The Pursuit of HappinessDr. Brian Inbody

Association of Kansas Community College Occupational Professionals Convention

How to achieve higher morale and happier employeesMore productivity, less missed time, less

turnoverUnderstand the Science of HappinessCreating an environment to improve

happinessWays to utilize strategies to improve

happiness

HappinessFor centuries psychology studied depressionOnly very recently have they begun to study

happiness

What is happiness?What is it not correlated with:

Money (past a certain point)BeautyMaterialismYouthMarriage, KidsSituation (only moderately)

What is correlated with happiness?Happy people:

Devote a great deal of time to family and friendsExpress gratitude regularlyOffer help to others oftenAre optimistic about the futureSavor life’s pleasures and live in the momentExercise regularlyAre deeply committed to lifelong goals and “things

larger than themselves” such as religion or causesHave the same bad things happen to them as everyone

else, they just deal with them better using poise and strength

Two schools of thought about improving happinessIt’s genetic (naturally happy and grumpy

people)Our happiness is predeterminedWe all have a natural set-point of happiness that we

return to over time

“We can no more make ourselves happier in the long run than we can make ourselves taller.”

Two schools of thought about improving happinessOne can improve their happiness over time

Genetic50%

Situational10%

Behav-ioral40%

Happiness

“Life is pain, you just get used to it.”Hedonic adaptation

The bad feeling You leave a room and come back in and only then can

you smell a bad odorThe good feeling

The pleasure of a new car lasts only until that first payment

Because of hedonic adaptation we must continually do something to increase or decrease our happiness level past its “set point”

Lottery winner – “Happiness is hard work!”

Ways to negatively affect happinessLarge Events

Loss of Job (6 months or more)Loss of limb (3 years)Loss of Spouse (5-8 years)Happiness will return to set-point over time thanks to adaptationLarge negative events sometimes make people more happy over

time than if the negative event would not have happened to them (POWs, Paraplegics)

Small EventsTraffic jams, car won’t start, taking care of children, teenager

angstSmall events have a worse overall effect than large events

Worst of all is prolonged isolation on-going cumulative effect

Areas that happy people excel in that others don’tSeeking pleasure - lasts the least

amount of timeEngagement - always around people,

always want to help othersMeaning - involved in something larger

than themselves, part of a causeThey delude themselves - no kidding

They believe in themselves and in the world more than maybe they should – optimism is a must

Happiness is contagious!40+ year study of heart disease in one small

community also included information on moodResearchers found “viruses” of happiness that

traveled from person to person through their connections.

If your connection (friend or family member) is happy you have a 15% greater chance of being happy.

If a friend of a friend is happy you have a 10% greater chance of being happy and you don’t even have to know that person

It takes 4 degrees of separation (friend of a friend of a friend of a friend) before the happiness effect stops.

Happiness High?Studies have shown that happiness releases

dopamine in the brain Sometimes the same amount of dopamine as

cocaine doesMonks that can meditate on the concepts of

gratitude and compassion and release the dopamine. One in the study was a Ph.D. in Physics

Happiness by CountryOf the industrialized nations, the least happy

country on Earth is…

Unhappy PeopleJapanWork is much more important that family

thereKarōshi - a word for “working yourself to

death” and fundraisers to combat the problem

Happiest Country?

Happiest Country?DenmarkSocial ProgramsCommunal Living is popular

Can money buy happiness?Yes – until needs are met, then lowers

happiness as “money responsibilities” increase

If it is spent right – yes!Using your money to help people and causes

you care about actually adds to your long term happiness

Using your money to enhance your social interactions also increase happiness (vacations instead of blu-ray players)

Buying things adds to your happiness but only temporarily (remember hedonic adaptation?)

Ways to positively affect happinessGratitude journal

Once a week spend 20 minutes writing what you are grateful for

5 acts of kindness a week, especially on the same dayLasts 1-2 months

Write a letter and visit someone you are grateful to (Last 3-6 months)

Conduct happiness inventory on a regular basisAvoid Social ComparisonCommit to your goalsSee your work as a calling and not a job

Change your routineRoutine is comfortable, but gets boring The mind needs to make new connections to

stay freshChange things up – as simple as taking a new

route on your run or even driving a different way to work.

Flow!Flow is the moment when you can think of

nothing else but the task at hand or the situation you are immersed in

Also know as “In the Zone”Completely committing to what you are doing

at that moment.Put your dang cellphone away and live in the

moment

Creating an Atmosphere of Happiness at WorkTime off to contribute to the communityCampus Charity drives – Angel Tree, Relay for

Life, Etc.Employee to Employee and Employee to

Student Appreciation and GratitudeHelp them make their job a calling by

emphasizing the emotional aspects of working there, no matter the level of employee

Form teams and work togetherEncourage Flow – turn off cell phones

Happiness is…Positive relationships with other peopleKindness, gratitude and capacity for love

matter much more than love of learning, curiosity, accomplishment, or success.

SourcesStumbling on Happiness by GilbertThe How of Happiness by LyubomirskyThe New Science of Happiness by Claudia

Wallis, Time Magazine, 2005 This Emotional Life documentary, PBS,

hosted by GilbertHappy, documentary, 2011, Directed by Roko

Belic