I consciously recall this satisfying moment – reaching the top of Mount Kearsarge on Dec. 15, 2012, with four dear friends. My idea was to climb the mountain the number of times of my age in one year, and I did it for the 52nd time that day. When I recall this memory, it gives me a boost. It makes me happy. This phenomenon has been empirically verified; it is called positive reminiscing.
For the past 25 years, researchers have studied what makes people happy and what they have learned can be summed up in four words – “Happiness is a muscle.” Just as going to the gym will make you more fit, and meditation will reduce your stress level, doing certain activities will make you happier overall.
When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, Martin Seligman, one of the foremost leaders in the field of positive psychology, proposed that “psychology be just as concerned with what is right with people as it is with what is wrong.” Positive psychology does not dispute the importance and validity of remediating human suffering through treatment, but rather complements it by studying what factors help people thrive.
Set point refers to people’s base level of happiness. (see pie chart). People’s overall happiness is affected by three major factors: genetics (50 percent), circumstances (10 percent), and intentional or volitional action (40 percent). To focus on the latter,
Here are just five of many proven ways to exercise your happiness muscle. Cultivate gratitude. In a journal, write down three things every day that you are grateful for. Put it by your bedside.
Practice being positive in an important relationship by expressing genuine admiration, appreciation and affection.
Hug people.
Develop resilience by finding and emphasizing the silver lining in your life experiences. When something unpleasant happens to you, feel the misery, and then ask yourself “what can I learn from this experience?”
Move. Minimum of 30 minutes 3-5 times per week. Walk, run, Zumba, ski, skip.
I ask you to think about something in your life that makes you happy. As soon as you can, go do it!
Author Betsy Black is a happy student and teacher of positive psychology. She can be reached at betsy@betsyblackconsulting.com. She’ll be teaching an eight-week class on Happiness is a Muscle at the Center for Health Promotion starting April 18.
Wellness resources:
Film showing of Happy, April 3 at Red River Theatres.
Assess your own level of happiness and to gauge it over time, take the “Authentic Happiness Inventory Questionnaire” authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx from the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky.
Happy by Tal Ben-Shahar.
