Happiness - Do We Have It All Backwards? - Bubblews

What's the typical model of happiness?

"If I work harder, I'll be more successful. If I'm more successful, then I'll be happier."

This is backwards and broken. And Harvard researcher Shawn Achor can prove it.+Harvard +ShawnAchor

At a Tedx speech he gave in 2011, he showed that if we focus on positivity first, we can make our brains more effective. +TEDX

After all, in the traditional model, what typically happens? A student gets good grades but the happiness only lasts until its time to get better grades. When a salesperson hit his target, his target gets changed.

If happiness depends on success, the reason we never get there is we keep moving the goalposts. +Happiness +Success

Achor says when your brain is positive, it's 31 percent more productive. Salespeople are 37 percent more effective. And doctors are 19 percent faster and more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis. +Positive

Dopamine, the brain chemical we know is responsible for happiness, also does something else. Dopamine turns on the brains learning centers. +Dopamine

And stimulating dopamine is surprisingly easy to do. Achor recommends:

- write down 3 new things your grateful for every day
- journal about 1 positive experience you've had in the past day
- exercise
- meditate
- open your inbox by writing one positive email praising or thanking someone

By doing these activities, we can literally see our brains rewired in as few as 21 days.

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The post Happiness Do We Have It All Backwards originally appeared on Bubblews.