Happy Times

Professor Laurie Santos taught a class at Yale called Psychology and the Good Life in Spring 2018 in response to concerning levels of student depression, anxiety, and stress. It immediately became the most popular class in Yale’s history. She now has a popular Podcast called The Happiness Lab and offers a free version of the course on Coursera called The Science of Well-Being. I encourage you to check them out.
 
I regularly apply some of the concepts (e.g. a good exercise routine, good sleep habits and the practice of completing a Gratitude Journal each morning). However, there were three concepts that really hit home for me. I will share one of them with you today.
 
The Art of Savoring
Hedonic adaptation is the tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness after major positive or negative events or life changes. On a positive note, we are more resilient than we think when dealing with disappointment. A word of caution is that as we progress in our careers, make more money, buy bigger houses, etc. we get used to these things and take them for granted.
 
A way to combat this is by practicing savoring – stepping outside a memory or experience to truly review and appreciate it. This intensifies positive emotion well past a quick note in a gratitude journal. It will also make you more aware of feeling blessed and grateful for things or people you have been taking for granted.

I have applied this tactic this year with my family, Boards, and consulting clients to increase my level of appreciation for everyone I engage with regularly. I hope you find some applications for it also.

Today's L.M. Boyd moment (this may hit home for many of you):

"Teen" is a Scottish word for grief

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Cheers,

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