The Power of Happiness

I found this article excerpt on the BBC site today. It's written by Mike Rudin who produced a series that ran a few years back called "The Happiness Formula". What's so interesting is that scientists are now figuring out that happiness can actually be measured. Yaaah!!! I'm delighted to hear the field of psychology is catching up to the metaphysical world and putting some emphasis on the light in humanity. This article is especially for my left-brain-gifted clients (you know who you are;-)...

Enjoy!


Power of happiness
Happiness seems to have almost magical properties.

We have not got proof, but the science suggests it leads to long life, health, resilience and good performance. Scientists work by comparing people's reported happiness and a host of other factors such as age, sex, marital status, religion, health, income, unemployment and so on.
In survey after survey involving huge groups of people, significant correlations between happiness and some other factors are repeated.

At the moment scientists cannot prove causation, whether for example people are healthy because they are happy, or whether people are happy because they are healthy.
However, psychologists have been able to identify some very strong links.

According to Professor Diener the evidence suggests that happy people live longer than depressed people. "In one study, the difference was nine years between the happiest group and the unhappiest group, so that's a huge effect."

"Cigarette smoking can knock a few years off your life, three years, if you really smoke a lot, six years."

"So nine years for happiness is a huge effect."

Richer but no happier
Happiness researchers have been monitoring people's life satisfaction for decades.

Yet despite all the massive increase in our wealth in the last 50 years our levels of happiness have not increased. "Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly," said Professor Daniel Kahneman of the University of Princeton.

"There is a lot of evidence that being richer... isn't making us happier"

The research suggests that richer countries do tend to be happier than poor ones, but once you have a home, food and clothes, then extra money does not seem to make people much happier. It seems that that level is after average incomes in a country top about £10,000 a year.

Scientists think they know the reason why we do not feel happier despite all the extra money and material things we can buy. First, it is thought we adapt to pleasure. We go for things which give us short bursts of pleasure whether it is a chocolate bar or buying a new car.
But it quickly wears off.

Secondly, it is thought that we tend to see our life as judged against other people.
We compare our lot against others. Richer people do get happier when they compare themselves against poorer people, but poorer people are less happy if they compare up.
The good news is that we can choose how much and who we compare ourselves with and about what, and researchers suggest we adapt less quickly to more meaningful things such as friendship and life goals.

What makes us happy?
According to psychologist Professor Ed Diener there is no one key to happiness but a set of ingredients that are vital.

First, family and friends are crucial - the wider and deeper the relationships with those around you the better. It is even suggested that friendship can ward off germs. Our brains control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible for disease. Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship and happiness can have a protective effect.
According to happiness research, friendship has a much bigger effect on average on happiness than a typical person's income itself.

One economist, Professor Oswald at Warwick University, has a formula to work out how much extra cash we would need to make up for not having friends. The answer is £50,000.
Marriage also seems to be very important. According to research the effect of marriage adds an average seven years to the life of a man and something like four for a woman.

The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a philosophy of life.

The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values that you're working for, but also that you find enjoyable. Psychologists argue that we need to find fulfilment through having goals that are interesting to work on and which use our strengths and abilities.

Unhappiness
However, there are also many things we experience in life that can produce lasting unhappiness.

Professor Ed Diener identifies two key events which can have lasting effects.
After the loss of a spouse it can take several years to regain the previous level of well-being.
The loss of a job can affect a person for years even they are back to work.

So if you are born grumpy are you always going to be grumpy?

The question of whether we can actually use our knowledge of what makes us happy to lift our levels of happiness permanently is hotly debated by psychologists. According to the positive psychologist Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania it is possible to lift our biological set range of happiness, at least to some extent if we work at it.

"The best you can do with positive emotion is you can get people to live at the top of their set range. So I think you've got about 10 to 15% leverage but you can't take a grouch and make him giggle all the time."

You can check out Dr. Seligman's website at http://www.authentichappiness.com/.

5 Minute Super-Charger Workout

This is an amazing five-minute, high-energy, growth-hormone-building workout to throw into a busy day when you can't get to the gym. Be careful, though, Todd makes it look easy! Depending on your fitness level, you may need to ease into these.


On the second half of the video, he shares a post workout shake called "Chocolate Bliss" with organic superfoods. I make my own version that's SUPER-yummy!! A smoothie machine or standard blender will do. Throw in:

~1/2-1 cup coconut milk (lots of vitamins, potassium, chloride, plus lauric acid found in mothers' milk)
~1 cup almond, rice or soya milk
~2 tbs. raw cacao powder (Green & Black's organic is good)
~1 tbs. spirulina powder (one of the world's best superfoods!)
~banana (if you prefer your shake creamier)
~several raw dates, OR 1 tbs. raw sweetner, such as blackstrap molasses or agave syrup if diabetic (from local health shop)
~ice
~1 cup fresh water


Not only is this shake very nutritious and hydrating, you'll swear you're cheating!


Here's the workout link...remember, go easy your first day and ENJOY! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUnpgAaRO8&feature=related

Take the Vow of Emotional Independence

When you have emotional independence, you want for nothing because you have everything. ~Debbie Ford

This comes directly from www.debbieford.com. Will you join me in taking the vow?

"Today is the day to join me and millions of others in taking a vow of emotional independence. Emotional independence will give you the freedom to love and be loved, to give freely and to receive abundantly, to expand rather than contract, to move forward rather than stay stuck, to live in joy rather than misery, to be in control rather than to be controlled, and to be nourished by faith rather than diminished by fear. Take the vow now."

The Vow of Emotional Independence

This vow's proclamation says I, ______ ________, will no longer be bound by the slavery of my past.I will never again give my power away to some food, substance or disempowering craving.

I will stop allowing others to define who I am and I will stand for my highest expression. I will stop trying to please others and instead please myself.

I will stop listening to the voice of my critical internal mother and father and I will listen to the voice of my most supportive and loving self.

I will break free from the strangulating grip of my self-defeating behaviors and choose powerfully each and every moment to make choices that leave me feeling great about myself and my life.

I take this vow NOW as a positive stand for my soul's highest expression and for every man, woman, and child on this planet today. As I set myself free, I am freeing all others from the violence of my darkest thoughts and my negative projections.

And now, as I close my eyes, I ask all the powers that be to support me in living this vow each and every moment of each and every day. And it shall be.

Ahhh, freedom...nothing compares!