not only that, you’re then doing a worse job, which then reinforces that.

P: Mmm.

M: And the smallest suggestion or criticism or, you know, opportunity for improvement, otherwise known as a shit sandwich –

P: Laugh!

M: – from the boss. You get really defensive. You take it personally.

P: Yes, yeah.

M: You come home and have to vent. It gets blown out of proportion. It’s tough to get good perspective on what’s going on.

P: Mmm, mmm. I agree very much.

M: All right, so the third thing or symptom that you could be seeing if you’re experiencing Covid burnout is a sense of anxiety about the future, so heightened anxiety levels. So, that could be related to your future, whether you’re uncertain about your current job or going back out into society now that everything is opening up, your future for your community or your family or the world in general.

P: Mmm.

M: So, the anxiety comes from the fact that you can’t predict when things are going to end or how they’re going to turn out. You’ve got little control over what’s going to happen. So, again, having less resilience and having been on that heightened level of stress for such a long period of time. That’s taken away your resilience and taken away your, your stock. Your well.

P: Your well of well-being.

M: Yep, it means that you can start dwelling on this and going down that spiral and just being more anxious in general.

P: Mmm.

M: We’re seeing a lot of that as companies return to work.

P: The workspace?

M: Yeah, and they’re asking employees to come back in. And there are quite a few people who are just really unsure about going back into the office.

P: Mmm.

M: Getting on public transport, sitting in an office space where there’s recycled air all day. All of those things that are at higher risk for catching Covid.

P: Mmm. That’s the fear factor of it all, isn’t it?

M: Mmm hmm.

P: It’s playing into that fear. So, is it possible to remove that fear? Is that where, is that part of a? I’m probably jumping ahead of the gun here. We haven’t gotten to the fourth one yet.

M: Mmm hmm. Look, if you can predict the future, you can.

P: Laugh, well true. I guess it is about addressing those areas of control and addressing the areas of resilience and doing the work that we’ve talked about in many episodes about your mental health work and your homework and your emotional understanding.

M: Mmm hmm. And we’ll get to that in the next section.

P: Ok, sorry.

M: So, the last Covid burnout.

P: [whispers] I’m going to be quiet now I’m going to go over here.

M: Laugh, ok you go sit in the corner.

P: [whispers] I’ll go sit with the cat.

M & P: Laugh!

M: So, the last burnout symptom to keep an eye out for is being less willing to comply with health guidelines.

P: Oh! This is me!

M: It’s me, too. So, today. So, we still have in our building mandatory mask wearing in common areas. So, when you go through the lifts and lobbies and today, I had to run downstairs and pick something up from a friend and I went out the door, pressed the buzzer on the lift and went, ‘Oh, I don’t have my mask, I forgot my mask.’

P: He, he.

M: ‘Oh, well, I’ll be quick.’

P: Yeah.

M: Went down the lift, out the door. Don’t tell my building manager.

P: Laugh.

M: But you know, when this first began, I would have quickly run back into the house and got my mask. This is probably the first time I’ve gone, ‘Oh well’, and done it anyway.

P: It’s very common at the moment, though.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: I’m seeing a lot of people, and I’m a big, very guilty of this, I will take my mask off to walk down the street because I’m so sick of wearing it, laugh. And when it’s a beautiful sunny day, it’s like I just want to enjoy it. And if I’ve got my [mask]. When the Covid ban was still in and we were still being obliged to wear masks, I would walk away from people. If they were walking against me, I would maintain the 1.5 metre distance –

M: Mmm hmm.

P: – but I’d have the mask down, I must admit. It was just a sense of freedom for me.

M: Yep.

P: And it was that, I think what you’re saying here is right is that willingness to comply. My willingness is gone. It’s like, I’m over this. I don’t want to do this anymore. And, you know, we haven’t had a COVID case in that area yet, and I was like ‘Oh bugger it, I’m just going to walk down the street without my mask on and enjoy the sunshine.

M: Yep, yep.

P: But only in that one moment.

M: Yep. And everyone is getting to that point now.

P: Mmm.

M: To varying degrees, we’re just over it, just over it.

P: Yeah.

M: So, what that means for how far you’re willing to break the rules probably comes down to whether you’re naturally a rule breaker or whether you believe in rules? I imagine, if you’re a big bang theory person –

P: Laughter!

M: – Sheldon would still be wearing his mask, laugh.

P: He would be doing virtual presence.

M & P: Laugh!

M: Mmm hmm. So, what all this means is, we’ve spoken before about the difference between flourishing and languishing. And when we’re flourishing, we’re at our peak mental health. We’re not simply living life, but we’re loving life.

P: Yep.

M: What we’re talking about here is that a lot of us are coming from the top end where you find passion, energy, excitement, love, awe and hope.

P: Mmm.

M: And we’re moving into this languishing space, which is not the negative mental health space. It’s not depression, anxiety and a place where you really should be seeking professional help.

P: Yep.

M: It’s really well summed up as just ‘meh.’

P: Bleurgh. Yeah, right. Does that affect the people who are more used to being in that upper space a little bit more?

M: You would probably notice a difference more, but this is a phenomenon we’ve spoken about before, and I think Episode 70 we’ve talked about from languishing to flourishing.

P: Yes.

M: And so if you’re normally a ten on the scale or a nine and you’re now sitting at a six, that ‘meh’, you know, you’re not in the under five space where you really need to take action and there are serious consequences for not.

P: Yep.

M: You’re not in the ill health space.

P: Mmm hmm.

M: You’re just kind of going through the motions of life. You know, what a waste of your life in that space for too long.

P: Laugh, yeah. And that’s where the techniques that we talk about, I think can come in really, really advantageously. The first one that comes to mind for me is the physicality shaking off literally do a Tay Tay [Taylor Swift].

M: Laugh!

P: Go out running, running out into the world half naked, for example and just go “Aaaahh!!’

M: Legally.

P: Yeah, completely legally, where a sarong, do something crazy, wear a crazy hat put a wig on. Do something that’s going to shake yourself up physically and that’s enough sometimes to flip that switch and get just that little bit out of languishing I feel.

M: Yep, absolutely. So, let’s go into what we can do.

P: Oh, I did it again, didn’t I? Laugh.

M: How can you take action?

P: [whispers] I’ll go sit in my corner now.

M: Well, no. We’re in this section now.

P: Oh good! I’ll get out of my corner now, laugh.

M: So, the first step is to be aware. And just by listening to this podcast, you are at least starting to think about whether or not you’re struggling.

P: Yeah.

M: Whether you’re losing focus or energy. So, now that you are a little bit more aware of the dangers of Covid burnout. It’s a great idea to take a little bit of time to see whether the signs apply to you and look at how you’re tracking.

P: Mmm.

M: Secondly, as we said before, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unable to move forward, or if you have dropped into that mental ill health. So, if your anxiety levels are too high for you to manage or you think you’ve moved into depression, seek professional help.

P: Yes.

M: And then thirdly, I’m gonna say, work out. So, if you find you’ve been languishing, you might need a mental fitness plan to build up your mental strength.

P: Yeah.

M: And this is where Tay Tay comes in, Pete.

P: Laugh, yeah.

M: And many of the other things, I think for me the one thing that can really help to turn things around here is, book a holiday.

P: Yeah, and planning for the holiday is often enough to actually shake that, shake off those blues.

M: Mmm hmm.

P: It gives you focus. It gives you a goal to work towards. It’s got so many positives in it, and a holiday doesn’t have to be overseas, it can be up the coast for an hour.

M: Yep, absolutely. Not only that, but research also shows that planning future travel boosts mood and mindset. But also, when you do get there, get out and get some sun and do some walking and see nature. All of those things that we have talked about that bring positive mental impacts.

P: Yeah.

M: So, the next thing that I would recommend is, why not start taking a daily walk? Get outside regularly.

P: Mmm.

M: You can add, 10 minutes only. If you’ve only got 10 minutes.

P: Mmm.

M: Really good way to turn your mental health around and to start building that mental fitness.

P: And it’s good for your brain. The physical activity has so many benefits for brain activity and accessing positive emotions.

M: Yep, do you have any more recommendations? I’ve got one more before we wrap up.

P: I still think running around in a sarong this with the crazy wig on does it for me.

M: Laugh. Wig, ooh.

P: Yeah, I put a wig on. I’ve got a unicorn hat that I could use.

M: Laugh, I wonder who bought you that!

P: Laughter!

M: All right, well, lastly, then one that we don’t talk about enough, but which is so powerful is to practise love and kindness.

P: [soft sigh] Aahhh.

M: Yeah, so research shows that helping others through acts of charity or volunteer work can make you feel better and happier.

P: Mmm.

M: But more recent research finds that simply wishing someone well can have a similarly positive effect on our moods. So, really easy task for you to take from today is if you just kind of feeling a bit ‘meh’, put into your diary once a week to send a note, could be a text message, it could be an email, or you could pick up the phone and send someone a note to wish them well and let them know you’re thinking about them.

P: Mmm, I’ve got a good one for that too. Make a cake.

M: I love it.

P: Give it to your neighbours.

M: There’s two things there. So, the mindfulness of baking, which is a whole other episode.

P: Laugh. I think we just came up with another episode title.

M: And then giving it away as well and doing something nice for others.

P: Yep, and it doesn’t need to be the next-door neighbour, it can be the old lady down the street constantly telling you to put your bin inside the garage.

M: Tsk, tsk, tsk. Pete.

P: Laugh. Take her a few muffins. No, she likes me because I cleaned up the back alley garden.

M: Aww.

P: Jennifer, I know you’re not listening, but I love you.

M: Aww.

P: She has been my neighbour for 12 years.

M: Alright.

P: And now she talks to me all the time, laugh.

M: So, on that note, we might finish up for this week and hopefully, you are not feeling the effects of Covid burnout. But if so, hopefully you can take some ideas to help move you forward and take you from languishing back up to flourishing.

P: Oh! I want to do a pirouette.

M: But we won’t, so good night, laugh.

P: [whispers] I’ll go back in my corner.

M: We’re not doing TV, Pete.

P: Oh, damnit. Laugh! Have a happy week.

M: Let’s just say you did.

P & M: Laugh.

P: Bye.

[Happy exit music – background]

P: And if you like our little show, we would absolutely love for you to leave a comment or rating to help us out.

M: Until next time.

M & P: Choose happiness.

[Exit music fadeout]

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11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier

27/10/2021 by Marie

What’s the link between taking a walk and your happiness?

Recently, I hurt my back and I admit it negatively impacted my mental health and resilience. Aside from the ongoing pain and interrupted sleep, I also wasn’t able to exercise, and I found myself spending a lot of time laying down on the couch.

There are definitely worse things than binge watching cool shows. And the irony here is that this behaviour is also what I would consider my go-to for a lazy Sunday afternoon of self-care. It’s also very similar to how I’ve spent many hours over the last 18-months since Covid hit… but for some reason, this time, it really impacted my mood…

… until I started walking.

Now, hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s funny when you look back on the things you know you should, but don’t, do. I’ve done so much research into the mental health benefits of simply taking for a walk – which I was quite able to do despite my back pain — yet I didn’t do it.

Until I did. I started out with a quick walk around the block for 10 minutes at lunchtime. That turned into a 30-minute walk the next day, which developed into a 30-minute walk every day. And it makes me feel great. Not only that, but the movement started to help my back recover, rather than hurt it – win-win!

So, here I am to say, even people who live and breathe all this positive psychology stuff (the converts) get it wrong sometimes. And, as a reminder to me, and maybe to you, in this article, I’m going to refresh my memory and explore eleven studies that show why taking a walk will make you happier.

Read on!

11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier

1 Being around birds linked to higher happiness levels (World Economic Forum). Greater bird biodiversity can make people more joyful, according to a study published in Ecological Economics. The happiest Europeans are those who see the most bird species in their day-to-day life. 

2 Street trees have a positive effect of on mental health. Daily contact with trees in the street may significantly reduce the risk of depression and the need for antidepressants, according to research by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academic.

3 Heading outdoors keeps lockdown blues at bay. A study found that spending time outdoors and switching off devices, such as smartphones, was associated with higher levels of happiness during periods of COVID-19 restrictions.

4 Pick up the pace and get your heart pumping. Researchers are stressing the important links between your mental health and heart health. And they’re calling on clinicians to screen and address mental health when seeking to treat heart conditions.

5 Take your lunchbreak and get outside in the sun. A recent study shows that spending time by the sea makes people happier. It also showed that just being outdoors makes you happier — preferably in a non-urban environment, but hey, we’ll take what we can get! 

6 Boost your immune system by walking around trees. Not only does being around trees increase our mental wellbeing, it also has a positive impact on our immune system! Who knew? 

7 Take an awe walk. Studies show that experiencing moments of awe makes us more generous and patient, and helps you deal with stress better. If you feel a need to get out of your head, go take in that vista, take a hike, get into nature, or whatever helps you find your awe—it just might help.

8 Take a moment to look at nature: On your way to work? Popping into the shops? Wherever you are, be sure to stop and smell the roses, or at least notice them. Research says that observing nature — wherever you may be — will make you feel happier. 

9 Be Active: A study that examined data from almost 34,000 people has found that as little as one-hour of exercise per week, regardless of intensity, can help to prevent depression. So, get out there and something, anything, for just an hour and you can reap the benefits!

10 Take a happy stroll: Researchers have found that simply going for a leisurely walk can improve mood and boost subjective well-being, particularly for adults who are normally sedentary. 

11 Get out!: No really, get outside! The findings are in - the more green-space in the neighbourhood, the happier people report feeling. Quite simply, if you want to feel better, just go outside. 

Finally, for those of you who can’t currently go for a walk, or even get off the couch or out of bed, or for those who just need to switch off for a bit and zone out in front of the TV, don’t feel bad at all, this recent study shows that watching TV in lockdown was beneficial for people. While going for a walk, exercising, sleeping well and investing in relationships have all been shown to positively impact mental health, this latest research shows it doesn’t hold true that watching TV is always bad for our mental wellbeing. As with all things, if we go about it the right way – in moderation – you can find your happy place while sitting on the couch too.

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Eating Fruits and Veggies Actually Makes You Happier!

29/09/2021 by Marie

Eating Fruits And Veggies Makes You Happier

For our entire lives, organisations and people – from the World Health Organization to our mums – have told us we need to eat plenty of fruit and veggies and get exercise. So, it comes as no surprise that a new study has again found that fruits and veggies are good for our physical health.

However, what might be news to you (well it was news to me!) is that eating fruits and veggies and getting exercise also make you happier with your life! Simply, they have positive mental health impacts too.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, has found that fruit and vegetable consumption and sports activity increase life satisfaction. The study looked at UK Understanding Society Data, which covers 40,000 UK households over time. Though the impacts varied for men and women, the results were positive and significant across income groups, gender, education, age groups and rural or urban dwelling.

It’s fair to say that we’ve known for a while that eating well and doing exercise is good for us, and researchers have long known that there’s a positive correlation between lifestyle and wellbeing but showing a causal effect had not been proven until this latest study. “One of the problems with such an analysis is the potential for reverse causality, which is rife in all studies of life satisfaction. In particular, it is possible that those who have better lifestyles may have greater life satisfaction, but it is also possible that those who are more satisfied with their lives will adopt better life styles,” they write in their report.

This first of its kind research aimed to unpack the causation of how happiness, the consumption of fruit and vegetables and exercising are related – with researchers using an instrumental variable approach to filter out any effect from happiness to lifestyle.

Their conclusions? Eating fruit and veggies and exercising make people happy and not the other way round.

How Did They do it?

The researchers focused specifically on the ability of individuals to delay gratification and focus on the long-term benefits of lifestyle decisions.

“These instruments are particularly appropriate because the consumption of F&V and sports activity are often undertaken as investments in a healthier future rather than because they bring immediate pleasure. This implies that individuals who have the ability to delay gratification are better able to make these investments,” the researchers write.

As a result, the study found that the ability to delay gratification is a good instrument for these two lifestyle variables. They controlled for any direct effect that delayed gratification may have on life satisfaction, and the results show clearly that investments in a physically healthy future (eating fruits and veggies and sports activity) are very effective in improving subjective wellbeing.

So, How Much is Enough?

A similar study in 2014 at the University of Queensland found that eating eight or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day can improve mental health. In the study of more than 12,000 Australian adults, researcher Dr Redzo Mujcic found participants were at their happiest when they ate five portions of fruit and four portions of vegetables each day.

“The results showed that the optimal consumption bundle is around four serves of fruit and four serves of vegetables a day for most well-being measures, and that less than 25 per cent of Australian adults consume this quantity,” he said.

So what’s the overall verdict? Consuming more fruits and vegetables may not only benefit your physical health in the long-run, but also your mental well-being right now.

mentalhealth

What Are The 7 Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays?

Top Happiness Ted Talks to Watch These Holidays

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Happiness for Cynics

Transcript

Expecting the Best, Feeling Worse

Valuing Happiness vs. Prioritising Positivity

What Makes Positivity Toxic?

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Happiness for Cynics podcast

Show notes

Transcript

What’s the Link Between Volunteering and Happiness?

4 Ways Volunteering Make us Happier

1. It Connects you with Other People

2. It’s Great for Your Mental Health

3. It’s Great for Your Physical Health

4. It Can Help Your Career

Volunteer Opportunities

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What is a Psychologically Rich Life?

Take the Test! Are you living a Psychologically Rich Life?

How to Live a more Psychologically Rich Life

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The Effects of Sustained Stress

Pleasure in Times of Stress

It’s About Boosting our Personal Capacity

Making Pleasure Happen

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Happiness for Cynics podcast

Show notes

What does Covid burnout look like? – Sourced from Covid Fatigue and Burnout: How to Cope (healthline.com)

Transcript

M: So, the first step is to be aware. And just by listening to this podcast, you are at least starting to think about whether or not you’re struggling.

M: Secondly, as we said before, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unable to move forward, or if you have dropped into that mental ill health. So, if your anxiety levels are too high for you to manage or you think you’ve moved into depression, seek professional help.

M: And then thirdly, I’m gonna say, work out. So, if you find you’ve been languishing, you might need a mental fitness plan to build up your mental strength.

M: So, the next thing that I would recommend is, why not start taking a daily walk? Get outside regularly.

M: All right, well, lastly, then one that we don’t talk about enough, but which is so powerful is to practise love and kindness.

P: Mmm, I’ve got a good one for that too. Make a cake.

What’s the link between taking a walk and your happiness?

11 Studies That Show Taking a Walk Will Make You Happier

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

How Did They do it?

So, How Much is Enough?

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About Marie

Podcast: Happiness for Cynics

Book: Self-care is church for non-believers

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources! 

Want to learn more about the science of happiness? Make sure to subscribe to my podcast Happiness for Cynics and my email newsletter for regular updates & resilience resources!